In Ukraine, despite the difficult situation and general pressure on the market, the construction of new elevators and the expansion of existing capacities continues, and demand for construction is not decreasing, according to the press service of KMZ Industries (Karlivsky Machine-Building Plant, KMZ, Poltava region).
“Speaking about us, when comparing the beginning of June 2024 and 2025, the increase in orders is about 15-17%. Quite a large number of our potential customers already have design solutions, sites for construction or expansion of existing facilities, and ready estimates, but are waiting for the security situation to improve (in the northern and eastern regions) or at least for some stability,” said Alexander Nebesky, commercial director of the company.
According to him, the company currently has 173 small, medium, and large projects in the pipeline. Most of the customers are located in western Ukraine, but there are also a number of customers from the Kyiv, Cherkasy, and Kirovohrad regions.
Nebesky noted that over the past two seasons, there has been a trend toward investment in the construction of elevators by processors or farmers who want to enter the processing business. Grain storage facilities are being built for joint operation with processing enterprises, feed mills, and bioethanol plants.
At the same time, farmers continue to build their own elevator facilities. Whereas large agricultural holdings previously dominated construction, this trend is now gaining popularity among medium and small agricultural enterprises.
“The number of farmers building their own grain storage facilities is growing. This allows them to store their harvest at a more favorable price and reduce their dependence on third-party elevators. Some farmers also provide storage services to other farmers located nearby,” Nebesky concluded.
KMZ Industries is the largest manufacturer of elevator equipment in Ukraine and produces a full range of products, including silos, grain dryers, transport equipment, and separators, as well as providing automation and installation services.
According to the company, it has built more than 5,000 facilities. KMZ Industries silos with a total volume of more than 12.5 million cubic meters are currently in operation.
Ukrzaliznytsia (UZ) will revise prices for a number of goods sold on long-distance trains for the first time since 2018. The changes will take effect on June 18, 2025, the company said.
“In particular, the price of a cup of classic tea will increase from 10 UAH to 20 UAH, which, according to market price analysis, will still remain significantly below the average market price. However, this increase will allow the railway to at least cover the operating costs associated with the sale of these products,” the company said in a statement on its Facebook page on Tuesday.
As emphasized by Ukrzaliznytsia, this will be the first price increase since 2018, while the cost of raw materials, energy, logistics, and the inflation index (consumer prices) have shown steady growth throughout the period.
It is emphasized that the price revision will be up to 20 UAH and will affect carbonated and non-carbonated water, instant coffee and 3-in-1 coffee drinks, while boiling water will remain free of charge. Prices for all beverages on Intercity+ high-speed trains, as well as for hot meals as part of a pilot project on long-distance trains, remain unchanged.
“Important: Ukrzaliznytsia continues to keep ticket prices for the social segment of passenger transportation unchanged since the beginning of the full-scale invasion,” the company emphasized.
In comments to the post, passengers suggested automatically including the cost of drinks to maintain demand. In response to the suggestion, Ukrzaliznytsia noted that both bed linen and drinks are optional extras, and the company does not plan to force passengers to purchase goods. The company believes that: “passengers should have the choice to refuse or add services.”
In addition, one of the flights is testing the possibility of paying for additional services by card and hopes to quickly expand this option to other routes.
Ukrzaliznytsia reminded that three types of classic tea, three types of signature tea, capsule and drip coffee, as well as an updated range of snacks are currently available on trains. Passengers on international trains are offered a dessert menu, children’s carriages have a special children’s menu from restaurateur Yevgen Klopotenko, and four long-distance trains are testing full lunches: deruny, pilaf, potatoes with chicken, and syrniki.
The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) forecasts that in 2025, the loan portfolio of banks will grow by 20–25%, which will allow balancing investments in government bonds, said First Deputy Governor of the NBU Kateryna Rozhkova.
“We expect that in 2025, the loan portfolio will grow at a rate of around 20-25%, which will balance investments in government bonds,” she said during the presentation of the financial stability report on Tuesday.
She noted that the share of the loan portfolio in the structure of bank balance sheets is growing, and the regulator hopes that this trend will continue.
“Based on an analysis of the real sector and corporate balance sheets, we see that in terms of business credit metrics, such as solvency, debt-to-revenue ratio, and debt service-to-income ratio, the vast majority of companies are in good shape,” Rozhkova said.
This indicates that businesses have managed to adapt and recover, thanks in part to support from government programs. As a result, most companies now look attractive to banks as potential borrowers, explained the first deputy head of the NBU.
At the same time, she noted that consumer demand is insufficient for rapid economic growth, and that the willingness of businesses to invest in production currently plays a key role. The state is also a significant source of effective demand, particularly through its defense needs, which fuel the economy and lending.
“Currently, all the conditions that exist in the market today and the banking sector, which can provide credit support, want to do so and have the resources to do so. According to a bank survey, demand for loans from businesses is at around 30% growth,” Rozhkova emphasized.
She noted that the regulator is observing an increase in the share of loans with maturities of one to three years in the loan portfolio of banks, which indicates an increase in the volume of longer-term financing, which is often of an investment nature, particularly with regard to new loans.
As reported, members of the NBU’s Monetary Policy Committee noted that interest rates on business loans have risen but remain at pre-crisis levels, and banks’ loan portfolios continue to grow steadily.
According to the NBU, in May, the volume of loans increased by 1.8%, or by UAH 21 billion, to UAH 1 trillion 186.3 billion, while deposits decreased by 0.4%, or by UAH 10.3 billion, to UAH 2 trillion 804.8 billion.
Hungary is tightening rules on foreign property purchases. Restrictions on home purchases by non-residents will come into effect on July 1.
Foreign citizens who are not members of the Schengen/EEA will have to obtain permission from a government commission to purchase real estate, including houses and apartments. Significant restrictions on land and residential property transactions are expected.
The aim of the changes is to protect the domestic housing market from excessive foreign demand, especially in tourist and suburban regions, to reduce price inflation, and to prevent social tension due to rising rents.
The new changes are in line with environmental and social criteria; land transactions have long been restricted, and now similar measures are being extended to residential real estate.
According to data from the Hungarian Central Statistical Office (KSH):
2023 — foreigners purchased more than 6,300 residential units, which is 1,700 fewer than in 2022, accounting for almost 6% of all transactions and 7.6% of the portfolio price.
2022 — peak — about 8,000 purchases by foreigners.
National and category composition of buyers:
Germany — in first place, with more than 1,470 transactions in 2023, accounting for about 25% of all purchases by foreigners.
Slovakia, Romania, and the United Kingdom — 600–700 purchases each.
China — nearly 600 purchases, mainly in Budapest.
Ukraine — 131 property purchases.
As of early 2025, there are approximately 255,450 foreign citizens living in Hungary.
The limits introduced are aimed at reducing pressure on prices, especially in areas popular with foreigners — Budapest, Lake Balaton, and the border area.
The government seeks to prevent the rise in housing prices due to investments by non-residents, as well as to alleviate the shortage of affordable housing for Hungarians.
The new rules require approval and may slow down the purchase process by 2–3 months.
Prices in vulnerable regions are expected to stabilize and growth rates to slow down. Hungary will significantly tighten requirements for foreigners purchasing real estate.
The National Health Service of Ukraine plans to complete monitoring of medical institutions contracted for surgical and inpatient care packages in July.
According to the Ministry of Health, special attention will be paid to the availability of antibiotics and the validity of their prescription.
The monitoring began in April 2024 and is based on a preliminary analysis of medical records from the electronic health care system (ESOZ), financial reports of institutions, the number of patients treated, the volume of services provided, and expenditures on the purchase of medicines.
“Based on the results of the analysis, the NSZU found extremely low spending on medicines and medical products per patient in a number of institutions, which raises reasonable doubts about compliance with the terms of contracts and failure to provide patients with the necessary treatment at public expense,” the Ministry of Health said.
The ministry reminds that 206 medical institutions received requests for explanations and supporting documents. Due to the failure to provide reasonable explanations, in May 2025, the NSZU suspended payments to 36 of them.
During monitoring, the NSZU found, in particular, that two of the six inspected institutions providing stroke care involving endovascular interventions had used medical products that were not recorded in the institution’s records, which may indicate that they were purchased at the patient’s expense.
In addition, in one of the oncology centers, during January-February 2025, there were no necessary consumables for the use of infusion pumps in patients with breast cancer. In total, monitoring in this area is being carried out in seven medical institutions.
The state-owned Oschadbank (Kyiv) has almost doubled the credit limit available to OKKO Group, increasing it from UAH 1.5 billion to UAH 2.85 billion, which is provided for a period of two years.
“Currently, OKKO Group’s loan portfolio at Oschadbank is the largest among all their financial partners. Oschadbank’s liquidity level allows us to continue expanding this portfolio in line with our partner’s ambitious plans,” said Yuriy Katsion, deputy chairman of the board of Oschadbank responsible for corporate business, as quoted by the financial institution’s press service.
The increase in the credit limit will enable the group to manage its operating expenses more efficiently, in particular to maintain the necessary level of fuel reserves, which is important given the market dynamics and plans to expand the OKKO network of gas stations, which currently has 410 facilities, according to the press release.
It is noted that Oschadbank has been cooperating with OKKO Group companies since 2016, but the partnership has significantly strengthened since the start of the full-scale war. In March 2022, during the fuel crisis, the financial institution provided one of the group’s companies with an overdraft of UAH 500 million, thereby enabling it to import additional fuel. Since then, the volume of working capital financing has increased to UAH 1.5 billion.
OKKO Group is a Ukrainian holding company that unites businesses in the fields of trade, construction, agriculture, energy, tourism, and services. The group is based on the OKKO filling station network, which also includes catering establishments, fuel quality control laboratories, shops at filling stations, wholesale sales of petroleum products, and related services.
As reported, in the first quarter of 2025, Oschadbank signed almost three times more loan agreements with corporate clients than in the same period of 2024. Last year, the corporate segment’s loan portfolio grew by UAH 9.3 billion compared to 2023. About 34% of the agreements concluded in 2024 were aimed at financing investment projects.
