KYIV. Aug 28 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Enterprises and organizations in Ukraine in January-June 2017 received a pretax profit from ordinary activities in the amount of UAH 186.3 billion, whereas in January-June 2016 they posted a profit of UAH 63 billion, the State Statistics Service has said.
According to its data, in the first half of 2017 enterprises that worked profitably received UAH 270 billion of profit, which is 44.2% more than in the same period in 2016.
At the same time, 67.4% of enterprises worked unprofitably: their losses for the six months of this year amounted to UAH 83.7 billion, which is 32.6% less compared to January-June 2016.
The service said the share of loss-making enterprises in Ukraine in the first half of this year decreased by 3.4 percentage points compared to last year, to 31.2%.
KYIV. Aug 28 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The Moody’s Investors Service rating agency has upgraded Ukraine’s ratings in Ukrainian and foreign currency from Caa3 to Caa2 with a “positive” outlook.
The press service of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine said Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman, commenting on the agency’s decision, stressed this is a testament to the success of structural reforms in Ukraine.
“The key factors in the credit rating change upwards are the effect of structural reforms and the strengthening of Ukraine’s position in the world market. According to financial experts’ forecasts, the continuation of changes will improve the debt dynamics of our state,” the head of government said.
The premier stressed there is much work ahead in the political stability sector, the continuation of economic reforms, the strengthening of the foreign exchange rate and the overall strengthening of the economy.
According to him, the success of reforms, in particular at the macro level, will help cope with the forecasted debt load of 2019 and the subsequent years when Ukraine will have to repay the debts of the previous periods.
KYIV. Aug 28 (Interfax-Ukraine) –U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch believes that Ukraine needs to develop competitiveness in the domestic and foreign markets and activate start-ups.
Speaking at the Inaugural Economic Forum “Supporting the Economic Development of Ukraine: Cooperation between Government and the Diaspora,” in Kyiv on Friday, Yovanovitch said they believe that an important element of enhancing the competitiveness of Ukraine’s economy is activating start-ups and increasing competitiveness in the domestic market.
The ambassador believes that now it is important to raise Ukraine’s competitiveness on the international market.
KYIV. Aug 23 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukraine’s Service for Food Safety and Consumer Protection jointly with Odesa Regional Administration, Odesa customs office and business representatives initiate the launch of a pilot project to relax biosecurity control for fruit and vegetables.
“After long discussions in Odesa a model that provides for the balance of interests of the state and importers has been found. The proposed changes mean that fruit and vegetable samples will be selected once for the first batch of food supplied under a contract if the next batches are shipped under the same contract, by one sender or the supplier from the same country for the same buyer,” acting Head of the State Fiscal Service of Ukraine Myroslav Prodan wrote on his Facebook page.
He said that among obligatory conditions is that the exporting country must be a signatory of the International Plant Protection Convention, and importers are to present food origin and biosecurity certificates issued by the exporting country.
According to the proposal, vegetable (potatoes, tomatoes and carrots), fruit, berries, citrus fruit and other fresh fruit will be checked under the relaxed rules.
“I hope that the draft resolution will be approved by the Cabinet of Ministers,” Prodan said.
KYIV. Aug 23 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Kyiv authorities are looking for an investor for the Bessarabsky market to reformat it in line with the modern retail format, CEO of ESTA Holding Maksym Hromadtsov has told Interfax-Ukraine.
“I hope that the Bessarabsky market would be transformed from the most expensive market without any distinguishing features into a normal format of the right European market, as, for example, the San Migel market in Madrid or Camden Market in London. I know for sure that Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko has a vision. We have discussed this. The authorities are still looking for an investor,” he said.
He said that with losing the status of the main shopping street of the country by Khreschatyk Street the share of clothes retailers in it shrank to around 20% of all retail space, and bank departments, cafes and restaurants occupied the rest of the premises in the street. Visiting of the street by local residents in weekends has decreased.
Hromadtsov said that the project on the creation of the pedestrian zone from Kontraktova Square and Petro Sahaidachny Street until the end of Khreschatyk Street could positively influence on resumption of retail trade in the street.
“This is a long-term project. We would be lucky if they manage to finish it in five years,” he said.
KYIV. Aug 22 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The startup of the Ukrainian origin – DMarket blockchain marketplace selling items from virtual games has raised $11.48 million of investment at the first phase of the Initial Coin Offering (ICO), DMarket has said on its website.
In five days of the ICO – from August 17 through August 21, a total of 34.493 coin tokens were sold (including bonus tokens) for $11.48 million. It is planned to sell 50 million tokens.
The second token distribution phase of the ICO is scheduled for November 2017. Their cost would grow by 25%.
“We are building DMarket – a global marketplace based on blockchain and smart contracts. It enables one-click sale, exchange or evaluation of every virtual item between all games on any platform,” DMarket said on its website.
The blockchain will ensure 100% security and safety and smart contracts are the bridge on blockchain to connect all game worlds and universes without any third party needed, the designers of DMarket said.
Over 2.2 billion people play games every day on different platforms and devices and just a couple of games with 6% auditory already turn over close to trading in-game items.
The designers of DMarket are the co-founder of Ukraine’s Na`Vi (Natus Vinсere) cyber sport club Oleksandr Kokhanovsky and the founder of the website selling skins from CS:GO (skins.cash) Volodymyr Panchenko.
