The volume of processing of major oilseeds in Ukraine during the 2026/27 marketing year could reach 16.9 million metric tons, which is 14% higher than the previous season’s figure, according to a forecast by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
In the 2025/26 marketing year, processing is estimated at 14.8 million metric tons, while in the 2024/25 marketing year it stood at about 15.7 million metric tons. Thus, the new forecast exceeds even the relatively high pre-war levels of previous seasons.
At the same time, exports of oilseeds from Ukraine are projected at 4.95 million metric tons, compared with 4.12 million metric tons in the 2025/26 marketing year. The increase could be about 20%.
However, seed exports will still be significantly lower than the 2024/25 marketing year figure—7.39 million metric tons. Compared to that figure, the projected volume is about one-third lower.
This trend indicates a continued shift toward increasing domestic processing of raw materials rather than exporting them in their unprocessed form.
According to the April report by the USDA agricultural attaché in Kyiv, the growth of processing is also driven by excess capacity at Ukrainian oilseed and fat processing plants, a shortage of sunflower seeds in the previous season, and changes in the trade regime for rapeseed and soybeans. The USDA office expected this trend to continue into the 2026/27 marketing year.
Ukraine primarily processes sunflower seeds, as well as soybeans and rapeseed. A recovery in the sunflower seed harvest to 13 million metric tons will allow plants to increase their production of oil and meal while simultaneously boosting exports of higher-value-added products.
Source: USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, September report Oilseeds: World Markets and Trade dated September 11, 2026.
Despite a sharp recovery in 2025 and growth in indicators in the second quarter of 2026, Ukraine’s new housing construction market remains significantly below the pre-war level.
According to the Experts Club information and analytical center, based on data from the State Statistics Service, the total area of new housing construction in 2025 amounted to 5.8 million sq. m, increasing by 49.4% compared with 2024.
However, compared with 2021, when the figure reached 12.7 million sq. m, the volume remained approximately 54% lower, that is, more than twice as low.
In 2022, the area of new construction amounted to 6.6 million sq. m, in 2023 — 4.2 million sq. m, and in 2024 — 3.9 million sq. m.
Thus, the lowest figure for the period under review was recorded in 2024, after which the market began to recover noticeably in 2025.
In the second quarter of 2026, this process continued: the area of residential buildings declared for the start of construction increased by 6.1% year on year — to 1.65 million sq. m.
At the same time, the sustainability of the recovery remains ambiguous. For the entire first half of the year, the area of new apartment building construction was 2.3% lower than a year earlier, while the number of declared apartments decreased by 6%.
At the same time, construction costs continue to rise rapidly. In July 2026, construction prices were 23.7% higher than in July of the previous year.
Housing prices themselves are also rising: in the second quarter of 2026, they increased by 19.6% year on year and by 3.8% compared with the first quarter.
Thus, the Ukrainian market is simultaneously facing a recovery in construction activity, high inflation in construction costs, and a significant lag behind the supply volumes typical of the period before the full-scale war.
Western Fuel and Energy Company (ZTEK) plans to unveil its own network of FENIX energy gas stations by the end of 2026, which is expected to consist of approximately 20 locations in the initial phase.
Oleg Chykida, CEO and co-owner of ZTEK, announced this in an exclusive interview with the news agency “Interfax-Ukraine.”
“Our initial target is up to 20 gas stations by the end of 2026. Of course, we have to take military realities into account—a shortage of contractors and personnel, as well as disruptions in the supply of materials (…) Therefore, our plan is for up to 20 stations, but the timeline also depends on external factors,” he said.
According to Chikida, less than a year ago, FENIX energy practically didn’t exist, and he, along with his business partner and ZTEK co-owner Kostyantyn Gavrilenko, worked independently on the concept, name, color scheme, and positioning of the network.
“I’m cautious about chasing quantity. We’re entering a highly competitive and long-established market, so first we need to offer a high-quality product (…), build a strong team, refine the model, and only then scale it up,” the CEO noted.
The network’s primary geographic focus will be western and central Ukraine. ZPEK does not plan to operate in Kyiv during the initial phase.
FENIX energy will be financed from several sources: its own funds, profits from the group’s operations, and bank loans.
“Our key banking partner is Ukrgasbank. Over the past three years, we’ve gone from an initial financing round of approximately $110,000 to a credit line of about $17 million. At the same time, we’re in talks with other banks regarding the FENIX energy project,” Chikida said.
As he explained, ZTEK distinguishes three main formats for gas stations. The estimated budget, depending on the facility, can range from $700,000 to $2.5 million, while certain flagship complexes will require even greater investments.
For the urban format, the company is targeting approximately $1–1.2 million. There will also be regional highway stations and complexes along major national highways.
“We don’t want to build a network that differs only in the color of the ceiling. The foundation of FENIX energy is fuel quality control from import to the pump, a uniform standard for all facilities, and comprehensive roadside service,” added the CEO.
ZTEK plans to present some of its solutions, particularly those related to self-service, separately.
Ethereum is becoming the second-largest digital asset after Bitcoin that public companies are using to build corporate cryptocurrency reserves, according to Fixygen.
According to The Block’s Ethereum Treasury Tracker as of September 9–10, 2026, the nine publicly traded companies being monitored hold a total of approximately 7.63 million ETH on their balance sheets. The value of these reserves is estimated at approximately $19 billion.
BitMine Immersion Technologies emerged as the clear leader. The company announced on September 8 that it had increased its portfolio to 5.929 million ETH. In addition, BitMine holds 211 BTC, cash, and marketable securities totaling $593 million, as well as a number of other investments. The company estimates the total value of its cryptocurrency, cash, and marketable securities at $15.7 billion.
According to BitMine’s own estimates, the 5.93 million ETH it owns account for approximately 4.9% of the total Ethereum supply.
At the same time, the company has already staked approximately 5.067 million ETH. At the time of the announcement, BitMine valued these holdings at approximately $12.6 billion.
SharpLink ranks second among public corporate holders of Ethereum with 868,700 ETH worth approximately $2.15 billion, while Dynamix Corporation ranks third with 496,700 ETH worth approximately $1.24 billion.
Next are Bit Digital with 158,500 ETH, BTCS with 70,100 ETH, and Forum Markets with 69,800 ETH.
Thus, BitMine alone controls about 78% of all ETH held in specialized corporate Ethereum reserves tracked by The Block.
The emerging model resembles the strategy Strategy began implementing with Bitcoin several years ago, but there is a significant difference with Ethereum. A company can not only hold the digital asset in anticipation of its value increasing but also stake it to earn additional returns.
At the same time, this model carries additional risks—ranging from ETH volatility to fluctuations in staking yields and a potential discount on the company’s stock relative to the value of its Ethereum holdings.
As of September 10, ETH is trading at $2,470.
According to Experts Club, on September 10, the Israeli newspaper The Jerusalem Post published its annual list of the 50 Most Influential Jews of 2026. The editorial board awarded first place to Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, second place to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and third place to former Israeli Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy took 21st place, with the publication describing him as “the Jewish face of Ukrainian resistance.” (Jerusalem Post)
The Experts Club think tank notes that the term “Top 50” in this case refers to 50 ranking positions, not 50 individual people. In 2026, these 50 positions featured 109 individuals, as the editorial board allocated 27 spots to groups of two or more people. When determining national affiliations, Experts Club primarily considered the country where a person’s political, civic, or business activities are centered, rather than just their place of birth or possession of dual citizenship. The complete official ranking was published in The Jerusalem Post.
From the Experts Club’s perspective, the 2026 ranking demonstrates, first and foremost, the bipolar geography of global Jewish influence—Israel and the United States. These two countries make up virtually the entire top twenty and the majority of the remaining positions. Israel is particularly well represented by politicians, military officials, diplomats, and leaders of civil society organizations, while the U.S. is represented by business, technology, finance, media, and federal politics. Outside these two centers, Ukraine, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada stand out as notable independent representatives.
Another notable feature of the ranking is the sharp increase in the influence of the technology sector. It includes executives and founders of OpenAI, Meta, Wiz, Anthropic, Google, Oracle, Dell, Mobileye, Palantir, Thrive Capital, and Playrix. In other words, the editorial team now associates influence not only with government power, capital, and civil society organizations, but also with control over key technologies—primarily artificial intelligence, cloud infrastructure, and defense technologies.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s position remains particularly telling for Ukraine. In 2022, he ranked first in The Jerusalem Post’s list following the start of the Russian invasion. In 2023, Zelenskyy did not make the top 50. In 2024, he returned to 22nd place, and the publication itself explicitly noted his return after a year-long absence. Zelenskyy was again absent from the 2025 ranking, and in 2026, he ranked 21st—one spot higher than during his previous inclusion on the list.
Source: The Jerusalem Post’s full “50 Most Influential Jews of 2026” ranking.
https://www.experts.news/posts/the-jerusalem-post-nazvav-50-nayvplyvovishykh-yevreyiv-2026-roku
For the construction of underground fuel storage facilities to become possible in Ukraine, a compromise must be reached between the government and the private sector regarding the streamlining of permitting procedures and the provision of affordable long-term financing.
Oleg Chikida, CEO and co-owner of the Western Fuel and Energy Company (ZTEK), expressed this view in an exclusive interview with the “Interfax-Ukraine” news agency.
“We need to bring the government and the business community to the negotiating table and find a compromise: to safeguard the country’s strategic interests and create realistic economic conditions for private companies to build up reserves. As of now, I don’t see such a compromise yet,” he said.
According to the CEO, from the government’s perspective, reserves of oil and petroleum products are clearly necessary, but the conditions for businesses to build the required storage facilities have not yet been established.
“The first problem is financial. Building reserves means that a company must effectively freeze a significant amount of working capital. For ZTEK, this could potentially amount to more than one million dollars,” Chikida noted.
As he explained, an underground storage facility with a capacity of approximately 10,000 metric tons could require an investment of 10 million dollars, and for a private company, this is a very significant amount; therefore, affordable long-term financing is necessary to implement such projects.
“Programs are being discussed through state-owned banks at an interest rate of approximately 12% per year in hryvnia for five years. This is a step in the right direction, but it will not meet the industry’s needs,” the CEO believes.
The second problem, he says, is infrastructure-related. Since a significant portion of the storage facility network was destroyed or damaged during the war, the question arises: where should this resource be stored, and who will bear the risk if the storage site becomes a target of attack again?
“Specifically, we have a site where we could build an underground storage facility. But obtaining all the permits could take about a year and a half, and the construction itself, according to our estimates, is roughly three times more expensive than an above-ground facility,” Chikida noted.
He added, however, that ZTEK is ready to invest even under such conditions.
“But if we start the permitting process in September 2026, we’ll be lucky to get the documents in 2027, and construction won’t be completed until 2028. How will market demand change by then, and how will we recoup these investments?” the CEO asked.
As previously reported, Ukraine is set to launch a pilot project for the underground storage of petroleum products from the minimum reserves of oil and petroleum products (MZNN) starting in early 2027, in accordance with Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 1037 dated August 13, 2026.
The full text of the interview with Oleg Chikida, CEO and co-owner of ZTEK, will be published on the websites of the agency “Interfax-Ukraine” and its energy project “Energoreforma.”
