In January–June of this year, Ukrainian companies increased their imports of copper and copper products by 14.2% in monetary terms compared to the same period last year, reaching $106.351 million.
According to customs statistics released by the State Customs Service of Ukraine, exports of copper and copper products rose by 11.6% over the six-month period, reaching $51.405 million.
In June, copper imports totaled $21.012 million, while exports amounted to $12.159 million.
As previously reported, in 2025, Ukrainian companies increased imports of copper and copper products by 23.2% in monetary terms compared to 2024—to $173.453 million—while exports of copper and copper products rose by 17.7%—to $103.848 million.
Copper is widely used in electrical engineering, in the production of pipes, for creating alloys, in medicine, and in other industries.
Previously, the Experts Club Information and Analytical Center released a video on global copper production and leading producing countries – https://youtube.com/shorts/_h8iU50z8C0?si=a-XkgGEfeUxseQNa
Over the past month, the BETS Trading Platform held 22 trading sessions for the purchase and sale of natural gas on the medium- and long-term markets, as well as four trading sessions each day on the short-term market.
A total of 118 initial positions were formed at BETS for trading resources for June, July, and August 2026 in the gas transmission system (GTS) and underground gas storage facilities (UGS). In total, 38.9 million cubic meters of natural gas were sold on the medium- and long-term market, more than double the figure for the previous period. On the short-term market, 8.42 million cubic meters of natural gas were sold.
On the medium- and long-term market in June, quoted prices in the section of the same name ranged from 20,595.89 to 21,685.83 UAH excluding VAT. On the short-term market, exchange rates fluctuated daily within the range of 20,959.12–21,626.64 UAH excluding VAT. Prices remained stable throughout the month.
“In June, the natural gas market on the UEB demonstrated sustained activity following May’s recovery and a transition to a more mature phase. Despite the influence of external factors, the Ukrainian exchange segment remained operational and liquid: participants actively established positions for both buying and selling, and demand for June’s supply confirmed the importance of transparent price indicators for supply planning. “For the UEB, this is a signal that exchange mechanisms continue to be a key tool for establishing an objective market price, managing commercial risks, and maintaining the stability of the wholesale natural gas market,” noted UEB CEO O. Kovalenko.
Oschadbank has officially joined the global WE Finance Code initiative by signing a letter of intent. Participation in the program confirms the bank’s commitment to expanding financing opportunities for women-led businesses, implementing international best practices in supporting entrepreneurship, and helping to remove barriers to access to financial resources.
By signing the letter of intent, Oschadbank has committed to ensuring the systematic development of its women’s entrepreneurship support initiatives, tracking and analyzing gender-based financing metrics, and expanding specialized products and programs for women entrepreneurs. Upon completion of the transition period, the bank will report on the fulfillment of these commitments to the National Bank of Ukraine for their subsequent inclusion in the annual global reporting under the WE Finance Code.
In Ukraine, the initiative is being implemented by the Ministry of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture, the National Bank of Ukraine, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). The Ministry serves as the national coordinator for the WE Finance Code and ensures the coordination of the coalition’s activities. The WE Finance Code coalition includes banks, credit unions, leasing companies, and relevant financial sector associations, and with Oschadbank’s accession, its membership continues to grow.
Joining the WE Finance Code is a logical continuation of Oschadbank’s systematic efforts to support women’s entrepreneurship. As of the end of June 2026, the loan portfolio for women-led businesses in the micro, small, and medium-sized enterprise (MSME) segment reached 5.2 billion UAH. By comparison, at the beginning of 2022, this figure stood at 1.3 billion UAH; in other words, during the period of full-scale war, the volume of lending to women-owned businesses has quadrupled.
Today, women entrepreneurs account for 34% of Oschadbank’s MSME loan portfolio. In addition, they account for 40% of all recipients of non-repayable grants, which the bank verifies and supports as part of national and international entrepreneurship support programs.
“During the full-scale war, Oschadbank’s loan portfolio for women-led businesses has quadrupled—to 5.2 billion UAH. This is the best proof that women entrepreneurs remain one of our most dynamic client groups. We see their resilience, adaptability, and strong financial discipline even under the current extremely challenging conditions. That is precisely why we are successfully developing our own “Women’s Business” ecosystem, which offers not just financing, but comprehensive solutions for starting and scaling a business. It is a great honor for us to join the global WE Finance Code community. We are convinced that market leaders must not only implement best practices but also set the direction for development. That is why we have set an ambitious goal for ourselves—to work with other participants in the initiative to create new financial solutions that will expand opportunities for Ukrainian women entrepreneurs and promote the development of this sector in Ukraine,” — said Natalia Butkova-Vitvitska, a member of Oschadbank’s board of directors responsible for MSMEs.
An important component of this work is Oschadbank’s own “Women’s Business” ecosystem, which provides comprehensive support to women entrepreneurs. The program offers financing for startups to purchase franchises of up to 5 million UAH and for agricultural projects—up to 10 million UAH, preferential lending terms with a deferral of principal repayment for 7–9 months, competitive interest rates, fast processing of loan applications, the option to submit documents online, personalized assistance from a manager, and consulting support.
WE Finance Code is a global multilateral initiative aimed at expanding women entrepreneurs’ access to financing. Today, it is being implemented in more than 30 countries worldwide and brings together financial institutions, regulators, business associations, and international partners to develop the financial ecosystem for women’s entrepreneurship.
female entrepreneur, LOAN, MSMEs, OSCHADBANK, WE Finance Code
The Verkhovna Rada has appointed Serhiy Koretsky, chairman of the board of NAK “Naftogaz of Ukraine,” as Prime Minister of Ukraine.
His nomination, put forward by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, was approved by 289 members of parliament during a session on Thursday.
As prime minister, Koretskyi replaced the former head of the Ukrainian government, Yulia Svyrydenko, who had held the position for exactly one year, beginning on July 17, 2025.
Koretsky was born on March 14, 1978, in Lutsk. He received his higher education at Lutsk Technical University, majoring in “Mechanical Engineering” and “Business Economics,” as well as at the Ivano-Frankivsk National Technical University of Oil and Gas, where he majored in “Oil and Gas Production.”
He rose through the ranks from junior analyst at the Continuum Group of Companies (since 1999) to CEO of Continuum (since 2007).
From 2013 through the end of 2018, he developed the WOG gas station chain as CEO.
He then began working on his own projects. He was a co-founder and chairman of the board of the energy trader Centurion Group SA (Switzerland).
From November 9, 2022, he served as director of PJSC “Ukrnafta” and PJSC “Ukrtatnafta.” Since May 14, 2025, he has been chairman of the board of NJSC “Naftogaz of Ukraine.”
According to the “Chesno” movement, from 2002 to 2006 and from 2012 to 2014, he served as a volunteer assistant to Ihor Yeremeyev, a member of the Verkhovna Rada of the 4th and 7th convocations.
In 2006, he ran for the Volyn Regional Council of the 5th convocation as a candidate for the Lytvyn People’s Bloc, and also for the Verkhovna Rada of the 5th convocation as a candidate for the same bloc.
From 2007 to 2012, he served as a volunteer assistant to Kateryna Vashchuk, a member of the Verkhovna Rada of the 6th convocation elected from the Lytvyn Bloc.
Koretsky declared 32.3 million hryvnias in income for 2025, land plots with a total area of 261,600 square meters in the Donetsk Oblast, and six watches from the brands Rolex, Patek Philippe, Breguet, OPUS, and Ulysse Nardin, among others.
GOVERNMENT, Koretsky, NAFTOGAZ, PRIME MINISTER, VERKHOVNA RADA
In January–June of this year, Ukraine increased its exports of processed pig iron by 11.1% in volume terms compared to the same period last year—to 981,461 thousand metric tons from 883,174 thousand metric tons.
According to statistics released by the State Customs Service (SCS), 183,780 thousand metric tons of pig iron were exported in June, 159,378 thousand metric tons in May, in April—181,670 thousand metric tons, in March—168,493 thousand metric tons, in February—194,345 thousand metric tons, and in January—93,795 thousand metric tons.
From January through June 2026, pig iron exports in monetary terms increased by 11.3% to $388,890 million. Exports were primarily directed to the United States (86.25% of shipments in monetary terms), Turkey (9.16%), and Italy (2.33%).
In the first six months of this year, the country imported 15 metric tons of pig iron from Germany worth $35,000, compared to 29 metric tons worth $55,000 during the same period last year.
As previously reported, in 2025 Ukraine increased its pig iron exports by 53.5% in volume terms compared to 2024—to 1,980,620 metric tons—and by 51.9% in revenue, to $759,882 million. Exports were primarily shipped to the United States (68.25% of shipments by value), Italy (20.26%), and Turkey (3.63%).
Last year, the country imported 39 thousand metric tons of pig iron worth $78 thousand from Germany (51.95%) and Brazil (48.05%), while in January–December 2024, 38 metric tons worth $90 thousand were imported.
Starting March 12, 2025, the United States, pursuant to a decision by President Donald Trump, began imposing a 25% tariff on imports of Ukrainian steel products, excluding pig iron.
The Experts Club Information and Analytical Center recently released a video analysis of the top 20 steel-producing countries – https://youtube.com/shorts/j7Yev2HCS4o?si=lfmGJ5jrx8036z1U
In January–June of this year, Ukrainian companies increased their consumption of rolled metal products by 3.64% compared to the same period last year—to 2 million 9.3 thousand metric tons.
According to a press release from the “Ukrmetallurgprom” association, 880.3 thousand metric tons were imported during this period, accounting for 43.81% of the domestic rolled steel consumption market.
According to “Ukrmetallurgprom,” in January–June 2026, Ukrainian steel companies produced 2.940 million metric tons of rolled steel (95.8% of the figure for the same period in 2025), of which, according to the State Customs Service of Ukraine, approximately 1.811 million metric tons—or 61.6%—were exported. In January–June 2025, the share of exports was 60.2% (1.848 million metric tons out of a total rolled steel production of 3.070 million metric tons).
The share of semi-finished products in export shipments in January–June 2026 was 42.85%, which is significantly higher than the figure for the same period in 2025 (30.90%). The share of flat products in exports in January–June 2026 was slightly lower than in January–June 2025 (43.90% and 46.81%, respectively). The share of long products, however, was noticeably lower than in January–June 2025 (13.35% in 2026 versus 22.29% in 2025).
The structure of imports in January–June 2026 is characterized by a marked dominance of flat-rolled products over structural steel (64.38% and 27.99%, respectively), however, in January–June 2025, the dominance of flat-rolled products over long products was significantly greater (77.30% and 20.96%, respectively).
“In January–June 2026, the domestic market capacity was 2,009.3 thousand metric tons of rolled steel, of which 880.3 thousand metric tons, or 43.81%, consisted of imports. In January–June 2025, the domestic market capacity was 1,938.7 thousand metric tons, of which 716.7 thousand metric tons, or 36.97%, were imported. “Thus, in January–June 2026, the domestic market capacity increased by 3.64% compared to January–June 2025, with a simultaneous 6.84% rise in the share of imports,” the press release states.
According to the State Customs Service, the main export markets for Ukrainian rolled metal in January–June 2026 were EU countries (80.0%), other European countries (10.6%), and the CIS (7.0%).
Among importers of rolled metal products in the first half of 2026, other European countries ranked first (48.5%), followed by Asian countries (25.8%), and EU-27 countries (16.4%).
As previously reported, Ukraine’s rolled metal market grew by 21.73% in 2025 compared to 2024, reaching 4 million 1.6 thousand metric tons. Imports totaled 1 million 603.6 thousand metric tons, accounting for 40.07% of domestic rolled metal consumption.
Ukraine’s rolled steel market in 2024 shrank by 6.26% compared to the previous year—to 3,288.4 thousand metric tons, while in 2023 it increased 2.19 times compared to 2022—to 3,505.6 thousand metric tons.
CONSUMPTION, EXPORTS, IMPORTS, ROLLED STEEL, UKRMETALLURGPROM
