PrJSC Ukrainian Financial Housing Company (Ukrfinzhytlo) plans to increase the share of loans for the purchase of property rights to housing under construction to 20-30% in 2024 and to 80% or more by 2028, according to the company’s strategic goals set out in its annual financial report for 2023.
According to the report on Ukrfinzhytl’s website, the financial plan for 2024 envisages a 16.5% increase in the volume of revenues from the company’s business activities compared to the 2023 target. By the end of 2024, it is planned to form a loan portfolio (the balance of debt under eHouse program agreements and financial leasing agreements) in the amount of UAH 29.9 billion (about 20 thousand loans).
In addition, in the second half of 2024, the state budget provides for additional capitalization of Ukrfinzhytl in the amount of UAH 20 billion, the document says. The company’s capital investments for 2024 are planned in the amount of UAH 44.3 million at the expense of its own funds.
Ukrfinzhytel’s strategic goals for 2024-2028 include providing housing for 50 thousand families, developing subprograms with central and local authorities, developing and launching a transparent housing construction financing scheme to protect investors’ rights, ensuring the de-shadowing of the rental housing market, etc.
According to the results of the last year, 6325 mortgage loans totaling UAH 9.5 billion were issued during the operation of the eHouse program and by the end of 2023. 83.6% or 5289 loans were issued to privileged categories of citizens at 3% per annum, 16.4% or 1036 loans to other categories at 7%. The leader was Oschadbank, which lent 43% of the program’s clients, and most of the apartments under the program were purchased in Kyiv, Kyiv, Rivne, Volyn and Chernihiv regions, the document says.
Earlier, Yevhen Metzger, Chairman of the Board of Ukrfinzhytl, announced the company’s plans to gradually leave the secondary real estate market and focus on the primary market.
As reported, the affordable mortgage lending program eHouse was launched in Ukraine in October 2022. Contract servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, employees of the security and defense sector, healthcare workers, teachers, and researchers can apply for a preferential mortgage at 3% per annum for up to 20 years with a down payment of 20% of the cost of housing.
Starting from August 1, 2023, war veterans, combatants, internally displaced persons (IDPs) and citizens who do not have their own housing larger than the standard area can apply for the eHouse program at a 7% discount.
Eight partner banks are integrated into this program: Oschadbank, PrivatBank, Ukrgasbank, Globus Bank, Sky Bank, Ukreximbank, SENS and Bank Credit Dnipro. You can apply for participation in the program in the Diia mobile application.
As of April 30, the volume of loans issued under eHousing reached UAH 14.9 billion, with loans issued to 9,613 families. At the same time, 2.9% of apartments were purchased on the primary market, 71.7% on the secondary market, and 25.4% from developers.
MP Marian Zablotskyi proposes to add to the draft law on customs clearance of cars through Diia a permit for mass importation of junk cars into Ukraine without any technical condition checks.
People’s Deputy Marian Zablotskyi is trying to allow the import of junk cars to Ukraine without any checks, which are banned from the EU and the US due to their poor technical condition and danger to drivers and passengers. As it became known, Zablotskyi proposes to add the relevant amendments to the draft law 10380 on customs clearance of cars through Diia, which was adopted as a basis. As a reminder, the idea of the MP’s colleagues in the faction and the Ministry of Digital Transformation was to simplify the procedure for customs clearance of cars, not to cancel technical condition checks.
Earlier, the MP’s attempts to introduce uncontrolled import of cars by introducing draft laws 9460 and 9210 were stopped in time in the committees on economic policy and law enforcement, and the Government concluded that such ideas of Marian Zablotskyi would harm Ukraine’s European integration, economy and road safety.
In particular, the Ministry of Economy, in its opinion on Draft Law 9460, emphasized that its adoption would negatively affect Ukraine’s fulfillment of its obligations under the Association Agreement, as the introduction of unilateral recognition of conformity assessment results conducted in EU member states would offset the results achieved in the negotiation process on the conclusion of the Agreement on “industrial visa-free regime” in the first priority sectors of industrial products – machinery. As for the consequences for citizens and businesses, the Ministry of Economy stated them very simply: higher car prices. The Ministry also noted that registering a vehicle in countries where minimum safety requirements apply cannot be equated with assessing compliance with the requirements in force in Ukraine. That is, draft law 9460 could have led to an increase in road accidents.
However, Zablotskyi is again trying to push the same proposals – this time to draft law 10380.
As you know, in the EU and the US, the main reasons for deregistering and selling a car are that it has high mileage or has been involved in an accident. Often, due to the high mileage, these cars have their engines replaced, catalytic converters and particulate filters removed due to their failure before they even get to Ukraine. Thus, a car that was once registered in the EU or the US and a car that later entered Ukraine are completely different cars in terms of safety and environmental parameters.
Thus, if Zablotskyi’s amendments are adopted, vehicles that do not meet the requirements of the technical regulations will be imported into Ukraine en masse, and without undergoing a certification procedure or any inspection of the technical condition of the vehicle, they will be registered and allowed to participate in road traffic, which will lead to an increase in the number of accidents on Ukrainian roads, as the technical condition will not be controlled.
ArcelorMittal increased EBITDA by 35% in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the fourth quarter of 2023 to $1.96 billion, the company said in a statement.
The main increase in EBITDA was driven by improved performance of assets in North America, Brazil, Europe and India.
Operating profit in the last quarter amounted to $1 billion compared to a loss of $1.98 billion in the previous period.
Net profit in January-March amounted to $938 million, compared to a loss of almost $3 billion a quarter earlier.
Revenue increased by 12% last quarter compared to the fourth quarter, amounting to $16.28 billion.
ArcelorMittal’s capex in working capital amounted to $1.7 billion in January-March. The capex target for this year is $4.5-5 billion.
In the first quarter, the company increased steel production by 5% quarter-on-quarter to 14.4 million tons. Last quarter, metal shipments increased by 1.5% to 13.5 million tons. The company’s iron ore production increased by 4.8% to 6.5 million tons in the quarter.
According to ArcelorMittal’s forecasts, global steel consumption, excluding China, will increase by 3-4% in 2024. At the same time, demand in the US will increase by 1.5-3.5%, in Europe by 2-4%, in Brazil by 0.5-2.5%, and in India by 6.5-8.5%.
Zaporozhkoks, one of Ukraine’s largest coke and chemical producers and part of Metinvest Group, increased its blast furnace coke output by 1.5% year-on-year to 286.98 thousand tons from 282.6 thousand tons in January-April this year.
According to the company, it produced 72.1 thousand tons of coke in April.
As reported, Zaporozhkoks increased its blast furnace coke output by 16% in 2023 compared to 2022, up to 856.8 thousand tons from 737.4 thousand tons.
“Zaporozhkoks produces about 10% of coke in Ukraine and has a full technological cycle of coke products processing. It also produces coke oven gas and pitch coke.
“Metinvest is a vertically integrated mining group of companies. Its major shareholders are SCM Group (71.24%) and Smart Holding (23.76%), which jointly manage the company.
Metinvest Holding LLC is the management company of Metinvest Group.
The Italian embassy in Ukraine has held a ceremony of handing over three ambulances with humanitarian aid, which was the result of the mission of the La Memoria Viva association.
According to the embassy’s press service, employees of the diplomatic institution met Italian volunteers who brought three cars for their symbolic handover to Ukrainians.
The ceremony was attended by people’s deputy Oleksiy Krasov, deputy chairman of Kharkiv region Eugene Ivanov and two representatives of local authorities from the same region – chairman of Bogodukhov district Anatoliy Rystsov and mayor of Krasnokutsk Irina Karabut.
“‘La Memoria Viva’ has launched its 45th humanitarian mission in Ukraine, which continues unabated after more than two years of invasion, and which makes us proud,” said Ambassador Pier Francesco Zazzo.
This aid, made possible thanks to the community of Osegna (Turin) and the Lions Club Turati del Canavese, dedicated to the memory of Senator Eugenio Bozzello. Two medical ambulances will be donated to Kharkiv region and a veterinary ambulance will be donated to the animal shelter “Italia KJ2”, which is run by Italian Andrea Cisternino.
In the first quarter of 2024, Ukrnafta sold 52.6 mln liters of fuel in NAFTA cards and coupons. In particular, 18.7 million liters were sold in March.
The company’s press service reports.
In total, 140.4 million liters of fuel have been sold since the beginning of 2023, when the company launched its own B2B program.
The number of customers – public and private enterprises – exceeds 3 thousand.
Regional sales offices have been opened in Ivano-Frankivsk, Odesa, Dnipro, Lutsk, Khmelnytskyi, Vinnytsia, Kamianets-Podilskyi, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Poltava, Lviv, Cherkasy, and Mukachevo.
Ukrnafta coupons are accepted at 866 filling stations and cards at 1003 filling stations across the country, including SOCAR, Ovis, VST and other networks.
