The state-owned Ukreximbank (Kyiv) provided a UAH 135 million loan to Eco-Sfera, a natural juice producer from Vinnytsia region, half of which is covered by a state guarantee.
According to the bank’s website, the loan was issued in the form of a tranche credit line with the use of a state risk-sharing mechanism, with 50% of the limit secured by a state portfolio guarantee.
The funds will be used for seasonal accumulation of raw materials, which will enable the company to increase production during peak periods and strengthen the market presence of its brands both in the regions and at the national level.
According to the NBU, as of April 2025, Ukreximbank ranked third (UAH 311.8 billion) among 60 operating banks in terms of total assets.
Bonds of the international financial service NovaPay (TM NovaPay, issued by NovaPay Credit LLC) were purchased by 5,900 Ukrainians for a total amount of UAH 1.7 billion, the company announced on Tuesday. On May 8, it reported that as of April, there were more than 4,800 investors with a total investment of over UAH 1.3 billion.
According to NovaPay’s press release on Tuesday, 80% of purchases in the app are investments of up to UAH 50,000.
In early March this year, the company reported that about 4,300 Ukrainians had purchased its bonds for a total of about UAH 1.2 billion, while at the beginning of the year it reported more than 3,000 customers and UAH 740 million, and in mid-October 2024 – about 2,600 customers and UAH 600 million.
As reported, in 2023, NovaPay made three public issues of interest-bearing bonds of series “A”, “B” and “C”, and last year issued six more series of bonds – “D”, “E”, “F”, “G”, ‘H’ and “I”, and this year – another series “J”, all worth UAH 100 million. This year, the company also decided to issue two more series – ‘K’ and “L” with a total nominal value of UAH 100 million. Traditionally, the funds raised are planned to be used for lending operations to individuals and legal entities – 80% and 20%, respectively.
Securities of all series, except for “B” and “I,” are used for repo operations as an alternative to bank deposits, They are available for purchase in the NovaPay mobile app, while bonds of series “B” and “I” are offered for sale to institutional clients, with interest income paid quarterly.
According to the prospectuses, the bonds of the last four series were issued for three years. The nominal interest rate on them is 17% per annum, while for the previous three it was 18%.
According to the prospectus, NovaPay Credit plans to increase its interest income to UAH 802.1 million this year and to UAH 1 billion 515.1 million next year, and to receive UAH 518.9 million and UAH 1 billion 30.6 million in net profit, respectively.
Last year, the company’s net profit grew to UAH 89.2 million from UAH 40.3 million a year earlier, with revenue increasing to UAH 285.6 million from UAH 95.6 million.
In January-June 2025, the state-owned enterprise “Forests of Ukraine” signed over 800 contracts through the Prozorro system for the harvesting of 5 million cubic meters of timber worth UAH 2.1 billion, the company’s press service reported on Telegram.
“Harvesting services account for the largest share of the company’s purchases. Traditionally, they were purchased under direct contracts. Last year, Forests of Ukraine began creating a transparent, open, and civilized timber harvesting market,” the state-owned company emphasized.
Lisy Ukrainy reminded that a number of entrepreneurs who were not used to working openly and did not accept the mechanism of public tenders resisted the reforms, but the procurement was successfully transferred to Prozorro. The state-owned enterprise demonstrated to businesses the advantages of concluding agreements through transparent, competitive auctions.
“The result is that thousands of workers are officially employed, contractors pay taxes to local budgets. There are more opportunities to monitor compliance with safety and working conditions. The opportunities for manipulation have been minimized—all contracts are published,” emphasized Lesy Ukrainy, adding that the formation of an efficient and competitive timber market is a guarantee that the company will fulfill its obligations to wood processors regarding timely deliveries of timber.
Construction of the Kvartal City shopping and entertainment center has begun at 313 Shevchenko Street in Lviv. The opening is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2027, according to the website of the consulting company Retail&Development Advisor (RDA), which is the exclusive broker for the property.
According to RDA project manager Alina Abramtseva, Kvartal City will be a multifunctional space for the daily needs and leisure of the community, a place for shopping with international and national fashion operators, children’s markets, electronics stores, perfumes, cosmetics, etc.
The property is located directly on the M10 international highway, which connects Lviv with Krakivets on the Polish border. The Lviv ring road is also nearby.
The Kvartal City shopping and entertainment center will have three floors with a total area of almost 50,000 square meters and 20,000 square meters of leasable space. The complex will accommodate 75 stores. There will be an entertainment area for children, a cinema, a large food court and restaurants (2,000 square meters), and, of course, a shopping area with international and national fashion retailers, children’s markets, electronics stores, perfumes, cosmetics, etc.,” Abramtseva said.
An underground parking lot with an area of 8,900 square meters and a multi-level parking lot with an area of 14,600 square meters are planned, with a total of 523 parking spaces.
All the necessary documents for the construction of the shopping and entertainment center have been finalized, preparatory work has been carried out on the site, and construction of the complex will begin in September this year.
Metinvest B.V. (Netherlands), the parent company of the Metinvest mining and metallurgical group, increased its revenue from product resale by 30% in 2024 compared to 2023, to $2.869 billion.
According to the group’s annual report, resales accounted for 36% of total revenue, up 6 percentage points (pp) from 2023.
It is specified that Metinvest’s revenue is mainly generated from the sale of metal, iron ore, coal, and coke products of its own production. The group also resells products manufactured by joint ventures and third parties.
In 2024, Metinvest’s consolidated revenue amounted to $8.05 billion, which is 9% more than in 2023. This growth is primarily due to the resumption of shipping in the Black Sea, which eased logistical restrictions on exports. In addition, the volume of steel and iron ore resales increased significantly amid improved operating performance of both joint ventures. At the same time, sales prices declined in line with global benchmarks.
In terms of markets, Metinvest’s revenue in Ukraine fell by 2% last year to $2.587 billion, mainly due to lower sales prices. As a result, Ukraine’s share in consolidated revenue fell by 3 percentage points to 32%.
At the same time, sales to other markets decreased by 15% compared to 2023, to $5.463 billion, accounting for 68% of total revenue.
Revenue in Europe (excluding Ukraine, European CIS countries, and Turkey) decreased by 8% due to weaker prices and lower shipments of iron ore concentrate (down 18%), coal concentrate (down 26%), and billets (down 34%). This was offset by a 10% increase in shipments of pellets and flat products. As a result, the region’s share in total revenue decreased by 7 percentage points to 41%.
Sales in Asia (excluding the Middle East and Central Asia) increased 2.6 times, mainly due to the resumption of iron ore concentrate shipments to China. This led to an increase in the region’s share of consolidated revenue by 9 percentage points to 16%.
Revenue in North America remained virtually unchanged at $443 million. Long products shipments increased by 43%, while pig iron volumes declined by 15%. The region’s share in consolidated revenue remained unchanged at 6%.
Sales to the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) increased 2.2 times, mainly due to a threefold increase in shipments of billets. The region’s share in consolidated revenue increased by 1 percentage point to 3%.
Revenue in the CIS countries increased by 25%, but the region’s share in consolidated revenue remained unchanged at 1%.
Sales in other regions increased by 13%, and their share in consolidated revenue remained unchanged at 1%.
As reported, Metinvest’s consolidated net loss in 2024 increased sixfold compared to 2023, to $1.152 billion from $194 million, revenue increased slightly, to $8.050 billion from $7.397 billion, while EBITDA increased by 11.1% to $957 million from $861 million. Revenue from the metallurgical sector amounted to $4.824 billion (in 2023 – $4.846 billion), and from the mining segment – $3.226 billion ($2.551 billion).
The adjusted EBITDA of the group’s metallurgical division was recorded at $289 million ($159 million), and that of the mining segment at $768 million ($770 million). Metinvest’s operating loss for 2024 amounted to $938 million, compared with an operating profit of $445 million in 2023. In addition, free cash and cash equivalents increased slightly to $657 million from $646 million at the end of 2023.
Metinvest is a vertically integrated group of mining and metallurgical companies. Its enterprises are located in Ukraine, in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia, and Dnipropetrovsk regions, as well as in the European Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The main shareholders of the holding company are SCM Group (71.24%) and Smart Holding (23.76%). Metinvest Holding LLC is the managing company of the Metinvest Group.
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine dismissed the head of the Agency for Asset Recovery and Management (ARMA) Elena Duma.
As Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko reported on Telegram, the decision was made at a government meeting on Wednesday.
“Yesterday, I appealed to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy with an initiative to completely restructure the Agency for Asset Recovery and Management. The president supported the government’s plan. Today, at a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers, the head of the agency was dismissed. I gave instructions to urgently launch a new competition. The competition commission will include representatives of the government and international partners who support Ukraine in the fight against corruption,” she wrote on Telegram.
Svyrydenko stressed that the main task is to ensure that all seized assets, assets of sanctioned individuals, and property belonging to the Russian Federation are used to the maximum extent possible for the defense and stability of Ukraine.
Earlier on Wednesday, Duma said he had written a letter of resignation from his post as head of ARMA and asked the government to accept it.
In turn, the head of the parliamentary committee on anti-corruption policy, Anastasia Radina (Servant of the People faction Servant of the People faction) admitted that although Duma was formally dismissed at his own request, his resignation may be related to the entry into force of the law on ARMA reform, which gives the government the right to dismiss the current head for ineffective work.
As reported, on July 27, President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a law on ARMA reform.
