President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Prime Minister of Iceland Bjarni Benediktsson signed an agreement on security cooperation and long-term support in Stockholm, the press service of the Ukrainian president reports.
“Iceland has committed itself to providing comprehensive and long-term economic, humanitarian and defense support to Ukraine, as well as to facilitate its future membership in the EU and NATO. During 2024-2028, Iceland will annually allocate at least 4 billion ISK (about $30 million). Support for Ukraine will continue throughout the term of the agreement. Iceland is ready to finance, purchase and supply defense materials and equipment. In addition, it is ready to cooperate with Ukraine in the development of its defense industry,” the statement said.
It is noted that the uniqueness of the agreement lies in the fact that Iceland undertakes to continue to transport military supplies and equipment from NATO allies to Ukraine by chartered cargo aircraft. In addition, Iceland will pay special attention to supporting and equipping Ukrainian women in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Separate sections of the agreement relate to support for the Ukrainian peace formula, sanctions against Russia, compensation for damages, and bringing the aggressor to justice. The agreement also provides for the strengthening of social and civilian infrastructure, particularly in the areas of education and energy security.
Iceland also pledges to strengthen its diplomatic mission in Kyiv to deepen cooperation with government agencies, parliament, civil society, and the private sector in Ukraine.
The text of the agreement is published on the website of the President of Ukraine.
Ukraine and Iceland signed an agreement to implement the G7 Vilnius Declaration, which was adopted on July 12, 2023.
In total, Ukraine has signed 14 bilateral security agreements: with the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Denmark, Canada, Italy, the Netherlands, Finland, Latvia, Spain, Belgium, Portugal, Sweden, and Iceland.
Dispatch center of NEC Ukrenergo introduces consumption limits to regions for industrial and household consumers from 18:00 to 23:00 on Saturday, June 1.
As noted by the system operator in the Telegram-channel on Friday evening, to the critical infrastructure that ensures the vital functions of the population, the restrictions do not apply.
“In case of exceeding the limits of consumption brought by Ukrenergo oblenergos can apply schedules of hourly shutdowns”, – explained the NEC.
As reported with reference to the IAEA on Thursday, the fourth reactor of Rivne NPP is being prepared for shutdown for scheduled repairs. Scheduled repairs are also underway at one of the units of the Pivdenno-Ukrainian NPP. A total of nine power units with a capacity of 7.8 GW are available to Ukraine after the occupation of Zaporizhzhya NPP.
There were no electricity restrictions from Tuesday through Friday after two units were taken out of repair on May 26 and 27.
Insurance company Vuso and international insurance broker WTW have developed and started to implement the program of insurance of ground cargo transportation on the territory of Ukraine with coverage against military risks, according to the press release of the insurer.
It is also noted that the established limit of market capacity will provide full protection and support to Ukrainian and foreign enterprises engaged in cargo transportation on the territory of Ukraine. This program is reinsured in the private reinsurance market of Great Britain and Lloyd’s, with participation of leading reinsurers and leadership of Markel syndicate.
The insurance program developed by Vuso and WTW will contribute to the sustainability of the Ukrainian economy, the safety of cargo transportation and guarantee the maximum level of financial support for the insurance company’s clients.
“During wartime, we faced many issues that required consistent solutions. We are glad that WTW Ukraine supported Vuso on this case. The main task for today is to guarantee stability and comfort to our corporate clients regardless of the current events in our country. (…) This capacity will allow us to expand the range of programs for Ukrainian business to protect cargo transportation from military risks”, – says the Chairman of the Board of IC Vuso Andrey Artyukhov.
The project is already realized. You can learn more about the program from representatives of Vuso or WTW Ukraine.
The global consulting, brokerage company Willis Towers Watson (WTW) provides analytical solutions in the field of people, risk and capital. Using the global perspective and local expertise of colleagues operating in 140 countries and markets, it helps organizations develop their strategy, improve organizational resilience, motivate their people and maximize productivity.
VUSO IC was founded in 2001. The company holds 50 licenses: 34 – for voluntary and 16 – for compulsory types of insurance, is represented in all regions of Ukraine. It is a member of ITSBU and UFS, a participant of the Agreement on direct settlement of losses and a member of the Nuclear Insurance Pool.
On May 30, 2024, the National Bank of Ukraine together with the State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine launches the All-Ukrainian information campaign on payment security #CybersecurityFinance.
Its goal is to raise public awareness of payment security and develop skills to protect financial data in the virtual space.
Today’s full-scale war continues not only on the battlefield, but also in cyberspace, with an increase in cyberfraud and cybercrime.
At the end of last year, the NBU, with the support of the USAID Business Resilience Investment Project, conducted the first nationally representative survey of the Ukrainian population on payment security and fraud prevention rules. The survey was aimed at determining the level of knowledge of Ukrainians in the field of payment security and identifying gaps in this area. The NBU uses the results of the survey to develop educational products for different age groups and to improve the effectiveness of information campaigns to combat payment and cyber fraud (they are not published to avoid the possibility of fraudsters using them).
Social engineering has traditionally remained the most popular method of payment card fraud in Ukraine, as well as globally. At the same time, a significant amount of cyber fraud last year was related to phishing. By using phishing resources (stylized as government portals and information resources of Ukrainian banks and payment services) and deceiving citizens, the attackers tried to gain access to their personal data, information about their payment instruments, financial phone numbers, and account balances.
Therefore, improving citizens’ knowledge and skills in this area will enable them to use cashless payments more cautiously and protect themselves from fraudulent schemes and traps in the virtual space.
“Almost a quarter of financial services users (26%) have faced payment fraud attempts, and 3% of them have lost money. It is clear that more active consumers, who use the Internet and Internet banking more often and make online purchases, are more likely to be targeted by fraudsters. Therefore, everyone, even experienced users, should improve their cybersecurity knowledge. In particular, it is imperative to increase personal cyber awareness of the rules for securing accounts, moderating the use of public Wi-Fi, and analyzing unfamiliar resources for making purchases. Thanks to this campaign, the NBU and its partners will raise awareness among Ukrainians to further develop a safe culture of public behavior in the virtual space,” said Oleksiy Shaban, Deputy Governor of the NBU.
“The cybersecurity of our country is not only the security of state information resources, systems, and databases. Although most cyberattacks now have a political, or rather military-political, component, the activities of financially motivated hackers also continue to pose a threat. Therefore, we must continue to work to raise awareness of all Ukrainian citizens on how to protect themselves from the activities of cyber fraudsters who seek to steal your data and, as a result, money,” said Yurii Myronenko, Head of the State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine.
“The results of a nationally representative survey of the population, conducted with the support of the USAID Business Resilience Investment Project, showed that more than a quarter of financial services users have faced payment fraud attempts at least once, and some have suffered from it. A large share of them are more active consumers who use online shopping, paid online services and remote banking more often. The rapid development of technology is contributing to the spread of fraud, especially in times of war, and making it more difficult to detect. Therefore, measures to raise public awareness of payment security and relevant information and training campaigns should be regular and nationwide. Our Project was pleased to support the survey and the NBU’s campaign to combat payment fraud #CybersecurityFinance,” said Yulia Vitka, acting manager of the USAID Investment for Business Resilience Project.
JSC OTP BANK supported the information campaign aimed at raising public awareness of payment security and financial protection in the virtual space.
“The number of cyber incidents in Ukraine and the world is constantly growing. Fraudsters are using any available means and the latest technologies, including artificial intelligence, to deceive as many people as possible and enrich themselves illegally. In such a situation, banking institutions, to which citizens entrust their savings, feel an increased responsibility to society. OTP BANK makes every effort to ensure that customers’ money is safe – for this purpose, we transfer data to the cloud and strengthen security systems. And in order to neutralize the human factor, in particular on the part of users of banking services, we consistently participate in information campaigns of the National Bank of Ukraine aimed at improving the financial literacy of Ukrainians, developing their skills and abilities that will help protect funds from fraudsters and cybercriminals,” said Oleg Klymenko, member of the Board of OTP Bank responsible for retail business development.
During the campaign, the National Bank, together with its partners, will explain to financial services consumers the basic elements of cybersecurity on the following issues:
● how to protect their accounts, computers, smartphones, and other devices from external interference
● how to create complex and unique passwords
● how to set up multi-factor authentication;
● how to check websites where users enter their payment data and files, mobile applications and other programs before downloading them;
● how to properly use public and home Wi-Fi networks;
● how to take care of the software on their own devices and other rules of safe behavior in the virtual space.
The information campaign will run until the end of September 2024 in all regions of Ukraine. As part of the campaign, the NBU is launching a special webpage (landing page) “Cybersecurity of Finance” with detailed information about the campaign and rules of conduct in the virtual space.
For reference.
The NBU is conducting the All-Ukrainian Information Campaign on Payment Security #CybersecurityFinance together with the State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine, as well as with the support of the USAID Business Resilience Investment Project.
General partners: Department of Cyber Police of the National Police of Ukraine, Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, Free Legal Aid, Ministry of Social Policy, General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, State Employment Center, PROSTIR, Portmone, Kyivstar, Lifecell, OLX.ua, Viasat, MEGOGO Education, GOITeens, ESET.
Media partners: PrivatBank, Oschadbank, Ukreximbank, Raiffeisen Bank, Ukrgasbank, FUIB, Ukrsibbank, SENS BANK, Credit Agricole Bank, OTP Bank, Kredobank, ProCredit Bank, Tascombank, A-Bank, Bank Credit Dnipro, Accordbank, MTB Bank, International Investment Bank, Bank Globus, Pravex Bank, Cominbank, Piraeus Bank, Radabank, Bank Clearing House, Agroprosperis Bank, Unex Bank, Bank for Investment and Savings, Grant Bank, Ukrainian Capital Bank, Creditwest Bank, Crystal Bank, Motor Bank, Polikombank, Ukrainian Bank for Reconstruction and Development, First Investment Bank, Trust Capital Bank, Bank Portal, BTA Bank, NABU, Mastercard, YASNO – a supplier of electricity, gas and energy efficiency solutions, Foxtrot, Epicenter, Eldorado, Opendatabot, EasyPay, city24, WOG, SOCAR, Amic Energy, Shell, Softkey, Maxnet, TENET, NGO “Vsad “IT-babushki” , King Cross Leopolis (Lviv), Megamall (Vinnytsia), Karavan (Dnipro), Dafi (Dnipro), Ornava (Ternopil), Woodmall (Khmelnytskyi), Concord (Poltava), Dafi (Kharkiv), Hollywood (Chernihiv), Avenir Plaza (Bucha), Ocean Plaza (Kyiv).
Railcar-building company Dneprovagonmash JSC (DVM) plans to sell up to 100 railcars for export to Europe, businessman Sergiy Tigipko has said.
“Today we produce 80 railcars a month for the domestic market, but we have already started to produce for export… The European market is 8-9 thousand railcars a year, and we have set a goal of selling 100 railcars a month there. In terms of money, the average car is about EUR 100 thousand,” he said during the “Money for Victory” forum organized by Forbes Ukraine.
According to him, the Austrian steelmaker Voestalpine provides lighter and stronger metal for railcar construction, which is a competitive advantage in the European market.
For its part, the group is investing in the modernization of the enterprise (metal work, welding, painting) and staff training.
As reported, at the beginning of 2023, TAS Group became a strategic investor in the TransAnt GmbH railcar building joint venture of Austrian Voestalpine and ÖBB Rail Cargo with a 40% stake, and in the spring of 2024 it became the majority owner of TransAnt, increasing its stake to 61%.
In October 2023, as part of an innovative project with Austrian partners, Dniprovagonmash, a member of the TAS group, shipped the first lightweight modular freight cars (MultiBOX) for operation on the EU railways, and by the end of the year it had a full line of platform freight cars for the EU market.
According to TAS Dneprovagonmash’s financial report for 2023, this year it plans to invest UAH 100.2 million in the development of the European direction, including the purchase of equipment.
In 2023, the company produced 378 freight cars (including for the EU market), which is 34.8% less than in 2022, while sales decreased by 40.6% to 370 units.
Net income from sales of railcars and other products decreased by 2.8% to UAH 1 billion 77 million, while net profit increased slightly to UAH 49.2 million.
TAS Group was founded in 1998 by businessman Tigipko. Its business interests include the financial sector (banking and insurance) and the pharmacy sector, as well as industry, real estate, and venture capital projects.
OKKO is planning to build a biodiesel plant after the bioethanol plant, said Vasyl Danyliak, CEO of the group.
“Over the past two years, we have been working on building a biofuel processing strategy, and we have made good progress in this regard. At the end of last year, we approved the concept of our bioethanol plant… And now we have a biodiesel plant in development,” he said during the Money for Victory forum organized by Forbes Ukraine.
Danyliak said that preparatory work has already begun for the construction of a bioethanol plant in Ternopil region with an annual production capacity of 83,000 tons within two years.
He explained that the group’s entry into crop production is due to the need to partially provide its own raw materials. “With the construction of the bioethanol and biodiesel plants, we will be a very large consumer of raw materials from crop production,” the CEO said.
In addition, according to him, the recent purchase of stakes in a number of enterprises also includes livestock (cowsheds), which will allow OKKO to produce biomethane.
As reported, in mid-May 2024, the AMCU granted permits to the holding company of OKKO Group, GNG Retail Limited (Cyprus), to purchase shares in Gadz-Agro LLC with a land bank of 25 thousand hectares and Ukrpolfrukt LLC (both in Ternopil region), majority owned by businessman Petro Gadz.
“Gadz-Agro currently leases about 25 thousand hectares located in one area in three districts of Ternopil region. The company is engaged in the production and sale of basic and certified seeds, cultivation and storage of grain and industrial crops, their trade, production of flour and cereals, and breeding of dairy cattle.
“Ukrpolfrukt specializes in growing berries, nuts, pome and stone fruits, fruit trees and shrubs, and nursery farming.
OKKO Group unites more than 10 diversified businesses in production, trade, construction, insurance, maintenance and other services. The flagship company of the group is Galnaftogaz, which operates one of the largest filling stations in Ukraine under the OKKO brand, with about 400 filling stations.
The group’s founder and ultimate beneficiary is Vitaliy Antonov.
