In 2025, the state-owned enterprise “Forests of Ukraine” held tenders for the purchase of goods and services worth over UAH 10 billion, as a result of which it was able to save UAH 700 million, the press service of the state-owned enterprise reported on Tuesday.
According to the report, the top three categories of purchases were: logging and related services; fuel; vehicles, equipment, spare parts, and related services.
“97% of the procurement budget is directed through tenders on Prozorro. This is the highest figure not only since the establishment of the enterprise, but also in the entire history of Ukrainian state forestry,” the state-owned enterprise emphasized.
Lisy Ukrainy noted that the most revolutionary changes took place in the procurement of logging services, where traditionally contractors harvest about 80% of the timber, and the remaining 20% is harvested by the enterprise’s own teams. Prior to the reform, state forestry enterprises entered into direct contracts for harvesting without conducting a competitive procedure. Currently, 100% of logging services are procured through Prozorro.
The state-owned enterprise stated that since the beginning of the year, more than 2,000 tenders have been announced, and more than 1,500 procedures have been successfully completed for a total of UAH 2.7 billion.
At the same time, Lisy Ukrainy has centralized and demonopolized fuel purchases and now has several suppliers selected through tenders. The enterprise was able to save up to UAH 12 on each liter of fuel.
The state-owned enterprise added that it was able to achieve high results thanks to well-established communication with businesses, distributors, and manufacturers. This helped to adapt the terms of tenders to market realities and attract the widest possible range of participants to the tenders.
Banks in Ukraine in September 2025 issued 851 mortgage loans worth UAH 1.62 billion, which is 13.1% more than in August, when 789 loans worth UAH 1.43 billion were issued, according to the results of the monthly survey of the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU).
“The quality of the mortgage portfolio remains high: the share of non-performing loans is kept at 12%,” the National Bank commented on the results.
According to the central bank, compared to September 2024, the volume of loans issued increased by 35.4%.
As specified by the NBU, among the 39 banks surveyed, together forming more than 95% of the gross mortgage portfolio, in September new loans were issued by 14 financial institutions.
Most transactions were concluded in the primary housing market: 532 in September for the amount of UAH 1 billion against 480 in August for the amount of UAH 0.89 billion.
In the secondary housing market, 319 transactions were concluded for UAH 0.62 billion, while in August – 309 transactions totaling UAH 0.54 billion.
The weighted average effective rate in the primary market in September remained at the level of 8.13% per annum, while in the secondary market it increased to 9.37% from 8.99% in August.
The survey data show that the most loans in September were issued in Kyiv and Kyiv region – 458 for UAH 949 mln (58.6% of the total volume). Next come Lviv region – 46 for UAH 95 million, Ivano-Frankivsk region – 53 loans for UAH 90 million and Volyn region – 35 for UAH 61 million.
As reported, the National Bank on July 18 this year released a strategy for the development of mortgage lending. The document prioritizes risk reduction through the launch of mass insurance of war risks and updating the rules in the field of housing construction.
The strategy also provides for easier access to mortgages through modernization of state support mechanisms and increased transparency of information in accordance with EU requirements, as well as strengthening the protection of creditors’ rights by updating procedures for dealing with bad debts.
Fatty dairy products will continue to fall in price in Ukraine, with prices falling by 30-35% by New Year’s Eve and the trend continuing until the first half of 2026, according to Olena Zhupinas, deputy director general of the Association of Milk Producers (AMP), speaking on Ukrainian Information Service.
The expert noted that the main reason for the decline in dairy product prices is the reduction in product costs on the European market.
“Since the end of summer, global butter prices have fallen by more than 30%. Ukrainian exporters sold this product to the EU last year at EUR7 per kilogram. Now the price is no higher than EUR4.5,” Zhupinas explained.
According to her, Ukrainian processors are now refocusing on domestic consumers, and the decline in butter prices is already noticeable. This will continue in the future, according to AVM forecasts, but mainly in the form of sales promotions in retail chains: 30-35% off on store shelves.
“This decline has significantly affected the purchase prices of raw milk. In mid-November, the cost of ‘extra’ grade milk, which meets European requirements, fell by 17%. Under these conditions, many producers are working at cost, and some are even operating at a loss,” the AVM expert concluded.
According to Serbian Economist, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić confirmed that the NIS oil refinery in Pančevo has been switched to reduced circulation mode due to oil shortages caused by US sanctions and uncertainty surrounding the OFAC license.
Vucic said: “The plant has not been shut down yet, but has been put into circulation mode. This is a lower operating mode compared to normal.”
According to Vucic, without the extension of the OFAC special license allowing NIS to operate, the refinery will be completely shut down in about four days.
He also said that he had offered the government another 50 days to find a buyer for NIS, rather than nationalizing it.
According to NIS, the process is being carried out in accordance with Serbian law, internal regulations, and “strict environmental and safety standards.”
The plant will be maintained in a state ready to start up as soon as access to oil becomes available.
At the same time, NIS emphasizes that
fuel supplies to the domestic market in Serbia are currently running smoothly thanks to pre-formed reserves.
The company hopes for a speedy return to normal operations at the refinery, which is “important not only for Serbia but also for regional markets.”
It is noted separately that the shutdown of the refinery will also affect HIP Petrohemija, which will also begin preparations to halt production.
In early 2025, NIS, a subsidiary of Gazprom Neft, was added to the US SDN list. OFAC issued a special license until February 13, 2026, allowing shareholders to negotiate a change in ownership structure.
Last week, NIS submitted a new request to OFAC for a special license to ensure normal operations during the negotiation period.
Energy Minister Dubravka Jedovic-Handanovic said that the Russian owners had agreed to sell 56.15% of NIS to a third party, but the name of the potential buyer has not been disclosed – “negotiations are underway between serious companies.”
NIS is the only company in Serbia engaged in oil and gas exploration and production. It owns a large oil refinery in Pančevo, dominates the country’s petroleum products market, and has a network of more than 400 gas stations in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, and Romania.
Since 2009, according to the company, more than €900 million has been invested in the modernization of the Pančevo refinery.
If the OFAC license is not renewed and oil supplies are not resumed, Serbia may be left without its own refining capacity and become more dependent on imports of finished petroleum products. Not only energy security but also the industrial chain (NIS + HIP Petrohemija) will be under threat.
A successful deal to withdraw Russian capital and bring in a third investor could preserve the refinery as a regional processing center and reduce the risk of sanctions.
For Serbian Economist, this is a key case for the coming weeks: the OFAC decision and the parties’ willingness to close the NIS deal will determine the state of the Balkan oil market as early as 2026.
Shares of biopharmaceutical company Enlivex Therapeutics, whose securities are traded on the Nasdaq exchange, rose after the announcement of its intention to raise $212 million to create a “digital treasury” based on the RAIN token, against which the value of the token itself increased by 115% over the past day.
Enlivex plans to conduct a private placement (PIPE), in which it will issue 212 million new shares at a price of $1 per share, which is 11.5% higher than last Friday’s closing price. The company intends to use all the funds raised to purchase RAIN tokens, while Enlivex will retain its core business profile in biopharmaceuticals.
The market reacted positively to the announcement: at the end of trading on Monday, Enlivex’s share price rose by about 13%, while the RAIN token rose by 115% over the past 24 hours, the publication notes.
RAIN is the native token of the decentralized prediction market on the Arbitrum blockchain, where users can bet on the outcome of real-world events — from elections to show business events — without intermediaries, using smart contracts for settlements and transparency.
Enlivex also announced that after the deal is completed, former Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi will join the company’s board of directors, which management expects will strengthen the issuer’s international position and increase investor confidence.
Enlivex’s interest in prediction markets coincides with the rapid growth of this segment after the 2024 elections: the Polymarket platform has attracted about $2 billion in investments from ICE, the parent company of the New York Stock Exchange, and Kalshi has attracted about $1 billion from Sequoia Capital and other investors, No Worries emphasizes, citing a statement by Enlivex CEO Chai Novik that institutional interest in leading prediction market players indicates the maturity of the industry and its potential.
Starting November 24, Ukraine’s largest chain of gas stations, UKRNAFTA, is launching a new round of fuel discounts, allowing customers to save up to 9 UAH per liter of gasoline when combining promotional offers, according to a company statement.
According to the press release, a basic discount of UAH 2/liter is provided when using the UKRNAFTA mobile app. Additionally, customers can receive:
a discount of 1 UAH/liter when refueling 20 liters or more and purchasing coffee;
a discount of 1 UAH/liter when refueling 20 liters or more and purchasing winter windshield washer fluid;
a discount of 1 UAH/liter when refueling 20 liters or more and purchasing a hot dog;
a discount of 2 UAH/liter when refueling 40 liters or more (a discount of 1 UAH/liter applies to volumes of 25–40 liters);
up to a discount of 2 UAH/liter – additional discounts from partners (Nova Poshta, Ukrzaliznytsia, YasnoLove, Vodafone).
The company specifies that when all promotions are combined, the total savings reach 9 UAH per liter of gasoline. In addition, when paying with a UKRSIBBANK World Elite card, the total savings on gasoline and diesel fuel can be up to 10 UAH/liter.
In addition to fuel discounts, until the end of November, the chain is running a promotion with a 50% discount on burgers and vitamin teas in cafes at UKRNAFTA gas stations.
JSC Ukrnafta is Ukraine’s largest oil production company and the operator of the largest national gas station chain, UKRNAFTA. In 2024, the company took over the management of Glusco’s assets. In 2025, it completed an agreement with Shell Overseas Investments BV to purchase the Shell network in Ukraine. In total, it operates 662 gas stations.
The company is implementing a comprehensive program to restore operations and upgrade the format of its network of gas stations. Since February 2023, it has been issuing its own fuel vouchers and NAFTAKarta cards, which are sold to legal entities and individuals through Ukrnafta-Postach LLC.
The largest shareholder of Ukrnafta is Naftogaz of Ukraine with a 50%+1 share.
In November 2022, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine decided to transfer the company’s corporate rights, which belonged to private owners, to the state, and they are now managed by the Ministry of Defense.
