In January-October this year, Ukrainian enterprises reduced imports of lead and lead products by 12.9% to $777 thousand (in October – $27 thousand).
Exports of lead and lead products decreased by 21.7% to $9.780 million (in October – $1.279 million).
Exports of lead and lead products in 2023 increased by 23.5% to $14.778 million.
In addition, in 2023, Ukraine reduced imports of lead and lead products by 65.2% to $989 thousand.
Lead is currently mainly used in the production of lead-acid batteries for the automotive industry. In addition, lead is used to make bullets and some alloys.
In January-September 2024, Universalna Insurance Company (Kyiv) collected UAH 1.893 billion in gross insurance premiums, which is 29.4% more than in the same period in 2023, net premiums showed an increase of 28.6% to UAH 1.805 billion, according to the website of the Standard Rating Agency.
The agency has updated the credit rating/financial strength (reliability) rating of Universalna Insurance Company at uaAAA on the national scale based on an analysis of its performance for the specified period.
According to the published data, revenues from individuals increased by 25.26% to UAH 836.892 million, and from reinsurers – by 6.16 times (by UAH 6.912 million) to UAH 8.251 million. At the same time, despite a significant increase in premiums from individuals in the first nine months of 2024, legal entities prevailed in the company’s client portfolio.
Insurance payments sent to reinsurers in the reporting period increased by 48.35% to UAH 90.569 million. The ratio of reinsurers’ participation in insurance premiums increased by 0.62 percentage points to 4.79%.
The volume of insurance claims paid by Universalna for 9 months of 2024 increased by 29.89% to UAH 614.721 million compared to the same period in 2023. The claims ratio increased by 0.12 percentage points to 32.48%.
In the first three quarters of 2024, compared to the same period in 2023, the insurer’s operating profit increased 2.4 times to UAH 185.572 million, and net profit increased by 67.81% to UAH 184.175 million.
As of November 1, 2024, its assets increased by 22.76% to UAH 1.806 billion, equity – by 24.88% to UAH 924.555 million, liabilities – by 20.61% to UAH 881.576 million, cash and cash equivalents – by 2.65 times to UAH 457.796 million.
RA also notes that as of the reporting date, the insurer’s equity exceeded its liabilities by 4.88%. The portfolio of current financial investments in liquid instruments amounted to UAH 1.155 billion and consisted of bank deposits (UAH 810.461 million) and government bonds (UAH 344.836 million), which was 1.83 times higher than the insurer’s liabilities.
Universalna has an international shareholder base, in particular, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development owns 30% of the shares and Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited – 70% of the shares.
Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited (Canada) is a holding company that, through its subsidiaries, is primarily engaged in accident insurance, property insurance and investment management.
The Ukrainian industrial company Interpipe intends to strengthen and expand its presence in the Gulf countries, especially in Saudi Arabia, and has gathered more than 170 regular and potential customers in Dammam.
According to the company, Interpipe is constantly developing trusting relationships with existing and potential partners and customers, and on November 13, with the support of its regular partner Al-Sayed Center, it held another event for customers in Saudi Arabia. The conference brought together 216 participants from 177 local companies.
It is noted that the conference in Dammam was attended by Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Anatoliy Petrenko, who spoke about Ukraine. Given the ongoing war in our country, government support helps to assure customers of production stability.
As stated in the information, Saudi Arabia is an important and promising market for Interpipe to increase the company’s share in the pipe segment for the construction industry. The company has been operating in the KSA since 2011 as an approved supplier of pipes for fire extinguishing, cooling and water supply systems in addition to truck wheels under the KLW brand. Some of the well-known projects Interpipe has been involved in over the years include the construction of the King Abdullah Financial District, King Fahd Medical Center and Suleiman Al Habib Hospital in Riyadh, King Abdulaziz International Airport near Jeddah, and the Riyadh Metro.
“We are open to further developing our economic ties in the region. The main goal of the conference in Saudi Arabia was to familiarize potential local customers with our product portfolio, as well as to find new opportunities to expand cooperation with Interpipe’s regular customers. In addition to pipe sizes and steel grades, the participants were interested in investments in production and logistics,” explained Artem Artemov, Director of Pipe Sales in the Middle East.
“Interpipe is a Ukrainian industrial company that manufactures steel pipes and railway products. Its products are supplied to more than 50 countries through a network of sales offices located in key markets in the Middle East, North America and Europe. In 2023, Interpipe sold 387 thousand tons of pipe products and 95 thousand tons of railway products. Rail products are sold under the KLW brand.
Interpipe employs about 9.5 thousand people. The number of employees serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine or other law enforcement agencies is 950. In 2023, the company transferred UAH 4.4 billion to the budgets of all levels. The ultimate owner of Interpipe Ltd is Ukrainian businessman and philanthropist Victor Pinchuk and his family members.
The weather in Ukraine on Sunday, November 17, is expected to be without precipitation, with fog in Transcarpathia and Prykarpattia at night and in the morning, the Ukrainian Weather Center reports. Southwest wind, 7-12 m/s, gusts of 15-20 m/s in the Carpathians.
Temperatures at night from 4° C to 1° C, in the Carpathians and Transcarpathia 0-5° C; during the day 5-10° C.
No precipitation in Kyiv on November 17. Southwest wind, 7-12 m/s. The temperature will be 1-3° Celsius at night and 7-9° Celsius during the day.
According to the Borys Sreznevsky Central Geophysical Observatory. On November 17, the highest daytime temperature in Kyiv was 16.7° in 2002, and the lowest nighttime temperature was -15.6° in 1902.
On Monday, November 18, in the western, northern, Vinnytsia, Kherson regions and Crimea, there will be light rain with sleet in some places.
In Transcarpathia and Prykarpattia, there will be fog in some places at night and in the morning.
Southwest wind, 7-12 m / s, gusts of 15-20 m / s in the highlands of the Carpathians.
Temperatures at night will be from 3° C to 2° C, during the day 3-8° C; in the southern part at night 1-6° C, during the day 6-11° C.
In the Carpathians, there will be light snow at night and moderate snow during the day. The temperature at night will be 1-6° below zero, during the day around 0°.
No precipitation in Kyiv on November 18. Southwest wind, 7-12 m/s. The temperature will be 0-2° C at night, 5-7° C during the day.
Ukraine and Colombia have a good space for cooperation and cultural exchanges to develop educational programs and protect the rights of indigenous peoples, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said.
“Ukraine and Colombia have a good space for cooperation and cultural exchanges. And these are projects to preserve cultural heritage, protect the rights of indigenous peoples, develop educational programs and ideas of cultural tolerance,” Zelensky said while communicating with students and teachers of higher education institutions in Colombia.
“Together with Colombia, we want to show that diversity makes us stronger, that the uniqueness of each nation is our common treasure worth preserving and defending in order to restore justice and lasting peace,” the president said.
He added that Colombia, as one of the most multicultural countries in Latin America, is an example of the ability to defend its culture and diversity.
Ukraine also has a multicultural heritage, with “more than a hundred different nationalities and indigenous peoples, including Crimean Tatars.” However, now in the occupied territories “they face numerous persecutions by Russia, arrests, imprisonment, captivity, regular restrictions of rights.”
In addition, in Crimea and the rest of Ukraine, Russia is destroying not only physical objects, but also the foundations of culture and identity.
Ukraine’s largest home appliance and electronics retailer Comfy paid UAH 1.2 billion to the state budget in January-September 2024, the same amount as the company paid last year in total.
According to the company’s press service, revenue for this period increased by 30%, the dynamics of the company’s performance was influenced by the expansion of the network, updating store formats and product range, and improving customer experience.
This year, the retailer opened seven new stores, in particular in Oleksandria, Berdychiv, Khodosivka, Mohyliv-Podilskyi, restored stores damaged by Russian missiles (in the Dnipro shopping center Apollo and the shopping center “Sun Gallery” in Kryvyi Rih), and renovated the flagship store (1000+ sq. m.) in the capital’s Ocean Plaza shopping center. In addition, Comfy has reformed 80% of its existing stores to meet changing demand and assortment.
Thanks to the active development, Comfy created about 500 jobs across Ukraine.
By the end of the year, the retailer plans to open four more new stores and 100% upgrade its network according to the new standards.
The company’s sales growth was driven by the renewal and expansion of its assortment. The largest growth is traditionally observed in the categories of large appliances, small appliances and accessories. Prolonged power outages caused a boom in demand for alternative power sources, with an increase of over 1300%.
The retailer has also joined the National Cashback program, and since the start of the project, more than 100 manufacturers with whom the company cooperates have joined the program, offering more than 3.3 thousand units of goods.
In total, as of November 2024, the COMFY offline network has 109 stores.
The chain is owned by Comfy Trade LLC (Dnipro). According to the Unified State Register of Legal Entities and Individual Entrepreneurs, the owner of Comfy Trade is Comfy Holdings Limited (Cyprus), with Svitlana Gutsul and Stanislav Ronis as the ultimate beneficiaries.
