Ukrainian fintech startup Fintech Farm (co-founded by former PrivatBank top manager Dmytro Dubilet) has entered the Uzbekistan market with a new digital bank, Tezbank, created in partnership with local Hamkorbank.
This is the company’s fifth market, according to AIN.UA.
According to local media reports, Tezbank operates entirely online (without branches), offering mobile banking, cashback, and credit products; Hamkorbank is its licensing and back-office partner.
Context. Prior to Uzbekistan, Fintech Farm launched neobanks in Azerbaijan (Leobank), Kyrgyzstan (Simbank), India (Roarbank), and Vietnam (Liobank); the company previously closed a project in Nigeria. The startup declares plans to enter 2-3 new markets each year, considering Southeast and Central Asia and Morocco.
Fintech Farm was founded in 2020 by Dmitry Dubilet, Alexander Vityaz, and Nikolay Bezkrovny as a “serial producer” of neobanks on a single technology platform. In 2024, the company raised $32 million in investments (a round involving Bank of Georgia) for international expansion.
According to AIN.UA, Fintech Farm’s total customer base exceeds 2.5 million users; the company’s value at the beginning of 2024 is $100+ million.
Installment plans with extended repayment terms offered by developers are in high demand among home buyers and are an alternative to state mortgage programs, Ukrainian developers told Interfax-Ukraine.
“In 2024-2025, we are seeing an increase in the share of customers who choose long-term interest-free installments from KAN Development. This is due to increased buyer confidence in the future, especially given the improved security situation in Kyiv. The ‘єОселя’ and ”єВідновлення” programs have had a limited impact on our sales so far. Most customers choose other financial solutions, in particular, our own programs,” said the press service of KAN Development.
In recent years, there has been a growing demand for longer installment plans, noted Irina Mikhalova, CMO of Alliance Novobud. In addition, developers are offering programs with reduced down payments.
“At the start of construction, we can offer longer installment terms—12, 24, or 36 months. This is because, as a rule, installments are provided until the project is commissioned. We also frequently receive requests from buyers to reduce the down payment, which can be either 10% or 50%,” the expert said.
The Kovalskaya Group’s internal installment plans offer a fixed price per square meter for up to five years with a down payment of 30% of the cost of the home. According to the company, an individual approach to the buyer’s needs is practiced.
“Installment plans have become more flexible: if a customer realizes that they will not be able to make monthly payments, we are open to dialogue and ready to work together to find a convenient solution. It is possible to agree on an individual schedule, for example, to increase the installment period, temporarily reduce the amount of payments with a subsequent return to standard payments, carry out restructuring, exchange an apartment for another area or in another construction project,” explained the developer.
The company “RIEL” in the second launch complex of the capital’s Brother project offers buyers to purchase housing in installments until the facility is put into operation in the second quarter of 2028, said Alla Chipak, coordinator of the sales departments of “RIEL” in Lviv. In addition, in some residential complexes, the down payment has been reduced to 10% of the apartment’s cost.
Given the popularity of the developer’s renovation option, Intergal-Bud also offers the possibility of paying for renovations in installments along with the apartment, said Anatoliy Kovrizhenko, sales director at Intergal-Bud.
According to the DIM group of companies, developer lending programs with extended installment terms are an alternative to state mortgage programs with loan amount limits. The company has its own financial programs, under which the down payment is 30% of the cost of the property, and the installment term is up to five years.
In addition, DIM offers a long-term installment program of up to 10 years.
“In early June, we launched a long-term installment program in hryvnia for a term of 10 years, with the possibility of early repayment, a fixed price in hryvnia, a fixed price per square meter in the contract, without reference to the exchange rate or market price increases, with a fixed interest rate of 10% per annum in hryvnia and a down payment of 30%. It was planned to launch as a pilot project for two months, to test it in large complexes of quarterly development such as Metropolis, Lucky Land, and Park Lake City. However, we received quite a few inquiries from buyers, which turned into real deals, so we continued the program until the end of the summer,” said DIM managing partner Alexander Nasikovsky.
Cherkasy Bus JSC may supply the National Police of Ukraine with 15 specialized Ataman D09216 buses for a total of ₴67.95 million, or ₴4.53 million per bus.
According to information in the Prozorro electronic public procurement system, the company was the only participant in the tender, offering buses at the expected purchase price.
The delivery date is December 15 of this year. Full payment is due within 90 banking days. The buses will be manufactured in 2025.
The contract is currently awaiting signature.
Cherkasy Bus is a regular supplier of such special buses to the National Police. In particular, in July last year, a contract was signed for the supply of 30 buses for UAH 124.07 million (or UAH 4.24 million per bus).
The Ataman D09216 special-purpose bus, built on Japanese Isuzu chassis, is 8.2 m long, equipped with a Euro 5 diesel engine, has 30 seats (plus the driver’s seat), and air conditioning in the driver’s and passenger compartments.
The bus is designed to transport National Police personnel without combat equipment (weapons, body armor, etc.).
Cherkasy Bus guarantees the readiness and availability of bus maintenance and repair services and has 35 service centers throughout Ukraine.
Founded in 1994, the Cherkasy Bus factory manufactures small and medium-sized Ataman buses, as well as other wheeled vehicles based on Japanese Isuzu components.
According to the company’s financial report on its website, in 2024, it reduced its net profit by a third to UAH 122.1 million, while its net income increased by 2.6% to UAH 1 billion 771 million.
As part of Rinat Akhmetov’s Steel Front military initiative, mining and metallurgical group Metinvest has handed over 33 vehicles – pickups and off-road vehicles – worth a total of UAH 25 million to a brigade of the Ukrainian National Guard.
According to a press release, the group continues to enhance the mobility of Ukrainian units on the front lines.
It is specified that the vehicles were purchased across Europe and are mainly high-clearance vehicles that have already proven themselves in combat conditions. Among those handed over are Mitsubishi L200, Volkswagen Amarok, VW Transporter, and other models. Some of the vehicles are equipped with additional protection and reinforced running gear.
The transfer of equipment took place taking into account the needs of the brigade: some of the vehicles are already on combat missions, while the rest are being retrofitted.
“For Metinvest and Steel Front, this is systematic work – we regularly provide the military with transport, electronic warfare equipment, shelters, drones, and other equipment. This batch of vehicles is another step in this support strategy,” commented Alexander Vodoviz, Head of the CEO’s Office at Metinvest.
In 2025, Ukrainian farmers will set a record in the history of independent Ukraine for imports of agricultural equipment, which will reach $1.5 billion, according to Mark Valery Barlet, director of the Marketing Communications agency.
“I think there will be a record in the history of independent Ukraine for imports of agricultural equipment. The effect of pent-up demand, which has lasted for the last five years, including 3.5 years of war in Ukraine, will kick in, and during the COVID-19 pandemic, manufacturers did not risk importing combine harvesters. This year, purchases of agricultural machinery will break all records,“ he said during the ”Hlib.ua” conference in Kyiv on Thursday.
According to him, agricultural producers were able to make such a breakthrough in purchases thanks to the long-term development strategy of their enterprises.
“Regardless of the bad weather we had – drought in some places, flooding in others – large companies operate in different regions, develop long-term strategies, and diversify their risks by developing different business areas,” said the marketing agency director.
According to the expert, Ukrainian farmers’ investments in agricultural machinery will reach $1.5 billion in 2025. Barlet estimates that such investments will pay off in at least 10 years.
On August 23–24, the new 3.5-hectare city park on the Dnipro embankment, next to the River Mall shopping center, will host the autumn cycle of Ethnofest “Harvest.” The program includes performances by the Hryhoriy Veryovka National Academic Choir and the ShchukaRiba band, lectures, and children’s areas.
The park is located in the Darnytskyi district of Kyiv and is designed as a venue for leisure and cultural events. The first festival at the new location, Ethnofest “Vytoky,” has already taken place after the opening and attracted thousands of guests, according to the organizers.
The River Mall shopping and entertainment center opened in Kyiv in 2019, with a total area of about 140,000 square meters; the new park near the embankment was built with funding from the River Mall shopping and entertainment center.
