Business news from Ukraine

Business news from Ukraine

VUSO Insurance Company will allocate over 20 million UAH from its 2024 retained earnings for dividend payments

At a meeting on May 5, shareholders of VUSO Insurance Company (Kyiv) decided to allocate UAH 20.013 million from the remaining net retained earnings for 2024, which total UAH 98.811 million, for dividend payments.
As the company reported in the information disclosure system of the National Securities and Stock Market Commission (NSSMC), the remaining portion of retained earnings for 2024, amounting to UAH 78.799 million, will remain undistributed.
It is noted that dividends will be paid at a rate of UAH 0.73 per share. Dividends will be paid in full directly to shareholders in accordance with the procedure established by law within six months from the date of the relevant resolution by the general meeting of shareholders.
VUSO Insurance Company was founded in 2001. It is a member of the Motor Transport Insurance Bureau of Ukraine (MTIBU) and the Ukrainian Insurance Federation (UIF), a participant in the Direct Loss Settlement Agreement, and a member of the Nuclear Insurance Pool.
In 2024, the company collected UAH 3.462 billion in gross premiums, which is 29.3% more than in 2023; the company’s net premiums grew by 25.55% to UAH 3.105 billion, and net earned premiums by 15.83% to UAH 2.737 billion. It paid out UAH 1.414 billion to clients, which is 45.40% higher than the volume of insurance payments and reimbursements for 2023.
As of January 1, 2025, the insurer’s assets grew by 25.76% to UAH 1.917 billion, equity by 22.45% to UAH 755.839 million, liabilities increased by 28.01% to UAH 1.161 billion, and cash and cash equivalents by 36.09% to UAH 758.730 million.

 

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Average price of single-family home in U.S. has exceeded $400,000

The average price of a single-family home in the U.S. resale market exceeded $400,000 in the first quarter of 2026, despite weak demand and reduced mortgage availability, according to data from the National Association of Realtors (NAR).

According to NAR, the median price of an existing single-family home in the U.S. rose by 0.5% year-over-year to $404,300. Price increases were recorded in 71% of urban markets, or in 167 of the 235 metropolitan areas tracked. At the same time, the pace of price increases has slowed: in the fourth quarter of 2025, annual growth stood at 1.2%.

Regional trends remain mixed. In the Northeast, the median price reached $506,500, up 4.9% over the year. In the Midwest, homes cost an average of $308,100, with a 3.6% increase. In the South, prices remained virtually unchanged at $362,300, while in the West, the most expensive region, they fell by 2.9% to $607,600.

The rise in single-family home prices is occurring against a backdrop of weak buyer activity. According to NAR, existing home sales in March 2026 fell by 3.6% from the previous month, with declines recorded in all regions. NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun noted that the market remains sluggish due to declining consumer confidence and weaker job growth.

High mortgage rates remain one of the main constraints on demand. Even with slowing price growth, buying a home is becoming less affordable for many American families: monthly mortgage payments remain high, and sellers are in no hurry to lower prices due to limited supply of quality housing.

The new-home market, however, looks softer. According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the median price of a new home sold in March 2026 was $387,400, down 6.2% year-over-year. This is due to a high inventory of new homes on the market and developers’ efforts to stimulate demand.

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Ukrnafta and Wärtsilä have agreed on supply of equipment for gas piston power generation

JSC Ukrnafta and the Finnish company Wärtsilä signed a framework agreement on the supply of complete equipment for gas piston power plants during a meeting between Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo and the Ukrainian side, announced First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal.

“Together with the Finnish-Ukrainian Investment Facility (FUIF) and JSC Ukrnafta, we are implementing a phased program to deploy distributed gas piston power generation,” he wrote on Telegram.

According to Shmyhal, as part of the first phase, an EUR 80 million loan from the EBRD has already been secured, a loan agreement has been signed, a state guarantee has been confirmed, and procurement is underway in accordance with EBRD procedures.

For the subsequent phases, Ukraine plans to use FUIF funding to scale up the program, specifically by installing gas piston power plants based on Wärtsilä equipment.

The First Deputy Prime Minister added that all relevant projects are aimed at promptly strengthening the energy security of the regions, balancing Ukraine’s integrated power grid, and securing critical infrastructure.

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Kyivstar has been granted right to officially sell Starlink services in Ukraine

Kyivstar, Ukraine’s largest telecommunications operator, has been granted the right to officially sell Starlink services in Ukraine to support Ukrainian businesses, according to a company statement.

The agreement allows for the official supply of Starlink high-speed internet kits and services to large corporations, medium-sized businesses, and manufacturing enterprises.

Starlink will also be available to the country’s public institutions, including schools, universities, hospitals, clinics, and other facilities.

“This enhances the resilience and efficiency of Ukrainian companies. In addition, we plan to develop joint offerings that will combine Starlink services with Kyivstar’s core telecom services, creating comprehensive solutions for businesses with high reliability and support,” Kyivstar’s Director of New Business Development, Ilya Polshakov, is quoted as saying in the release.

Customers will be able to obtain all necessary financial documents from the mobile operator as an authorized Starlink distributor in Ukraine and pay for all transactions in hryvnia.

Starlink is a global satellite network with thousands of satellites in low Earth orbit that provides broadband internet access. The service delivers high-speed internet to remote regions and locations requiring additional connectivity options.

In November 2025, Kyivstar launched free messaging using Starlink Direct to Cell (D2C) technology, which is already used by nearly 5 million customers out of a total subscriber base of 22.4 million. This year, Kyivstar plans to expand the service to other messaging apps and real-time multimedia sharing.

As of the end of 2025, Kyivstar served 22.4 million mobile subscribers and 1.2 million “Home Internet” subscribers. In 2025, the company increased its EBITDA by 30% to UAH 27 billion, with revenue growing by 30.3% to UAH 48.2 billion; including a 23.1% increase in EBITDA in the fourth quarter of last year—to UAH 7.2 billion—on the back of a 30.1% rise in revenue—to UAH 13.5 billion.

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“Datagroup” saw its net loss increase 4.3-fold in 2025

Telecom operator PJSC “Datagroup,” which has been part of the DVL group of companies (Datagroup-Volia-lifecell) since September 2024, increased its net loss by 4.3 times in 2025 compared to 2024—to UAH 66.60 million, according to the company’s annual report.

According to the report, the company’s net revenue grew by 21%—to UAH 1.98031 billion, including revenue from internet services—up 11.3%, to UAH 874.02 million, and from mobile telecommunications services—up 27.8%, to UAH 535.8 million.

Last year, Datagroup reduced its gross profit by 32.5% to UAH 366.92 million, while the loss from operating activities amounted to UAH 39.36 million, compared to an operating profit of UAH 204.18 million in 2024.

It is noted that throughout 2025, the company developed a telecommunications network using xPON technology to provide electronic and digital services to subscribers during blackouts, and also ensured power supply by installing additional equipment: batteries and generators.

According to the report, capital investments last year decreased by 28.3% to UAH 328.25 million.

As for future plans, Datagroup intends to expand its range of information security services, specifically enhanced protection against DDoS attacks, and to further improve the company’s energy and resource efficiency.

Throughout 2025, the average number of full-time employees on the payroll was 1,700, while the average number of part-time employees and those working on a part-time basis was 147 specialists.

As reported, in September 2024, NJJ Holding, led by French investor Xavier Niel, completed the acquisition of the national fixed-line internet service provider Datagroup-Volia and the third-largest mobile operator, lifecell. The assets were consolidated into the DVL group.

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Forecast of unemployment rate in Ukraine according to methodology of international labor organization until 2025

Forecast of unemployment rate in Ukraine according to methodology of international labor organization until 2025