The IMF staff’s main scenario under the Monitoring Program with the Board of Directors (PMB) suggests that Ukraine will need to purchase 5 billion cubic meters of gas in 2023, spread evenly over 12 months.
According to the schedule presented in the documents, without imports, Ukraine will leave this heating season with reserves of 6 billion cubic meters and by the next heating season will only be able to increase them to 8.5 billion cubic meters, which will cause their fall to 6 billion cubic meters by the beginning of 2024.
At the same time, taking into account imports, gas reserves at the end of this heating season will be only slightly below 9 billion cubic meters, and by the next will increase to almost 14 billion cubic meters, which is only about 0.5 billion cubic meters less than at the beginning of this season.
“To help Naftogaz meet the associated increase in financing needs, the government is already providing budget support to the company through an implicit subsidy in the form of lost revenues from rent payments for gas, which is estimated at about UAH 145 billion ($3.5 billion) for 2023,” the materials on the Fund’s website to the PMB indicate.
At the same time, IMF experts suggest that more support is likely to be needed, including as compensation for utility service obligations due to the fixing of the retail gas price at 7.4 UAH per cubic meter – well below the import parity price.
They added that the Heating Utility Company (HUC) and Gas Transmission System Operator (GTSO), whose liquidity suffers due to lower transit fees and low capacity usage, may also need support.
“In general, according to staff estimates, up to UAH 150 billion ($3.6 billion) in the form of additional financial support to Naftogaz, UGTSU and TKE may be required in 2023,” the IMF experts said.
December 23, 2022 Expert-Rating RA rating committee decided to suspend the financial stability (reliability) rating of insurer PJSC Insurance Company “Alfa Insurance” (Kiev), according to the website of RA.
It also noted that the rating may be restored if the license of the company will be renewed.
As reported, the National Bank of Ukraine on December 5, 2022 has applied to PJSC IC “Alfa Insurance” a measure of influence in the form of temporary suspension of license to provide financial services.
The NBU also noted that these measures were applied in connection with the company’s non-compliance with the requirements of the Regulations on licensing and registration of financial service providers and their conditions of operation in the provision of financial services …, namely requirements for business reputation of financial service providers. The company must eliminate the violations by December 5, 2023.
Later, the Motor (Transport) Insurance Bureau of Ukraine reported on its website that due to the temporary suspension of a license of IC “Alfa Insurance” on compulsory insurance of civil liability of owners of vehicles (MTPL), it lost the right to enter into new contracts.
Earlier, it was reported that the last update of the financial stability rating (credit rating) of IC “Alfa Insurance” by RA “Standard-Rating” was performed on November, 2 2022 at the level uaAA+, according to the results of the 9 months of this year.
In the first three quarters of 2022 the company has collected UAH 719,327 mln of gross premiums that is by 32,97% less than in the same period of 2021. Net premiums have decreased by 32,75% down to UAH 711,449 mln, and earned premiums – by 16,23% down to UAH 849,317 mln.
The volume of indemnities paid out by IC “Alfa Insurance”, has decreased by 11,68% down to UAH 258,439 mln in the first nine months of 2022 comparing to the same period of 2021. Given the large rates of gross premiums decrease in comparison with insurance reimbursements, the level of payments has grown by 8,66 p.p. up to 35,93%.
The financial result from operating activities has grown in 3,77 times compared to the three quarters of 2021, and the net profit has increased in 4,09 times up to UAH 126,472 mln.
As reported, IC “Alfa Insurance” was founded in 2000. It offers a universal portfolio of services, including comprehensive programs to protect the interests of business and a wide range of insurance products for individuals.
TAS Insurance Group (Kyiv) paid UAH 73.95 mln in compensation under insurance contracts in November 2022, which is 31.1% less than during the same period a year earlier.
As it is stated on the web-site of the company, payments on CASCO contracts amounted to UAH 21,58 mln, which is 29,18% of total payments of the company per month, on MTPL – UAH 27,82 mln or 37,62% of total payments.
In turn, the share of “Green Card” in the payments portfolio of the company for the month was 16,24% or UAH 12,01 mln.
At the same time the indemnities of “TAS” Insurance Group based on voluntary medical insurance contracts in November amounted to UAH 9,45 mln, which is 12,78% of the total indemnities for the month.
Under other insurance contracts in the last month of autumn 2022 TAS IG has paid UAH 3,09 mln.
TAS IG was registered in 1998. It is a universal company, offering customers more than 80 types of insurance products for various types of voluntary and compulsory insurance. It has an extensive regional network: 28 regional directorates and branches and 450 sales offices throughout Ukraine.
Finland will supply Ukraine with the 11th package of military equipment worth EUR 28.8 million, according to the Telegram channel of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
In addition, the Finnish Defense Forces will continue to participate in training support for the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the UK until the end of 2023. “In August, Finland sent about 20 instructors to a UK-led training operation aimed at training the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The UK has asked for support from its partner countries to implement the training,” the report says.
According to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, the total cost of all military equipment supplied by Finland to Ukraine is already EUR 189.2 million.
The United Kingdom has transferred 900 generators to Ukraine and sent about 15,000 extreme cold weather kits, the head of Britain’s defense ministry, Ben Wallace, said.
“Britain has handed over 900 generators to Ukraine and sent about 15,000 extreme cold weather kits to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, including cold weather clothing, heavy sleeping bags and insulated tents,” Wallace was quoted as saying by the press service of the AFU General Staff on Sunday.
He also expressed his belief that another 10,000 cold-weather kits will be delivered to Ukraine on Christmas Day.
The situation with power supply in Kiev has significantly improved, said SCM public relations and communications director Natalia Emchenko.
“In Kiev today, all districts should be more or less with electricity. Not 100%, but under current conditions it should be enough,” she wrote in her Facebook on Sunday.
At the same time, Yemchenko noted that power engineers have done “absolutely impossible, almost a miracle.”
For his part, the general director of energy supplier YASNO Serhiy Kovalenko noted in his Facebook that Kiev, although not completely, should be sufficiently supplied with electricity, given such significant restrictions in the last week.
