Business news from Ukraine

Issue No. 1 – November 2025

The purpose of this review is to provide an analysis of the current situation in the Ukrainian currency market and forecast the hryvnia exchange rate against key currencies based on the latest data. We analyze current conditions, market dynamics, key influencing factors, and likely scenarios.

Analysis of the current situation on the currency market

International context

The global FX market was influenced by several important factors in the first half of November. The first was the October Fed rate cut by 25 basis points to the range of 3.75-4%. The second was the expectation of fresh statistics on the US labor market and the resumption of the US government’s work. In addition, investors and currency fluctuations in the EUR/USD pair were influenced by expectations of the next step of the Fed Committee – another key rate cut is expected in December.

While the rate cut at the end of October had already been factored into exchange rate fluctuations, labor market data worried investors. And, as it turned out, for good reason. At a briefing on October 29, Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said that conditions in the US labor market were cooling. In November, this was also confirmed by statistics: according to ADP, American companies cut more than 11,000 jobs every week until the end of October, indicating a weakening labor market. Although preliminary data showed that in October, a total of 42 thousand new jobs were created in the United States compared to September, ADP noted that in the second half of October, the labor market had difficulty creating jobs. This leads analysts and traders to believe that the Fed will have to make another key policy rate cut in December.

The above factors influenced the dollar’s exchange rate behavior, which in the first half of November initially gained ground on positive expectations and reached 1.1473 on November 5, but then began to pull back towards a weaker dollar, and as of November 14, the rate actually returned to the level it was at on the eve of the Fed Committee meeting in October – 1.1625. New labor market statistics, negative expectations of further market cooling due to government layoffs, and the forecast of further Fed rate cuts played against the dollar.

Another factor influencing the currency market is the US-China relationship, but it is not stressful yet. On November 10, China announced that it was fulfilling its promise to combat chemicals that can be used to produce fentanyl, which was a key issue for US President Donald Trump during his talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in October. China has already announced new restrictions on the export of 13 chemicals to the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Improved relations between the US and China will definitely have a positive impact on the US dollar.

Meanwhile, in mid-November, the euro demonstrated a strengthening, in part due to the conservative policy of the European Central Bank, which left rates unchanged at the end of October, stating that inflation in the eurozone remained under control. All three key interest rates were kept at the same level. According to the ECB, inflation in the euro area remains close to the medium-term target of 2%. The ECB Governing Council’s overall assessment of the inflation outlook has not changed. However, the EU is talking about global challenges and uncertainty due to tariffs and geopolitical tensions. These factors remain the main risks to the euro area economy at the end of 2025.

Domestic Ukrainian context

In early November, exchange rate fluctuations were noticeable in the Ukrainian currency market, with the trend of devaluation of the national currency continuing. However, the National Bank of Ukraine’s participation in interventions has a stabilizing effect. Since the beginning of November, the hryvnia has been gradually weakening against the dollar: as of November 1, the official exchange rate was at UAH 41.97 per dollar, and as of November 14, it was at UAH 42.06 per dollar. There are also fluctuations in the cash market, but they are rather insignificant: in mid-November, the average selling rate was 42.30 UAH/USD, while at the beginning of the month it was 42.14 UAH/USD.

Demand for foreign currency continues to be high. Demand growth was also recorded in October. According to the NBU, this applied to both the interbank foreign exchange market and the cash segment. In total, last month the NBU increased its interventions in the interbank market by 27.3% or USD 625.3 million to USD 2.915 billion. According to the regulator, in October the population purchased $162 million more in cash than in September, bringing the total amount of foreign currency purchases to $1.458 billion.

If we analyze the net purchase of foreign currency by households, the amount in October is twice as much as in September – $0.75 billion last month versus $0.38 billion in September. This trend is quite expected. It is likely to continue in November, as the domestic situation in the country remains tense due to regular attacks by the Russian Federation, and the schedules of power outages caused by enemy attacks add to the need to purchase imported equipment, which may put pressure on the demand for foreign currency on the interbank market, and to the formation of household savings, which is reflected in the cash segment.

In the challenging conditions of the new heating season, when the energy sector is under the aggressor’s sights, Ukraine needs additional funds, which should also support macrofinancial stability. The government has announced good news in this regard. We are talking about EUR 5.9 billion from the European Union: EUR 4.1 billion came under the ERA Loans mechanism, the last tranche of the EUR 18 billion program financed from the proceeds of frozen Russian assets. Ukraine received another EUR 1.8 billion under the Ukraine Facility program.

As for the NBU’s reserves, Ukraine’s international reserves amounted to USD 49.516 billion at the beginning of November, and they grew by 6.4% in October. The growth was primarily driven by new inflows from international partners, which exceeded the NBU’s net sales of foreign currency and the country’s foreign currency debt payments. Thus, the situation with reserves does not raise any questions at the moment, and the NBU has enough funds to support the foreign exchange market for a long time and to intervene to smooth out exchange rate fluctuations.

US dollar exchange rate: dynamics and analysis

General characteristics of market behavior

November’s fluctuations in the Ukrainian currency market have been slow: the US dollar has been strengthening, but without sharp movements and under the control of the NBU.

Over the past two weeks, the exchange rate has changed as follows: the average buying rate has increased from 41.61 UAH/$ to 41.8 UAH/$, the selling rate from 42.19 UAH/$ to 42.25 UAH/$, and the official NBU rate from 41.97 UAH/$ to 42.06 UAH/$.

In the first half of November, the buying rate was in the range of UAH 41.66-41.82/$ on the cash market (weighted average rate), and the selling rate was in the range of UAH 42.05-42.2/$. The spread between the buying and selling rates is gradually increasing at the banks’ cash desks: in large retail banks, it amounted to UAH 0.5-0.6 per dollar in mid-November.

Key factors of influence

1. International context. In global markets, the dollar index is experiencing another round of pressure due to expectations of a new stage of Fed policy easing, i.e. a cut in the key policy rate in December. In addition, news of a cooling in the U.S. labor market is adding to the negative sentiment. Meanwhile, the dollar is supported by a significant reduction in tensions between the US and China.
2. International aid and reserves. As of November 1, 2025, Ukraine’s international reserves amounted to $49.516 billion. Last month, the reserves grew by 6.4%. Amid the difficult economic and energy situation, Ukraine continues to receive assistance from international partners: EUR 4.1 billion was received through the ERA Loans mechanism and EUR 1.8 billion under the Ukraine Facility program. New inflows of funds will contribute to macrofinancial stability.

Forecast.

• Short-term (1-2 weeks): base range of UAH 41.8-42.5/$ with a likely tilt towards the upper bound of the forecast.
• Medium-term (2-3 months): 42.0-42.9 UAH/$. Currently, there is every reason for the dollar to strengthen in the international market, where positive sentiment prevails due to the Fed’s clear easing policy. However, for Ukraine, the most important factors will be the situation in the energy sector, further possible advances of Russian troops through the country, and the stability of financial aid from partners.
• Long-term (6+ months): We maintain our forecast scenario of hryvnia devaluation. Subject to timely and rhythmic inflows of international aid, the benchmark is UAH 43.40-44.60/$ by mid-2026, taking into account the current context of the military and political situation in Ukraine.

Euro exchange rate: dynamics and analysis

General characteristics of market behavior

The euro grew steadily stronger on the Ukrainian market in the first half of November: within two weeks, the official euro exchange rate moved from 48.51 UAH/€ to 48.65 UAH/€.

Key observations

Ø Exchange rate geometry:

o The euro’s selling rate in the first week of November remained almost unchanged, hovering around 48.52 UAH/€. However, after November 10, a trend toward a stronger euro was clearly evident.

o The euro’s buying rate continues to move in the opposite direction to the selling rate, and the spread between bank rates is growing, reaching UAH 0.9-1 per euro as of mid-November.

Ø Supply and demand:

o The demand for cash euros is growing in parallel with the growth in demand for the dollar: according to the NBU, purchases of cash euros by households in October increased by 202.9 million to USD 724.6 million in dollar terms, while sales decreased by 6.1 million to the equivalent of USD 314.1 million.

o The continued growth of the spread between buying and selling euros gives financial institutions the opportunity to hedge against a possible sharp change in the trajectory of the euro, which is characterized by high volatility in both the international and Ukrainian markets.

Key factors of influence

• Global context: expectations for the December Fed meeting and pessimistic traders’ sentiment due to US macro data and the ECB’s conservative stance on rates allow the euro to strengthen.
• Domestic market: demand for cash euros will continue to grow in November after the growth in October, and the spread between bid and ask rates may continue to grow amid uncertainty and high political and economic risk factors.
• Behavioral factor: households continue to build up their savings in foreign currency, increasing the share of euros amid an understanding of the geographical and political proximity of the EU and to implement personal plans (children’s education, medical treatment, purchases of goods in the EU, financial support for relatives temporarily staying in the EU).

Forecast.

• Short-term (1-2 weeks): The euro is likely to remain in the range of 48.70-49.40 UAH/€.
• Medium-term (2-3 months): If the Fed cuts its rate by 0.25 bps in December, the euro may strengthen, which will be reflected in the Ukrainian market at the level of UAH 49.2-49.90/€.
• Longer-term (6+ months): the baseline scenario is a smooth appreciation of the euro to UAH 49.50-51.50/€. Currently, inflation risks in the EU are balanced, and economic growth is occurring at a better pace than previously expected, which gives the euro every chance of further strengthening.

Recommendations: dollar or euro – buy, sell, or wait?

USD/UAH

The strengthening of the dollar, which the markets have been anticipating due to the Fed’s transparent policy and optimistic expectations for the US economy, is gradually giving way to some disappointment as fresh statistics are released. Even the easing of tariff tensions does not help the dollar, which, after a short-term jump to 1.1479 in early November, returned to 1.1630 in the middle of the month.

Despite global skepticism about further dollar gains, the dollar will remain the main currency in the savings structure for investors, which means that dollar purchases continue to be part of both long-term and short-term investment strategies.

Since Ukraine has a strong devaluation trend, dollar savings will serve as the basis for future decisions by investors to exit some dollar investments with a clear profit. However, this is a long-term strategy, and possible short-term depreciation of the dollar to the level of 41.79-41.91 UAH/$ will serve as a signal for the next tranche of purchases of the US currency.

EUR/UAH

Like the dollar, the euro is showing a tendency to strengthen on the Ukrainian market. Traditionally, however, the level of volatility of the euro, coupled with high spreads, does not allow one to count on stable, calculated investment income. However, in order to diversify part of their savings, investors can focus on a plan that includes buying tranches of euros at times of a clear depreciation. It is advisable to keep euros in the portfolio, but not more than 35% of all savings in foreign currencies. November is the time to buy euros, not sell them.

Overall strategy

Expectations of a Fed key rate cut and the latest US labor market data are contributing to a weaker US currency. Meanwhile, the ECB’s conservative stance and the EU’s hopes for an acceleration in the eurozone’s economic development are significantly supporting the euro.

In the near future, investors should choose the dollar as their savings base, but not ignore the euro, which, against the backdrop of the Fed’s policy and the lack of positive signals about the revitalization of the US labor market, may well be part of a profitable investment strategy.

In November, expectations of further hryvnia depreciation prevail, allowing investors to plan both a medium- and long-term strategy to strengthen their foreign currency savings. The main rule: no sudden movements, but steadily. The dollar is an important underlying asset that forms a reliable, low-risk portfolio. The euro is an opportunity to play on exchange rate fluctuations over the next 3-4 months. Both currencies are currently advisable to buy for different investment strategies, carefully analyzing exchange rate movements and understanding the likely forecast exchange rate fluctuations.

This material has been prepared by analysts of the international multiservice FinTech product platform KYT Group and reflects their expert, analytical professional judgment. The information presented in this review is for informational purposes only and cannot be considered as a recommendation for action.

The Company and its analysts make no representations and assume no liability for any consequences arising from the use of this information. All information is provided “as is” without any additional warranties of completeness, obligations of timeliness or to update or supplement.

Users of this material should make their own risk assessment and informed decisions based on their own evaluation and analysis of the situation from various available sources that they consider to be sufficiently qualified. We recommend that you consult an independent financial advisor before making any investment decisions.

REFERENCE

KYT Group is an international multi-service marketplace FinTech product platform that provides financial companies with access to services for promoting their services, as well as advertising and consulting services.