Businessman Ihor Kolomoisky and the fifth president of Ukraine, leader of the European Solidarity party, MP Petro Poroshenko meet the criteria under which they are included in the register of oligarchs provided for by the president’s bill on de-oligarchization, Justice Minister Denys Maliuska has said.
“There are official partners of Mr. Kolomoisky in the Verkhovna Rada, and he is not alone, therefore Mr. Kolomoisky definitely could be included [in the register of oligarchs] European Solidarity understands that their leader [Petro Poroshenko] also automatically falls into the register,” Maliuska said on the air of Savik Shuster’s Freedom of Speech program on Ukraina TV channel on Friday.
As reported, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky this week submitted a bill on the prevention of threats to national security associated with the excessive influence of persons with significant economic or political weight in public life (oligarchs) (No. 5599) to the Verkhova Rada.
According to the document, any three of four conditions are sufficient for the National Security and Defense Council to include a person in the register of oligarchs: significant influence on the media, participation in political life, beneficial ownership of a monopoly company and a fortune equaling over 1 million living wages (about $83 million at the current exchange rate).
In January-May 2021, the seaports of Ukraine handled 55.4 million tonnes of cargo, which is 18.6% less than in the same period in 2020.
As reported on the website of the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority (USPA), the specified period, the ports mainly handled ore and grain cargo – 15.7 million tonnes (14.1% down) and 14.6 million tonnes (33.1% down) respectively.
At the same time, the transshipment of oil products grew by 46.7% and amounted to 657,700 tonnes.
In January-May, the transshipment of export cargo amounted to 42.6 million tonnes (18.6% down compared to the same period in 2020), import reached 8.8 million tonnes (13.4% down), transit totaled 3.4 million tonnes (25% down), and coastal cargo handling was 484,800 tonnes (42.5% down).
In addition, 415,532 TEU containers were handled in the first five months of this year, which is 6.4% less than in the same period in 2020.
As reported, the seaports of Ukraine in January-April 2021 handled 44.1 million tonnes of cargo, which is 19.6% less than in the same period in 2020.
Insurance companies that are members of the Motor (Transport) Insurance Bureau of Ukraine (MTIBU) in January-April 2021 increased the collection of insurance payments under the policies of compulsory insurance of land vehicle owners’ civil liability (OSAGO) by 15.67% compared to the same period in 2020, to UAH 2.103 billion, including under electronic contracts in the amount of UAH 1.074 billion, which is 63.29% more than in 2020.
During this period, the companies entered into 2.775 million OSAGO contracts, which is 10.45% more than in the same period in 2020. Out of the total volume of agreements, some 1.28 million were concluded in electronic format, which is 61.06% more than in the first four months of 2020.
According to the data published on the MTIBU website, the total amount of accrued insurance claims under internal insurance agreements in January-April 2021 grew by 32.57%, to UAH 1.177 billion. In particular, UAH 220.439 million was paid using the European road accident reports, which is 42.75% more than in 2020.
The bureau also recorded an increase in the number of settled claims for insurance compensation by 22.47%, to 58,182, including 20,947 with the use of European road accident reports (30% more).
The MTIBU is the only association of insurers that provides compulsory insurance of land vehicle owners’ civil liability for damage caused to third parties. The bureau members are 48 insurance companies.
It is planned to open 16 business centers with a total area of 376,000 square meters in Kyiv in 2021-2022, Managing Partner of CBRE Ukraine Radomyr Tsurkan told Interfax-Ukraine during the forum devoted to current trends in real estate on Wednesday.
“The collapse of the offices that scared everyone at the start of the pandemic did not take place. According to a study conducted by CBRE in 2020, 73% of those surveyed want to return to the office and have a hybrid work format,” Tsurkan said.
As a result, active construction of new projects and entry of new office space into the market is seen. In particular, in the first quarter of 2021, the new supply amounted to 22,000 square meters.
“Now the vacancy rate is about 14%, this is a fairly healthy indicator. The rates have dropped slightly – by 10% compared to 2020 and total $25 per square meters a month,” Tsurkan said.
According to CBRE Ukraine, in 2021, 12 business centers with a total area of 207,000 square meters are being prepared for going live.
In 2022, it is possible to replenish the office real estate market with four facilities with a total area of 169,000 square meters.
Among the trends in the office real estate market, the expert named changes in formats. “Now everyone understands: a large business center must have a coworking space. Another innovation that we will see soon is a mandatory area for conversations, meetings with visitors on the ground floor and/or in the office itself. This is a safety requirement, including epidemiological,” Tsurkan said.
The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) has revised its inflation forecast from 7% to 8% in 2021, expecting inflation to return to the 5% target in H1 2022.
“Considering the fast-paced recovery of the global economy and higherinflationary pressures, the NBU revised its inflation forecast from 7% to 8% in 2021, expecting inflation to return to the 5% target in H1 2022 and settle at this level further on,” the NBU said on its website on Thursday.
The central bank said that inflation will peak in Q3 2021. Inflation will start to decelerate in autumn, return to the 5% ± 1 pp target range in H1 2022, and subsequently remain there.
The steep rise in inflation was largely driven by temporary factors, such as growing global prices for food and energy. A revival in the global economy and the effects of smaller harvests continued to push up prices. A low comparison base also played an important role.
Underlyinginflationary pressures increased due to sustained growth in consumer demand, which was, among other things, fueled by higher wages, the NBU said.
Retail turnovers consistently exceeded pre-crisis levels, being 5.6% year-over-year larger in February, the central bank said.
The growth of consumer prices in Ukraine in March 2021 accelerated year-over-year to 8.5% from 7.5% in February, from 6.1% in January and from 5% in December 2020.
According to the State Statistics Service on Friday, in March inflation increased to 1.7%, while in February it was 1%, in January 1.3%.
In addition, the State Statistics Service in March 2021 recorded underlying inflation of 1.6% compared to the previous month and 2.4% from the beginning of the year.
The Ukrainian government expects inflation of 7.3% in 2021, while the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) 7%. At the same time, the NBU said that inflation in the first quarter was higher than its expectations. According to the NBU, a turning point ininflationary dynamics may occur in August or September 2021.
