The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, has placed its debut issue of bonds denominated in hryvnias at 15.75% per annum to support its operations in Ukraine.
On May 13, the first issue of bonds in the hryvnia was carried out, IFC Regional Manager for Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova Jason Pellmar said.
According to him, this placement confirms interest in hryvnia instruments in the market, especially when the issuer has an “AAA” rating.
The IFC representative office told the agency that the debut issue of bonds would be repaid in 2020.
Ukraine since the beginning of the 2018/2019 agricultural year (July-June) and as of May 15, 2019 had exported 44.36 million tonnes of grain and leguminous crops, which is 25.6% more than on the same date of the previous agri-year.
According to the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food, farmers exported 25.6 million tonnes of corn, 14.6 million tonnes of wheat, and 3.4 million tonnes of barley.
Some 255,800 tonnes of flour had been also exported on the specified date.
As reported, with reference to the ministry, Ukraine exported 39.4 million tonnes of grain in the 2017/2018 agri-year.
According to the ministry, grain exports in the 2018/2019 agri-year are projected to be 49 million tonnes.
The surplus of Ukraine’s foreign trade in services in January-March 2019 increased by 2% compared with January-March 2018, to $1.489 billion ($1.461 billion in Q1 2018), the State Statistics Service has reported. Exports of services in January-March 2019 grew by 12.3%, to $2.877 billion, while imports of services rose by 26.1%, to $1.388 billion.
The ratio of coverage of imports by exports was 2.07 in January-March 2019 (2.33 in Q1 2018).
Foreign trade operations in the service sector were carried out with partners from 214 countries.
Energy and Coal Industry Minister of Ukraine Ihor Nasalyk is convinced that the new wholesale electricity market should be launched from July 1, 2019, according to the terms prescribed in the law.
“The Energy and Coal Industry Ministry will insist on the introduction of the market from July 1. And we have all the main things for this. If someone is not ready, let them declare it and explain for what reasons they cannot cope with it,” he said on Wednesday in the Verkhovna Rada discussing the launch of the new market.
Nasalyk said that the ministry has developed a draft government resolution, according to which the issue of determining the supplier of electricity under the public service obligations (PSO) is settled, and expects its adoption by the Cabinet before the end of the month.
In turn, Serhiy Bedin, who is responsible for the market introduction at state-owned enterprise Energoatom, confirmed that the company is ready to “partially take this burden.”
An official gathering of Members of Parliament of Ukraine for a swearing-in ceremony of newly elected President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky will begin at 10:00 Kyiv time on Monday, May 20; the venue is the parliament’s session hall.
Relevant draft resolution No. 10270-2 was backed by 315 MPs at a plenary session on Thursday, May 16, according to an Interfax-Ukraine correspondent.
One troy ounce=31.10 grams
