Six Ukrainian economic forecasters and analytical teams have been included in the international Best Economic Forecast Awards ranking, published annually by FocusEconomics, based on results for 2025.
Among the Ukrainian participants in the ranking are Dmytro Taranenko and Olena Belan from Dragon Capital, Oleksiy Blinov from Forbes Ukraine and Blinov Forecasting, Vitaliy Kravchuk and Oleksandra Betliy from the Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting (IER), Hryhoriy Kukuruza from Ukraine Economic Outlook, and the ICU analytical team.
The FocusEconomics ranking covers more than 100 countries worldwide, and for Ukraine, it takes into account forecasts from 32 analytical teams at international banks, research centers, and rating agencies. The winners in each category are the participants whose forecasts proved to be the most accurate.
In the overall ranking for Ukraine, S&P Global Market Intelligence took first place, Dragon Capital second, and Alexey Blinov third. In the GDP forecasting category, Dmitry Taranenko and Elena Belan also took second place, while Vitaly Kravchuk and Alexandra Betliy took third.
In the inflation forecasting category, Taranenko and Belan took first place among analysts in Ukraine, Blinov took second, and S&P Global Market Intelligence took third. In the category of policy rate forecasting, first place went to Alexey Blinov. In the state budget balance forecast category, second place went to the ICU team, while in the balance of payments forecast category, first place went to Grigory Kukuruza, and third place again to Alexey Blinov.
In the exchange rate forecasting category, only foreign analytical centers were among the leaders. This shows that Ukrainian experts are particularly strong in assessing domestic macroeconomic indicators, while international players currently hold the leading positions in currency forecasts.
On April 20, PJSC Ukrgazvydobuvannya (Kyiv) announced its intention to enter into an agreement with Guardian Insurance Company for risk insurance services related to the commercial development of oil and gas fields. According to the Prozorro electronic public procurement system, the expected cost of the services was 548,800 UAH, and the company’s bid was 501,499 UAH.
The insurance company “VUSO” also participated in the tender with a bid that was 1 hryvnia higher.
GAS, Guardian, INSURANCE, INSURANCE COMPANY, OIL, RISK, UKRGAZVYDOBUVANNYA
Ora Developers, an Egyptian real estate company linked to billionaire Naguib Sawiris, is expanding its Bayn project—a new mixed-use city in the Gantut area between Dubai and Abu Dhabi. According to The Economic Times, the company has increased its investment in the UAE from $15 billion to $30 billion.
According to the publication, the Bayn project is being developed as a full-fledged “city of the future.” Following the acquisition of an additional 4.8 million square meters of land, Ora Developers’ total land bank in the UAE has grown to 9.6 million square meters. The project itself is designed to accommodate approximately 16,000 residential units.
Bayn will include business parks, schools, hospitals, shopping centers, offices, and hotels—in other words, it is not just a residential complex but the creation of a self-contained urban environment. The key idea behind the project is to create a community whose residents will be able to live between the two largest business centers of the Emirates and work in both Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
The project’s expansion comes amid sustained interest in the UAE real estate market, despite geopolitical tensions in the region. Through private capital, Egypt is effectively strengthening its presence in one of the Middle East’s largest real estate markets. The Bayn project demonstrates that the focus is not on isolated development, but on the large-scale creation of a new urban cluster between Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
The vacation rental market in neighboring Bulgaria may see a significant increase in housing prices—by approximately 25–30%. According to the Novinite website, the reason cited is the entry into force on May 20, 2026, of new European regulations for short-term rentals, which could result in up to half of the listings on major online platforms being removed due to non-compliance.
According to market participants, the main effect will be linked not to a surge in demand but to a reduction in supply. If some small-scale landlords exit the market due to new administrative requirements and rising costs, the number of legally available apartments in popular resorts will decrease, which will drive prices up. At the same time, representatives of the hotel sector believe that the market will become more transparent, and consumers will be better protected from informal and misleading offers.
Based on available market indicators, in 2025, renting resort accommodation in Bulgaria remained relatively affordable by EU standards. As of April 2026, average rental rates in resort areas ranged from approximately 5 to 11 euros per square meter per month, depending on location and type of accommodation. This means that a 35–40-square-meter studio typically cost around 175–440 euros per month, while a 55–70-square-meter apartment cost approximately 275–770 euros per month.
Turkey’s housing market is showing the first signs of a possible stabilization in foreign demand following a prolonged period of decline. According to Hurriyet Daily News, market participants expect a gradual recovery in activity among foreign buyers, although statistics remain weak for now. In March 2026, foreigners purchased 1,353 residential properties in Turkey, a 20% decrease from the previous year, and the share of transactions involving foreigners in total housing sales amounted to only 1.2%.
Expectations for a recovery in demand are linked not so much to a sharp turnaround that has already begun, but rather to the fact that the market appears to be approaching the bottom of the cycle. Over the past two years, foreign activity in Turkey has declined significantly amid changes in the price environment, currency fluctuations, adjustments to the rules regarding residence permits and citizenship through investment, as well as a general cooling of interest from some traditional buyers. At the same time, market participants themselves believe that after such a sharp decline, the sector may begin to return to a more stable level of demand.
For Ukrainian buyers, Turkey remains one of the most prominent foreign housing markets. Over the past few years, Ukrainian citizens have been among the most active foreign buyers of real estate in the country. This is confirmed by official TurkStat statistics: in January 2023, Ukrainians ranked fourth among foreign homebuyers in Turkey; in March 2024, they ranked third; and in December 2025, they were once again among the top three, following citizens of Russia and Iran.
This trend shows that even against the backdrop of a general decline in foreign demand, Ukrainians maintained a significant presence in the Turkish market. For Ukrainian buyers, Turkey traditionally combines several attractive factors: a relatively wide selection of housing, a purchase process that is straightforward for foreigners, a high volume of supply in resort areas and major cities, as well as the opportunity to use real estate as a means of residence, recreation, or capital preservation.
The U.S. administration has so far approved only one application under the new Trump Gold Card immigration program, despite earlier claims of potential revenue in the billions. This was stated by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Latnik.
The program, launched in December 2025, offers the opportunity to obtain residency in the U.S. under a scheme similar to a green card, in exchange for a $1 million investment following a security check. An additional fee of $15,000 is also required for expedited processing. At the same time, Latnik claims that hundreds of applicants are currently in the review process.
The modest current results stand in sharp contrast to the authorities’ initial expectations. Reuters notes that at the program’s launch, Latnik spoke of high interest and thousands of potential participants, as well as the potential to generate billions of dollars through the sale of such visas. AP also notes that the program was initially presented as a potential replacement for the EB-5 visa and as a tool for attracting wealthy foreigners and capital into the U.S. economy.
Thus, at this point, the program remains more of a politically significant initiative than a truly substantial source of revenue for the U.S. budget.
