Von der Heyden Group, an international investment firm on the European real estate market (Valletta, Malta), has opened its first regional office in Kyiv and plans to invest EUR 50 million in commercial and residential property in Kyiv and Lviv during its preliminary phase.
“Von der Heyden Group… has opened new offices in Kyiv in Q4 2019 to establish multi-million euro investments in Ukraine. The group… will invest around EUR 50 million in commercial and residential properties in Kyiv and Lviv during its preliminary phase, aiming to increase this to up to fourfold in its mid-term portfolio expansion in a favourable market,” the company said in a press release.
According to the report, the Von der Heyden Group has appointed a local expert team, formed to expand the group’s real estate portfolio led by Dmitry Havrylenko who assumes the role of Chief Executive Officer in Ukraine. Havrylenko until recently held the position of National Director and head of the Ukrainian office of global investment management firm, Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL). Ex-Head of Capital Markets at the Kyiv office of Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) Tatyana Yarmolitskaya joined the Von der Heyden Group as Investment Director. Ex-Associate with the tax practice of leading Ukrainian law firm, Arzinger, also joined the team as Legal & Tax Director.
National energy company Ukrenergo during procurement of goods, labor and services in 2019 saved 15% (UAH 219 million) of their expected cost, the company’s press service has reported. According to the company, the total volume of more than 5,000 procurement tenders last year was UAH 1.25 billion. The share of construction, reconstruction, repair and design services was 27% (UAH 342.9 million), economic goods – 21% (UAH 263 million) and basic equipment – 20% (UAH 243.2 million).
“Since 2016, we have reviewed almost all estimates and project decisions, thanks to which we have received two-digit figure savings. However, such a high indicator is positive only at the initial stages of the procurement system reform, when the expected prices are too high. Today, we have switched to careful procurement planning, when the savings depends only on competition at the auction,” Head of Ukrenergo Vsevolod Kovalchuk said.
Viber application was installed on 96% of smartphones of Ukrainian residents in 2019, the press service of the application has reported, referring to an independent study by Kantar. According to the report, 33% of Viber users in Ukraine are young people aged 25 to 34 years, almost 16% are from 18 to 24 years old. The most popular Viber is in Kyiv, Lviv and Kharkiv.
According to Viber, more than half of all users in the country are women (55%), and the share of men is 45%.
By the number of messages sent, the most active were the residents of Kyiv – 14%. The second place is occupied by Lviv (5%), followed by Kharkiv (4%) and Dnipro (2%).
Kyivans get used to make free calls via Viber (14% of all outgoing calls in Ukraine), as well as residents of Lviv (4.5%), Kharkiv (4%), Dnipro (2%) and Zaporizhia (2%).
Viber is a call and messaging application created in December 2010.
Viber is currently part of the Rakuten Inc. group headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.
A visa-free regime of entry into Ukraine and a transit via Ukraine was introduced for the citizens of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, was introduced on a temporary basis from January 31, 2020 to January 30, 2021. Respective decree No.28/2020 as of January 29 signed by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky was posted on the president’s website.
“To introduce from January 31, 2020 to January 30, 2021 a visa-free regime of entry into Ukraine and transit via the territory of Ukraine for the citizens of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, if their stay in Ukraine does not exceed 90 days within 180 days,” reads the text of the decree.
The decree comes into force on the day it was published.
Kovalska Industrial Construction Group has invested UAH 80 million in the modernization of the production complex of PrJSC TNC Granit (Korosten district of Zhytomyr region), expects to increase the volume of crushed stone production in the quarry by 20%. “TNC Granit annually produces up to 1.4 million cubic meters of crushed stone. Updating the equipment will increase production by 20% … Kovalska allocated UAH 80 million of investments for the modernization of the quarry. The work lasted nine months. During this time the complex was updated by 30-40%,” the company’s press service said.
In particular, according to its data, 17 units of new equipment were put into operation as a result of the upgrade.
“From now on, our capacities allow us not only to provide the Kovalska group of companies with high quality raw materials, but also sell crushed stone to external partners,” Serhiy Pylypenko, the director general of Kovalska, said.
Kovalska has been operating in the construction market of Ukraine since 1956. It is the leading manufacturer of construction materials, the developer and builder of the country. It combines two quarries and nine factories manufacturing construction materials.
In addition, the group includes Kovalska Real Estate, which is engaged in construction of residential objects in Kyiv.
The Wuhan coronavirus will have a minimum effect on the economy of Ukraine due to low international tourist inflow in the country, Economic Development, Trade and Agriculture Minister of Ukraine Tymofiy Mylovanov has said.
“Usually it may directly affect tourism – tourism slows down. Unfortunately, or in this case fortunately, international tourism inflow is low in Ukraine – a mere 2% of GDP,” he said at a press briefing following the government’s meeting on Wednesday, adding that transporters and tour operators, who are working on foreign markets, including China, might suffer some expenses on the evacuation of people, however, in general, the effect will be minimal.
“We are not forecasting a negative effect [of the coronavirus] on goods turnover. Actually, using the opportunity, we have eliminated several trade barriers for export to China, but this is not related to the coronavirus,” the minister said.
