Business news from Ukraine

Business news from Ukraine

China considers selling TikTok’s American business to Elon Musk

Chinese authorities are considering selling TikTok’s US business to businessman Elon Musk if the short video service fails to challenge a ban on the use of its application in the US, Bloomberg reports, citing informed sources.

The sources emphasize that the Chinese government wants to keep TikTok under the control of its parent company ByteDance Ltd. The appeal against the ban is being considered by the US Supreme Court, but it is likely that the judges will uphold the ban.

Pending the decision, Chinese officials have begun discussing other options for TikTok’s US business. One option involves the participation in the deal of Musk, who is a close supporter of US President-elect Donald Trump. Musk also has a good reputation in China, where the largest plant of his car company Tesla is located.

According to sources, in one of the possible scenarios, control over TikTok’s US operations could go to Company X (formerly Twitter). The number of TikTok users in the US exceeds 170 million, and the acquisition of the service could help X attract advertisers. In addition, Musk has founded a separate company in the field of artificial intelligence, xAI, and it can find application for the huge amount of data generated by TikTok.

Sources note that the discussions are preliminary and no decisions have been made yet. It is also unclear how aware ByteDance is of the Chinese government’s plans, and whether ByteDance, TikTok, and Musk have had any talks about a possible deal.

Elon Musk, ByteDance, and TikTok did not respond to Bloomberg’s requests for comment, nor did representatives of China’s Cybersecurity Administration and Ministry of Commerce.

TikTok’s U.S. operations could be valued at $40-50 billion, according to Bloomberg Intelligence analysts. This is a significant amount of money even for the richest man in the world, and it is unclear how Musk could pay for such a deal. He acquired Twitter in 2022 for $44 billion and is still paying off the debt taken out to finance the deal.

Bloomberg also notes that TikTok’s business in the United States is a valuable asset that other players are also claiming. In particular, billionaire Frank McCourt and investor Kevin O’Leary have previously announced their intention to buy the business. Other contenders may include Microsoft Corp. and Oracle Corp. which is TikTok’s longtime partner in the technology sector.

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Commissioning of housing in Ukraine, mln sq m

Commissioning of housing in Ukraine, mln sq m

Open4Business.com.ua

President of Ukraine invited Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico to visit Kyiv

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy invited Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico to visit Kyiv on Friday.

“Good. Come to Kyiv on Friday,” Zelensky wrote on social media platform X, attaching an invitation to Fico, in which he invited the Ukrainian president to a meeting near the state border between Slovakia and Ukraine.

As reported, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to a meeting near the state border between Slovakia and Ukraine. Fico announced his invitation during a video message to Zelensky posted on Fico’s Facebook page.

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Shareholders decided to rename Insurance Company Garantiya PJSC

PJSC Insurance Company Garantiya will be renamed PJSC Garantiya, changing its main activity from insurance to insurance agents and brokers.

This is reported in the agenda of the meeting of shareholders of the company, scheduled for January 28, information about which is posted in the system of the National Commission on Securities and Stock Market.

Also the company, in particular, plans to engage in other auxiliary activities in the field of insurance and pension provision, in the field of law, accounting and auditing; consulting on taxation, consulting on commercial activities and management, providing information services and renting and operating its own or leased real estate.

As reported, PJSC Insurance Company Garantiya voluntarily withdrew from the market by transferring its insurance portfolio to PJSC Insurance Group TAS.

According to the statements for 2023 presented by the company, its insurance portfolio of the company was formed mainly by payments under contracts of compulsory motor TPL insurance – 77% and health insurance – 10%.

The volume of insurance premiums of the company in the specified period amounted to UAH 33,993 mln, formed insurance reserves – UAH 17,645 mln, payments – UAH 27,214 mln. The share of the company in insurance premiums in the insurance market is 0,08%.

After SG “TAS” informed that since September 9, 2024 it assumes the fulfillment of obligations under insurance contracts concluded by Private JSC “Insurance Company ‘Garantiya’.

 

 

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Excise revenues in Ukraine increased by 45% in December 2024

In December 2024, the general fund of the state budget of Ukraine received UAH 13.1 million of excise tax on manufactured and imported excisable goods, which is 45% (UAH 4.1 billion) more than a year earlier, the press service of the State Tax Service of Ukraine (STS) reports.

The State Tax Service noted that the revenue target was met by 104.1%, with an additional UAH 0.5 billion going to the budget.

In December 2024, the State Tax Service also exceeded the plan for revenues from alcoholic beverages and tobacco products by 109% (an additional UAH 80.4 million). The state budget received almost UAH 1 billion from alcoholic beverages produced and imported into the customs territory of Ukraine.

In addition, the state budget received almost UAH 9 billion from manufactured and imported tobacco products, which amounted to 100.1% of the revenue indicator, the state received an additional UAH 9.3 million, the State Tax Service summarized.

Situation on Serbian labor market in 2024 – Experts Club

At the end of 2024, the Serbian labor market showed stability with a gradual increase in employment. The unemployment rate decreased to 9.2%, down from 10.1% in 2023. Economic recovery from the pandemic and the inflow of investments in key sectors are contributing to job creation, but the country still faces a shortage of skilled labor.

The key characteristics of the labor market in Serbia are:

1) The employed population is about 2.9 million.

2) The main employment sectors are:

      • Industry – 25%;
      • Agriculture – 18%;
      • Services – 45% (including IT, trade and tourism).

3)Average salary level:

    • The average salary in Serbia is 770 euros and in Belgrade 950 euros.
    • The highest salaries are observed in IT (up to 1,500 euros), pharmaceuticals (1,200 euros) and financial sector (1,000 euros).

4) The most demanded professions are:

IT specialists;

Engineers;

Medical personnel;

Workers in the construction and agricultural sectors.

The role of migrants in the Serbian labor market

Migrants play an important role in the Serbian economy, especially in sectors where there is a labor shortage. In 2024, the number of registered foreign workers exceeded 120,000, including citizens of Ukraine, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Russia and China.

Main migrant groups and their roles:

  1. Ukrainians:
    • Official number: about 30,000 people.
    • Areas of employment: construction, agriculture, services, technical professions.
    • Ukrainians are actively involved in infrastructure projects such as building roads, bridges and industrial facilities.
  2. Citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina:
    • Number: about 25,000 people.
    • Priorities: service industries, including trade, hospitality and repair work.
    • Due to the proximity of language and culture, Bosnian citizens are easily integrated into the Serbian labor market.
  3. Citizens of Northern Macedonia:
    • Number: about 20,000 people.
    • Main sectors: industrial production, agriculture and transportation.
  4. Russian citizens:
    • Numbers vary greatly depending on the data source from 70,000 to 150,000 people.
    • Areas of employment: IT, real estate, education.
    • Russians are more likely to hold highly skilled positions, especially in Belgrade, and invest in their own businesses in the areas of catering, IT, other .
  5. Chinese:
    • Number: about 30,000 people.
    • Role: development of retail trade, management of enterprises in the service sector.

Regularities:

  • Ukrainians and Balkan migrants (Bosnia, Macedonia): more likely to work in positions requiring physical labor or technical skills, and focus on entrepreneurial activities.
  • Russians: hold positions in technology, finance and education.
  • Chinese: focus on entrepreneurship, starting small and medium-sized businesses.

Challenges of the labor market with regard to migration

  1. Shortage of skilled labor:
    • Serbia attracts foreign workers to compensate for shortages in construction, medicine and IT.
  2. Competition among migrants:
    • Citizens of neighboring countries such as Bosnia and Macedonia have an advantage due to similarity of languages and easier integration process.
  3. Migration regulation:
    • Paperwork procedures for work remain relatively simple, but require streamlining to reduce bureaucracy.

Experts predict that Serbia will maintain a high share of migrant workers in the labor market, especially in construction, agriculture, and IT. Key factors:

  • Attracting investments in infrastructure and industry.
  • Increased demand for qualified specialists due to the outflow of local staff to EU countries.
  • Simplification of labor migration procedures.

Serbia’s labor market in 2024 is developing against the backdrop of an influx of foreign workers, including a significant share of Ukrainians. This allows the country to address the problem of staff shortages in key sectors. However, Serbia’s further growth will require not only attracting migrants, but also improving working conditions and incentivizing local workers.

 

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