One troy ounce=31.10 grams
Kyivstar, the leading Ukrainian mobile communications operator, plans to invest in the development of 4G (LTE) standard by 18-20% more in 2019 compared with 2018, Kyivstar President Alexander Komarov has said. In 2018, capital expenses of the company totaled UAH 3.1 billion. “In 2018, we increased investment in LTE by 18%. In 2019 and 2020, we are planning to maintain the same growth pace and even more – up to 20%,” he told reporters in Kyiv on Thursday.
Komarov said that Kyivstar, like other mobile operators that have purchased 3G and 4G licenses at tenders, are now in the middle of the investment cycle for implementing these communication standards.
“For a few more years, we will actively invest in comparative amounts in LTE, about UAH 3 billion a year,” the president of the largest operator said.
He said that at present, Kyivstar is focusing on the introduction of a more promising in terms of speed and data volume transmission 4G. The president of the company said that if the state is ready to provide the operator with frequencies in the range of 700-800 MHz and ensure the principle of technology neutrality for the market, the above investments can be increased to cover new village communication standards and reduce the “digital gap.”
Komarov also expressed the opinion that the possible implementation of the 5G communication standard in the Ukrainian market is still premature, since it is ahead of the market needs and the willingness of market players to invest.
At the same time, he said that Kyivstar intends to invest annually about UAH 100 million of its own funds in new promising business areas, among which he called FinTech, Internet of Things (IoT), cloud solutions and technologies, big data.
According to him, the goal is to bring the share of this new income of the total income of Kyivstar over three years to 10%. The president of the company said that the search for optimal forms of cooperation with possible partners in these areas is currently underway.
The number of certified operators of organic production in Ukraine in 2018, according to preliminary data, increased to 588 from 504 compared with 2017, the relevant data are contained in the presentation of the Organic Ukraine public organization at the third international congress Organic Ukraine.
According to the presentation, out of the total number of operators there are 324 crop producers and 16 livestock producers.
“The area under organic farming will decrease by the end of 2018. The number of producers is increasing, while the area is decreasing. Large farms find it difficult to cope with the challenges associated with organic production. Some producers refuse to grow organic goods: they cannot fulfill the conditions, others are decertified,” Serhiy Halashevsky, the director of the Organic Standard certification authority, said.
According to him, the area under organic production will slightly reduce due to the fact that “the areas are reduced due to decertification and simultaneously the number of new producers who have passed the transition period and received the status of organic is increasing.”
JSC Ukrzaliznytsia has paid off the first part of loan participation notes (LPN, eurobonds) in the amount of $150 million and paid the coupon on them, the company has reported on its website.
Ukrzaliznytsia Board Chairman Yevhen Kravtsov said that a loan for refinancing of the debt was raised on the domestic market. Oschadbank and the State Agency for Infrastructure Projects of Ukraine provided the funds.
“The funds were borrowed in the national and foreign currencies, and the currency-pegged liabilities were met. This additionally cut the potential risks for seeing exchange rate losses,” Kravtsov said.
He said that the payment on the bonds in due time again confirms support of the railway sector by the state and financial stability of Ukrzaliznytsia. It also shows to creditors that the state and company have a responsible attitude to servicing own debts.
As reported, Ukrzaliznytsia in May 2013 placed its debut $500 million eurobond issue with a maturity period of five years through the specially created company Shortline Plc.
Eurobonds of Ukrzaliznytsia, together with the securities of Oschadbank and Ukreximbank, were included in the restructuring of the external sovereign and government guaranteed debt initiated by the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine after the IMF approved a new four-year extended fund facility for Ukraine for $17.5 billion.
In March 2016, Ukrzaliznytsia restructured its eurobonds, prolonging the maturity until September 15, 2021 and raising the interest rate from 9.5% to 9.875% per annum. Also, the repayment schedule for the principal loan amount was changed: 60% should be paid in 2019, 20% in 2020 and 20% in 2021.
At the end of 2018, the supervisory board of Ukrzaliznytsia, together with the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Transport, stated the need to restructure Ukrzaliznytsia’s debt obligations in order to increase the borrowings pegged to the national currency.
In April 2018, Ukrzaliznytsia announced that it was considering the possibility of implementing a new issue of eurobonds pegged to the hryvnia in the amount of UAH 500 million to UAH 1 billion for a period of three to five years before the end of this year, and also received coordination by the ministries to issue domestic bonds with a total amount of UAH 2 billion.
Coke plants of Ukraine imported 1.87 million tonnes of coking coal and coal concentrate for coking in January and February 2019, which is 3% more than in January and February 2018.
According to the Ukrmetallurgprom association, in February 2019, 870,000 tonnes was imported (86% compared with January 2019).
Ukrainian coal in the amount of 450,000 was shipped to the plants in January-February 2019, which is 10% less on January-February 2018. In February, 200 tonnes were delivered (86% compared with January).
In January-February 2019, Ukrainian coke plants received 2.32 million tonnes of coking coal, which is 2% more compared with January-February 2018. The share of imported coal was 80.6%. In February 2019, 1.07 million tonnes of coking coal was shipped (85% compared with January 2019).
Steel enterprises in Ukraine received 1.54 million tonnes of coke in January-February 2019 (91% compared with January-February 2018), including 1.43 million tonnes of Ukrainian coke and 0.11 million imported coke. The share of imported coke of total supplies was 7.2%.
In February 2019, steel enterprises received 727,000 tonnes of coke (89% compared with January), including 677,000 tonnes of Ukrainian coke and 50,000 tonnes of imported coke.
