Ukrzaliznytsia has confirmed its interest in cooperation with China’s CRRC Corporation Limited, the rolling stock manufacturer, the Ukrainian company said on Friday.
According to Board Chairman of Ukrzaliznytsia Yevhen Kravtsov, who is quoted in the report, the company is interested in cooperation with the Chinese manufacturer and is ready to work together to develop mechanisms for such cooperation.
“We have a serious need to update the traction rolling stock, and the Chinese partners offer modern locomotives that can significantly improve the situation with the locomotive fleet and bring Ukrzaliznytsia to a higher level of competitiveness,” he said.
The head of Ukrzaliznytsia recalled: given the tendency to reduce the weight of freight trains, CRRC proposes to supply one-unit 6-axle locomotives, the maintenance of which is 33% cheaper, instead of the usual two-unit 8-axle locomotives.
“Once again I emphasize: the main point of our negotiations will be the purchase price, maintenance, the ability to localize the production of components and spare parts. I am sure that together we will come to a consensus and choose the most favorable conditions for cooperation,” Kravtsov said.
According to the report, Kravtsov took part in negotiations with representatives of CRRC, chaired by Minister of Infrastructure of Ukraine Vladyslav Krykliy.
Ukrainian insurance companies in January-June 2019 collected UAH 106.5 million of premiums under insurance contracts signed through resident intermediaries, which is 70.8% more compared to the same period a year earlier (UAH 62.322 million), according to the website of the National Commission for the State Regulation of the Financial Services Market. The number of contracts concluded through resident intermediaries for January-June grew by 7.3 times, to 18,937.
Remuneration for the provision of such intermediary services for the specified period grew almost 3.5-fold, to UAH 14.19 million.
According to the commission, nonresident reinsurers through brokers received UAH 347.071 million for reinsurance under 112 contracts, while in the first half of last year, UAH 630 million under 152 contracts was transferred. Payments were made in the amount of UAH 35.762 million (UAH 196.7 million in the first half of 2018). The remuneration of brokers amounted to UAH 11.360 million (a fall of 20%).
In January-June 2019, insurance companies of Ukraine collected net premiums in the amount of UAH 20.121 billion, which is 20.1% more than for the same period in 2018, the gross insurance premiums collected by insurers for the specified period amounted to UAH 27.291 billion (a 16.5% increase compared to the first half of 2018).
According to the regulator, the total number of insurance companies in Ukraine as of June 30, 2019 decreased by 42 and amounts to 249, including 26 life insurance companies.
Ukrainian low cost airline SkyUp (Kyiv) on October 17 launched Kyiv-Lviv flights.
The press service of the airline reported that before October 26, 2019, the flights will be operated twice a week – on Thursdays and Sundays. From October 27, the number of flights will increase to four per week – on Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. The cost of a ticket without baggage starts from UAH 508.
“Today, we have launched flights between two Ukrainian cities with million population – Kyiv and Lviv… We will continue further developing internal flights, because this is one of the priority areas of our strategy,” the press service of SkyUp airlines said, citing CEO Yevhen Khainatsky.
In addition, SkyUp said that also on October 17, 2019, Kharkiv-Lviv flights were launched.
SkyUp Airlines LLC was registered in Kyiv in June 2016. The founder is ACS-Ukraine LLC of Tetiana and Yuriy Alba, who also own JoinUp! tour operator.
The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) has improved its hryvnia exchange rate forecast for 2020 as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank did, Ukrainian Finance Minister Oksana Markarova has said, without specifying the concrete figure. In all forecasts and in forecasts of the National Bank, the exchange rate for the next year is strengthened, that is, the rate on which the budget was based (UAH 28.20/$1). Obviously, it will not be like that anymore, the finance minister said in an interview with the Voice of America in Washington.
She added that soon the Finance Ministry and the government will receive an updated forecast of the Ministry of Economic Development, Trade and Agriculture, on the basis of which changes will be made to the draft national budget for 2020.
The forecasts of all the organizations, the National Bank say that the rate is strengthening and this is a long-term trend. Therefore, there will be fluctuations, but we should expect that this strengthening is not some small fluctuation of this year, but this is a new normality, Markarova said.
As reported, since the beginning of 2019, the hryvnia exchange rate has strengthened by 10.3%, to UAH 24.835244/$1.
The National Bank of Ukraine does not officially announce its exchange rate forecasts, at the same time, it sends them to the government for drawing up the draft national budget.
Darnitsa pharmaceutical company in 2018 invested about EUR3.5 million in development and research (R&D), Dmytro Shymkiv, the head of the board of directors of Darnitsa Group, has said.
“Every year we invest about 10% of gross income in development and research. In 2018 the amount of such investments totaled EUR 3.5 million. In total, Darnitsa invested about EUR 200 million in development,” he said at a press conference in Kyiv.
Shymkiv said that in 2020-2022 Darnitsa plans to conduct 9-12 drug bioequivalence studies.
Since 2016, the company has completed eight such studies.
According to him, the development strategy of Darnitsa provides for three priority areas of the product portfolio: cardiology, neurological drugs, and pain therapy.
In 2019, the pharmaceutical company plans to bring 11 brands to the market, in 2020 some 14. In 2018, Darnitsa brought ten brands to the market.
Currently, the company’s product portfolio comprises 250 types of finished medicines.
Darnitsa pharmaceutical company is one of the ten largest pharmaceutical manufacturers in Ukraine and the top ten largest hospital suppliers. Its ultimate beneficiary is Hlib Zahoriy.
