State-owned Ukrgasbank (UGB, Kyiv) has announced the launch of contactless payment acceptance technology for small businesses through the UGB Tap&Pay application for Android smartphones in cooperation with Visa, the financial institution’s press service said on Friday.
“Mobile acquiring is based on Visa Tap to Phone contactless payment technology, which allows you to use a smartphone on the Android operating system version 8.0 and higher as a POS terminal. Now entrepreneurs no longer need a physical terminal – download UGB Tap&Pay and accept payments conveniently and instantly,” the state bank’s press release explains.
The press service of the financial institution clarified that the acquiring fee is 1.3%. “Ukrgas plans to launch this service on smartphones with the iOS operating system next year.
According to the National Bank of Ukraine, as of November 1 this year, Ukrgasbank ranked 5th (UAH 136.18 billion) among 62 banks operating in the country in terms of total assets. The financial institution’s net profit for the first ten months of this year amounted to UAH 4.84 billion, while in the same period last year it was UAH 3.36 billion.
Ukrainian hospitals are preparing to launch MRI machines purchased from the state budget and delivered in 2024.
According to the state-owned enterprise Medical Procurement of Ukraine, in 2024, medical institutions received 15 MRI units.
The MRI machines have already started working in a number of medical institutions, including the Pavlohrad Intensive Care Hospital (Dnipro region) and Sumy Regional Clinical Hospital.
According to the Ministry of Health, it takes an average of three months from the moment of delivery to the moment of the first direct use in patient diagnosis.
As reported, in 2023, the Ministry of Health purchased 28 MRI machines worth UAH 2.27 billion, including 22 machines with a capacity of 1.5 Tesla and six machines with a capacity of 3 Tesla.
Pharmacy sales in Ukraine in January-November 2024 increased by 10.77% in monetary terms compared to the same period in 2023 to UAH 174.22 billion, while in physical terms they decreased by 4.99% to almost 1.059 billion packages.
According to Business Credit, according to its research, the weighted average price of pharmacy basket goods during this period was UAH 165.07, which is 16.6% more than in the same period in 2023.
At the same time, pharmacy sales of medicines in January-November 2024 amounted to UAH 136.889 billion, which is 10.91% more than in the same period in 2023, but in physical terms, pharmacy sales of medicines decreased by 5.53% to 740.71 million packs.
The weighted average retail price of medicines in January-November 2024 amounted to UAH 184.81 per unit, which is 17.41% more than a year earlier.
Pharmacy sales of dietary supplements in 11 months increased by 11.28% in monetary terms to UAH 17.99 billion, while in physical terms they decreased by almost 3.04% to 89.873 million packs. The weighted average price in this segment increased by 14.76% over 11 months compared to the same period in 2023, to UAH 200.17 per unit.
As reported, in January-June 2024, pharmacy sales in Ukraine increased by 12.67% in monetary terms compared to the same period in 2023 to UAH 94.784 billion, while in physical terms they decreased by 4.7% to 583.21 million packs. The weighted average price of pharmacy basket products for this period amounted to UAH 162.52, which is 18.25% more than in the same period of 2023.
At the same time, pharmacy sales of medicinal products in January-June 2024 amounted to UAH 74.258 billion, which is 12.68% more than in the same period of 2023, but in physical terms decreased by 5.13% to 408.796 million packs. The weighted average retail price of medicines in January-June 2024 amounted to UAH 181.65 per unit, which is 18.67% more than a year earlier.
In 2024, TAS Agro agricultural holding achieved financial results of more than $22 million in Net Profit, the company’s CEO Oleg Zapletnyuk said on his Facebook page.
According to him, in 2024, the agricultural holding radically changed its production technology by diversifying its crops by moisture zones and introducing the Strip-Till system with a complete rejection of plowing. In addition, the agricultural holding standardized key processes.
The CEO of TAS Agro recalled that in 2024, $15 million was invested in the renewal of the technical fleet, which made it possible to completely abandon the use of hired equipment (except for combines). This decision made it possible to optimize the number of employees from 1878 to 1540, while the average income increased by 44%.
The agroholding has formed development strategies for the company and its departments for 3 years, implemented a production management system, launched an R&D service, created a service department, started systematically developing livestock and elevator business, and stabilized the land bank.
Mr. Zapletnyuk thanked the team members and partners of the agricultural holding and promised that 2025 would continue to be a year of active changes.
TAS Agro was established in 2014. Its land bank includes 88 thousand hectares in Chernihiv, Sumy, Kyiv, Vinnytsia, Kirovohrad and Mykolaiv regions. The holding specializes in crop production, with elevators with a capacity of about 250 thousand tons. The livestock business is represented by a cattle herd of 5.5 thousand heads, of which 2.5 thousand heads are dairy cattle.
According to the Opendatabot resource, the company’s revenue in 2023 amounted to UAH 2.588 billion, net profit – UAH 155.842 million, debt – UAH 1.2 billion, assets were estimated at UAH 1.8653 billion, and the number of employees – 129. The authorized capital is UAH 8 thousand.
The agricultural holding is part of the TAS group, founded in 1998. Its business interests include the financial sector (banking and insurance segments) and pharmacy, as well as industry, real estate, and venture capital projects.
The founder of TAS and the beneficiary of the TAS Agro agricultural holding is Sergiy Tigipko.
Ukraine exported $41 billion worth of goods in 2024, up 13.4%, or $4.94 billion, compared to last year, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Yulia Svyrydenko said.
“Of course, the result is primarily due to the normalization of the work of Ukraine’s seaports. We have exported 87.2 million tons by sea, and 54.8 million tons in 2023. In total, exports have already reached 129.2 million tons by weight, compared to 100.3 million tons in 2023. An increase of 28.8%,” she wrote on her Facebook page on Monday.
According to her, the transportation of goods has changed not only quantitatively but also qualitatively: Ukraine exported significantly less by road than last year – 7.6 million tons against 12 million tons last year.
She noted that the value of goods transported by road amounted to more than $14.5 billion, compared to $13.9 billion last year.
“This year was also memorable for the fact that we worked hard with our neighbors to remove unjustified blockades at the border. Thanks to a dialogue involving Polish and Ukrainian associations, we managed to ease the tension and return to a more familiar format of dialogue on trade development with neighboring countries and the EU as a whole,” the minister emphasized.
According to Svyrydenko, the development of trade with the EU is extremely important. First of all, despite all the difficulties on the land border with the EU, this year’s exports to the EU are already $1.2 billion more than in 2023 ($24.5 billion versus $23.3 billion in 2023), which is 59% of Ukrainian exports.
In addition, 49.8% of all imports to Ukraine are goods from the EU, and 73% of imports are brought to Ukraine by road, i.e. across the border with the EU.
The Ukraine Facility has already adopted a Border Infrastructure Development Strategy and a Transport Strategy.
“Thus, more than half of our trade is regulated by the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement. Therefore, it is important for us to realize all the possibilities of the Agreement and to make it meet the realities of our time,” Svyrydenko explained.
She clarified that in November this year, Ukraine sent an official request to the EU to apply the internal market regime for roaming services under the Association Agreement.
“This means full legal integration into the EU’s internal market even before the opening of accession negotiations under the relevant section. By the way, only Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein have achieved such a regime outside the EU, and Switzerland still cannot boast of progress in this regard. By the way, we have also updated the free trade agreement with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), and next year our agricultural exporters will have better access to the markets of all four countries,” the First Deputy Prime Minister stated.
Svyrydenko explained that due to this, in the first months of next year, the Ministry of Economy will try to find a solution to access the EU market for sensitive agricultural products, of which there are seven: corn, cereals, bran, honey, sugar, eggs and poultry.
Outside of the EU, Ukraine’s key trading partners are China ($2.3 billion), Turkey ($2.1 billion), Egypt ($1.6 billion), India ($986 million), Moldova ($935 million), and the United States ($935 million).
Traditionally, corn ($4.9 billion), wheat ($3.68 billion), iron ore ($2.75 billion), and soybeans ($1.29 billion) are the top exports.
According to Svyrydenko, the largest export commodity was a processed product – sunflower oil – worth $5.073 billion.
The First Vice Prime Minister added that Ukraine also exported soybean oil for $311 million, rapeseed oil for $238 million, sunflower meal for $1.006 billion, and soybean meal for $311 million this year.
“In agricultural processing, we are also pleased with the performance of sugar producers – 724 thousand tons of exports worth $408 million and poultry producers – 440 thousand tons worth $945 million. This is despite the fact that the EU has imposed rather strict restrictions on the export of these products compared to last year. We are now global exporters of these products, and this is good news,” she stated.
Svyrydenko also summarized that metallurgical exports are reviving, as Ukraine exported $927.5 million worth of semi-finished iron products, $802 million worth of hot-rolled steel, $500 million worth of pig iron, and $577 million worth of pipes.
