KYIV. March 23 (Interfax-Ukraine) – State-run PrivatBank plans to expand cooperation with the government in providing some social services on the basis of Privat24 platform, PrivatBank Head Oleksandr Shlapak has said.
“PrivatBank today is a leader of so-called ‘digital banking.’ For many years we have been providing services that no country provides. We are trying to convince the government that state-run banks are able and must be agents of the state in providing public services, crediting and many state-sustained programs,” he said at the presentation of Privat.Share in Kyiv on March 21.
The head of the bank said that some services have been realized, including via the utility services cabinet using which anyone who works with the Privat24 application can pay for any utility services.
PrivatBank also presented a first electronic student ticket and quickly received requests from many educational institutions asking to implement the similar initiative in their institutions.
Shlapak said that the bank is holding talks with Lviv City Administration on the creation of the first digital card of city residents and announced the subsidy service.
“Information bridges between PrivatBank, Social Policy Ministry and Pension Fund are required to launch this service [subsidies]. The negotiations are being held. I have submitted the relevant proposal to the prime minister. I am sure that exchange of this information would help the government to provide subsidies quicker and not to provide them to those who are not to receive them,” he said.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman who visited the presentation said that the government is interested in expanding cooperation with the banks in the implementation of state-sustained programs.
“Today we saw the products the bank is offering to its clients. I can say that they are innovative, starting from remote social services and finishing all other forms of payment for any products, including the PrivatMarket platform for holding public tenders. This implies convenient opportunities for Ukrainian citizens. I am sure that the provision of these services would give new opportunities for development of PrivatBank. I am pleased that after the nationalization PrivatBank remains a leader,” the prime minister said.
KYIV. March 23 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) on March 22 opened the new four-year program “Financial Sector Transformation” worth $23 million in Kyiv.
Deputy Chief of the U.S. Mission in Ukraine George Kent said it is extremely important that while developing and implementing reforms we should not forget about financial services consumers.
According to him, within the framework of the project it is planned to provide assistance in the following areas: increasing confidence in banks, improving access to financing in the non-banking fiscal sector, increasing the share of e-finance, reforming the pension system.
Kent said the informational educational program of the National Bank of Ukraine for fiscal services consumers starts in three weeks.
USAID has been working in Ukraine since 1992. It focuses on three areas: health care and social reforms, economic growth, democracy and governance.
During this time USAID has provided Ukraine with technical and humanitarian assistance in the amount of $1.8 billion.
KYIV. March 23 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukraine since the beginning of the 2016/2017 agricultural year (July-June) and as of March 22, 2017 had exported 32.13 million tonnes of grain.
According to the Ministry of Agricultural Policy and Food, the country exported about 14.29 million tonnes of wheat, 4.7 million tonnes of barley and 12.94 million tonnes of corn.
In addition, 269,200 tonnes of flour were exported.
As reported, with reference to the ministry, Ukraine in the 2015/2016 agri-year (July-June) exported 39.487 million tonnes of grain, which is 13.5% more than in the previous season.
According to the forecasts of the ministry, grain exports in the 2016/2017 agri-year could reach about 40 million tonnes.
KYIV. March 23 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Iron ore pellets producer Ferrexpo with key assets in Ukraine saw a six-fold rise in net profit in 2016, to $189.2 million.
According to a company report on the London Stock Exchange (LSE), its revenue last year grew by 2.6%, to $986.33 million.
Ferrexpo saw a 14% rise in gross profit, to $585.99 million, a 27.6% rise in operating profit, to $320.46 million and a 20% rise in earnings before taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA), to $375 million.
The company said that net debt narrowed by 32%, to $589 million and the cash balance grew by over four times, to $145 million.
Capital investment last year dropped by 25%, to $48 million.
Pellet production in 2016 fell by 4%, to 11.2 million tonnes, while sales grew by 3%, to 11.697 million tonnes.
KYIV. March 22 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukrainian transporters, apart from those in Crimea and Sevastopol and the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) zone, increased cargo transportation by 13% in January and February 2017 year-over-year, to 98 million tonnes, according to the State Statistics Service.
The service said cargo turnover increased by 16.6% year-over-year, to 54.1 billion tonne-kilometers.
According to the service, cargo transportation by rail in January and February 2017 increased by 9%, reaching 53.8 million tonnes.
Scrap ferrous metals shipments increased by 17.7%, construction materials by 60.7%, oil and fuel by 53.6%, grain and cereals by 43%. Timber shipments fell by 43.8%, coke by 17.8%, cement by 12.9%, chemicals and fertilizers by 12.2%, ferrous metals by 6.6%, coal by 5.9% and iron and manganese ore by 3.5%.
The share of foreign voyages of total transportation by sea and river transport was 97.1%, which is 30.6% down year-over-year.
In January and February 2017 Ukraine’s main pipelines transported more gas, oil and ammonia. Gas pumping grew by 19.5% and oil transshipment fell by 2.2%. Transit of gas increased by 31.4% and oil transit fell by 1.7% by 13.5%. Ammonia pumping fell by 71.4% and ammonia transit – by 71.4%.
Aviation companies transported 10,000 tonnes of cargo, which is 15% down year-over-year.
