In January-September 2025, the insurance company Universal (Kyiv) collected UAH 2.410 billion in gross insurance premiums, which is 27.3% more than in the same period of 2024, according to the website of the rating agency Standard Rating.
The agency updated the credit rating/financial stability (reliability) rating of Universal Insurance Company at “uaAAA” on the national scale based on an analysis of its performance during the specified period.
According to the published data, revenues from individuals increased by 34.70% to UAH 1.127 billion, while revenues from reinsurers, on the contrary, decreased by 57.71% to UAH 3.489 million. Thus, based on the results of the first nine months of 2025, legal entities prevailed in the company’s client portfolio.
Premiums ceded for reinsurance in the first nine months of 2025 increased by 35.02% compared to the same period in 2024, reaching UAH 122.285 million. Thus, the reinsurers’ share in insurance premiums increased by 0.28 p.p. to 5.07%.
The insurer’s net premiums increased by 26.96% to UAH 2.288 billion, while net earned premiums showed an increase of 30.13% to UAH 2.062 billion.
The volume of insurance payments made by IC Universal in January-September 2025 increased by 35.24% compared to the same period in 2024 and amounted to UAH 831.348 million. Thus, the payout ratio increased by 2.01 percentage points to 34.49%.
According to RA data, based on the results of the first three quarters of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, the company’s operating profit increased by 15.42% to UAH 214.194 million, and net profit increased by 24.22% to UAH 228.781 million.
As of October 1, 2025, the insurer’s assets grew by 18.37% to UAH 2.304 billion, equity capital increased by 23.48% to UAH 1.203 billion due to an increase in retained earnings, liabilities increased by 13.24% to UAH 1.101 billion, cash and cash equivalents decreased by 1.13% to UAH 569.150 million.
As of the reporting date, the insurer’s equity exceeded its liabilities by 9.28%.
The agency also notes that the company formed a portfolio of current financial investments in liquid instruments in the amount of UAH 1.533 billion, which consisted of bank deposits (UAH 1.371 billion) and government bonds (UAH 162.500 million). Thus, as of the beginning of the fourth quarter of 2025, cash and cash equivalents covered 51.70% of the liabilities of PrJSC “IC ”Universalna,” while liquid assets (cash, bank deposits, and government bonds) exceeded the insurer’s liabilities by 1.91 times.
As reported, the main shareholder of IC “Universal” is Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited (Canada), a holding company that, through its subsidiaries, is primarily engaged in accident insurance, property insurance, and investment management.
During the war, about 70 new wineries appeared in Ukraine, which was made possible by significant improvements in legislation, according to Volodymyr Pechko, head of the Association of Gardeners, Winegrowers, and Winemakers of Ukraine.
“Over the past 4.5 years, thanks to improvements in legislation and climate change, we have seen a 70% increase in the number of wineries… The approximate figure is around 70 new enterprises. They have come out of the shadows, started paying taxes, and officially hired people. Small châteaux have begun to develop in Ukraine. There have never been small wine-producing enterprises in Ukraine, either during the Soviet era or since the country became independent,” he said at the Agro2Food exhibition.
The head of the industry association recalled that previously, in order to obtain a license to produce wine, it was necessary to pay about UAH 500,000. After the transition to a simplified registration procedure for wine-producing enterprises, this procedure became more affordable, and anyone who wishes to do so can obtain a license in two weeks.
After the boom in the creation of small domestic châteaux began, according to the expert, winemakers began to lack raw materials and, accordingly, vineyards.
According to Pechko’s estimates, there are currently about 20,000 hectares of vineyards in Ukraine, of which 5,000 hectares were planted during the war. These statistics do not take into account the occupied territories in Crimea, Kherson, and Mykolaiv regions.
The head of the association said that global warming has given Ukrainian winegrowers the opportunity to plant vineyards in regions that are not typical for viticulture. As an example, he cited the Kyiv region, where about 10 licensed wine-producing enterprises operate. They grow their own raw materials in the Kyiv region and purchase the necessary volumes in the Odesa and Mykolaiv regions.
Domestic winemakers, he noted, are forced to actively import foreign alcohol, mainly from Moldova and Georgia, where viticulture is more developed.
Pechko also said that the creation of an isotope analysis laboratory in the Odesa region had a positive impact on the industry. It allows enterprises to check the wine material from which factories produce higher quality products.
“Thanks to the revitalization of processing enterprises, grape growing has become profitable. While in 2023 the cost of 1 kg of grapes for processing was 5-8 UAH, in 2024-2025 it reached 18-25 UAH, which stimulated the planting of vineyards,” the expert noted, adding that Ukrainian wine exports are still low.
“It is too early to say that we are great exporters and ready to conquer Europe. We need to do this, but we need to protect our own market more. We need to make high-quality products and compete with them in Ukraine,” concluded the head of the Association of Gardeners, Winegrowers, and Winemakers of Ukraine.
The Romanian Ministry of Defense signed a contract with the Dutch government to purchase 18 F-16 Fighting Falcon multi-role fighter jets and related equipment.
According to the ministry, the agreement was signed on Monday, November 3. The purchased aircraft will be used exclusively for training at the European F-16 Training Center in Fetești, which has become a regional training center for pilots from NATO member countries and Alliance partners.
“The purchase is being made for a symbolic price of one euro. This is a smart investment in training, cooperation, and the future,” the Romanian Ministry of Defense said.
According to the Romanian side, the transfer of the aircraft is intended to strengthen the training capabilities of allied countries’ pilots and develop defense cooperation in the region.
Ukraine will open offices in Berlin and Copenhagen this year to sell arms for export, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced.
“We are opening two export capitals. You know that this is co-production and export, which we talked about, of weapons that we can afford to sell in order to have additional money for our domestic production of scarce items, for which we do not have enough money,” Zelensky said at a briefing on Monday.
According to the president, the opening of the first two representative offices was decided not at the level of companies that will be involved in co-production, but at the level of states.
“The first two capitals are our representative offices, Berlin and Copenhagen. This will happen this year,” the president added.
Shareholders of PJSC Asphalt Concrete Plant AB Stolichny (Kyiv) have decided to pay dividends in the amount of UAH 21.5 million.
According to the company’s disclosure in the information disclosure system of the National Securities and Stock Market Commission of Ukraine (NSSMC), dividends will be paid in full through the depository system from November 13 to December 30, 2025, inclusive.
The dividend per share is UAH 0.3.
According to the company, its net profit in 2024 was UAH 1.7 million, compared to UAH 32.2 million in the previous year. At the same time, the company’s revenue grew by 42.5% and reached UAH 403.4 million.
According to information in the Opendatabot system, in the first quarter of 2025, AB Stolychny received UAH 66.8 million in revenue and UAH 7.1 million in net losses.
The shareholders of AB Stolychny are TAS Asset Management LLC (77.3%) and Serhiy Tihipko (22.6%), according to the company’s report in the NSSMC system.
AB Stolychny was established in 2004 on the basis of the Reinforced Concrete and Concrete Products Plant (until 1997 – the Concrete Products Plant municipal enterprise). It specializes in the production of asphalt concrete mix for road construction and major repairs, and also produces reinforced concrete structures for underground passages, collectors, and other engineering and communication facilities for road construction.
AB Stolychny, ASPHALT-CONCRETE PLANT, DIVIDENDS, SHAREHOLDER
Cement manufacturer Podilsky Cement received UAH 594 million in net profit in January-June 2025, compared to UAH 805.4 million in net loss for the same period in 2024.
According to information on the company’s website, income from ordinary activities in the first half of this year increased by 19% compared to the same period in 2024 and amounted to UAH 2.9 billion. Gross profit grew by 27.1% and reached UAH 1.13 billion.
According to the company, its uncovered loss in January-June 2025 increased by 6% to UAH 10.4 billion. Current liabilities in the reporting period decreased by 14.5% to UAH 6.4 billion, while long-term liabilities increased slightly by 0.9% to UAH 13.2 billion. The total assets of the company in the first half of the year decreased by 13.4% to UAH 10.1 billion.
According to the National Securities and Stock Market Commission (NSSMC), as of the first quarter of 2025, the sole shareholder of Podilsky Cement JSC is the Dutch company CRH Ukraine B.V. (100%).
Podilsky Cement JSC is part of the CEMARK group of cement manufacturers and the CRH group of building materials manufacturers.
CRH is a leading manufacturer of building materials in the world and the largest in North America and Europe. It has 3,200 enterprises in 28 countries, employing approximately 71,000 people.
The company also has a presence in Asia. CRH’s American depositary shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
