On January 8 and 9, 2024, the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) excluded 42 non-bank financial institutions from the State Register of Financial Institutions and four more – from the Register of persons who are not financial institutions but have the right to provide certain financial services.
According to the regulator’s website, the reason for this decision was the absence of valid licenses for the provision of financial services in these companies as of January 1, 2024.
According to the NBU, limited liability companies Morgan Capital, New World FC, Finextra FC, Motor City Autocenter, DSD Finance, Inform-Aktiv, FC Factoring Alpha, FC Contract Plus, FC Fintakt, FC HIT, FC HIT, “Viridi-Lux, Regional Credit, FDS Finance, FC Proxima, Paritet Finance, FC Finaktiv, FC Argo, Factoring Company Debt Obligations Fund, FC Ukrainian Capital, FC Avila Finance, Europartner Finance, FC Fingroup Factor and FC Fintech Solutions.
Also excluded from this register are: “Lombard” Dobrye Traditions “My Capital” and “Guarantee of Success”, “Kucher and company pawnshop “Partner”, “Lombard Privat” Sich S.V. and company, “Your Lombard” Lukacek and company, “Lombard” Kuzmin and Kuzmin “Eurocom”, “Eurolombard” Astapenko A.A. and Svetashova T.V. “, “Lombard “Reverse” LLC “Templeria” and company”, “Lombard Pledge Society “Diamantovy Dom” LLC “Moneta” and companies”, “Lombard Pharmacia and co.” “Khrushcha and companies “Lombard AVK”, “Lombard “Alatir” LLC “Trisel” and company”, “Lombard “Vista” LLC “I-TE 911″ and company”, “Lombard – Karkuzaev and company”, “Lombard” Nevedrov Yu. A. and company”, “Lisenko and company-lombard”, “Pawnshop “Credit VIP-Gold and company”, “Universal pawnshop “Groshovychok” LLC “Financial Assistance” and company”, “Pawnshop “Premium” Velichko Alexander Viktorovich and company” and PJSC “Sempre System Finance”.
In addition, limited liability companies Agrarno-Gruzovaya Kompaniya, Alfa Leasing Ukraine, Kar Invest Ukraine, Light Leasing were excluded from the Register of persons who are not financial institutions, but have the right to provide certain financial services.
NATIONAL BANK OF UKRAINE, Ukraine's non-banking financial market
Ukraine has received confirmation of funding for participation in 10 joint projects with EU member states under the EU4Health program in the amount of EUR 4.5 million.
According to the Ministry of Health, the program is being implemented within the framework of an agreement between Ukraine and the EU concluded in 2022 on Ukraine’s participation in the EU4Health program to participate in 10 joint projects with other EU member states.
Under the program, the European Commission has approved funding for the implementation of projects in Ukraine to prevent cardiovascular disease and diabetes, monitor and prevent cancer and other non-communicable diseases, strengthen infection control in hospitals and among healthcare workers, improve diagnosis of rare diseases, and exchange of experience in treatment between EU countries.
The projects will train specialists in the control of medicines and medical devices in accordance with EU standards, as well as in the latest treatment methods and evaluation of medical technologies, and implement the European system for assessing the safety of human blood, tissues, and cells.
In addition, the projects are aimed at integrating the Ukrainian eHealth system into the EU’s single eHealth system, cooperation between EU countries to jointly set priorities, goals and measures to improve the global health of EU citizens and strengthen the system of response to and surveillance of cross-border threats.
The Ministry of Health clarifies that under the 2023 work program, 12 calls for proposals were announced for non-governmental organizations with a total budget of about EUR 20 million. They relate, in particular, to the areas of access to health care, mental health, prevention and diagnosis of non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
Each participating country appoints a national program committee (representatives of the Ministry of Health) and coordinators for project implementation within the country, and in Ukraine, specialists from the Public Health Center have been appointed.
The total budget of the EU4Health program for 2021-2027 is EUR 5.3 billion. EU4Health is implemented through annual work programs. The agreement allows Ukraine to receive EU funding in the health sector on equal terms with the EU countries, Norway, Iceland and Moldova.
Ukraine’s participation in the program involves the payment of an annual contribution totaling EUR 12.1 million (2022-2027). In 2022, an agreement was signed to cancel the membership fee for Ukraine in that year. Currently, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are working on ratification of the agreement in the Verkhovna Rada and on the abolition of membership fees for Ukraine until the end of the program (until 2027).
In 2023, property worth more than UAH 1.9 billion was sold through the OpenMarket electronic auction (State Enterprise SETAM of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine). A total of 4,339 lots were successfully sold. The sellers earned an additional UAH 206 million.
We remind you that SE SETAM works in the following areas:
– Sale of property seized by state and private enforcement officers, as well as property confiscated by court decisions;
– Sale of bank assets and claims;
– Holding auctions for the sale of property at the request of individuals and legal entities (voluntary sale);
– Holding auctions for lease of property;
– Sale of rights to enter into financial leasing agreements.
Last year, the Group sold property worth UAH 544 million through voluntary sales. The additional amount earned by the sellers was over UAH 44 million. Bailiffs sold seized property through OpenMarket for a total amount of over UAH 1.4 billion.
Successful auctions with the highest value in 2023:
Administrative warehouse complex in Kyiv region.
Sale price: UAH 200,500,000.
The seller: A private contractor.
Link to the lot: setam.net.ua/auction/519297
31 land plots in the Kyiv region, Kozyn village.
Sale price: UAH 118,761,601.
The seller: JSC Ukreximbank.
Link to the lot: setam.net.ua/auction/526989
A house in Kyiv on Staronavodnytska Street.
Sale price: UAH 88,453,986.
The seller: JSC Ukreximbank.
Link to the lot: setam.net.ua/auction/527335
“Last year, the company paid taxes, duties, mandatory payments and dividends to the state budget totaling more than UAH 38.6 million. Confidence in our auction is constantly growing, as evidenced by the system’s user base, which currently amounts to almost 100 thousand and is one of the largest in Ukraine,” said Oleksandr Mamro, CEO of SE SETAM.
The OpenMarket auction (SE “SETAM” of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine) is a simple and effective means of selling and purchasing property via the Internet. The online auction has been operating throughout Ukraine since 2014. The total amount of sales since its launch is UAH 22 billion.
Ferrexpo plc, a mining company with assets in Ukraine, produced 3.845 million tonnes of pellets in 2023, down 36.5% from 6.053 million tonnes in 2022, due to the fact that 2022 included a period of full-scale production before the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
According to the company’s announcement on Thursday, pellet production in the fourth quarter of 2023 fell by half compared to the previous quarter to 0.627 million tons, but this is 50.4% more than in the fourth quarter of 2022.
It is noted that in 2023, only premium pellets with an iron content of 65% were produced, while direct reduced iron pellets (DRI, 67% iron) and pellets with an iron content of 62% were not produced.
In addition, it is specified that the total production volume includes 50 thousand pellets produced in the fourth quarter from third-party concentrate.
“Even with the onset of winter, we were able to operate one and sometimes two of our four pellet production lines to meet our reduced export capacity and continue to supply premium products to our premium customers,” Interim Executive Chairman Lucio Genovese said in the release.
Speaking about the past year, the company notes the deaths of 14 employees who served in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which increased the total number of employees killed since the beginning of the Russian invasion in 2022 to 34. It is specified that 754 of our employees are currently serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
It is indicated that the company continues to retain most of its employees, despite the fact that it was forced to significantly reduce production. This, together with rising logistics costs in the absence of access to Black Sea export routes, has led to a decline in profitability.
However, the report notes that Ukraine’s recent success in opening Black Sea export corridors has made it possible to resume shipping from certain ports.
“When the time is right, Ferrexpo plans to launch an additional pellet production line and resume exports via this route, provided it is safe and cost-effective,” the release said.
In addition, it is noted that iron ore prices rose by more than 20% in the fourth quarter, thanks to China’s support for more steel-intensive sectors of its economy, and continued to hold at this level until the New Year.
“We are also seeing the first signs of a pick-up in pellet demand in Europe. Together, these factors can support our large fixed cost base and higher logistics costs. In my view, the improved demand and higher prices bode well for Ferrexpo for the year ahead,” Genovese concluded.
It is noted that the group’s net cash position, including minor adjustments, at the end of the year was approximately $109 million compared to $106 million a year earlier, with minimal lease obligations and no debt.
Ferrexpo owns 100% of Yeristovo Mining, 99.9% of Bilanivsky GOK and 100% of Poltava Mining.
In the first half of 2023, Ferréxpo cut its net profit threefold to $27.01 million, while revenue fell 2.8 times to $334.01 million, and its EBITDA fell 7.6 times to $63.64 million.
Ukrainian metallurgical enterprises increased their production of rolled steel by 0.4% to 5.372 million tons in 2023, according to preliminary data, compared to 2022.
According to Ukrmetallurgprom on Wednesday, steel production decreased by 0.6% to 6.228 million tons last year.
Pig iron production for the period decreased by 6.1% to 6.003 million tons.
As reported, in 2022, Ukraine reduced production of total rolled products by 72% compared to 2021 – to 5.350 million tons, steel by 70.7% to 6.263 million tons, and pig iron by 69.8% to 6.391 million tons.
In 2021, the company produced 21.165 million tons of pig iron (103.6% compared to 2020), 21.366 million tons of steel (103.6%), and 19.079 million tons of rolled products (103.5%).
On Thursday, benchmark oil prices are rising after falling a day earlier due to data on the growth of oil and oil products stocks in the United States.
Quotations for March futures for Brent on the London ICE Futures exchange as of 7:00 CET are $77.14 per barrel, which is $0.34 (0.44%) higher than the level at the close of the last trading session. On Wednesday, these contracts fell by $0.79 (1%) to $76.80 per barrel.
February futures for WTI in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) in the morning rose in price by $0.27 (0.38%) to $71.64 per barrel. As a result of the previous trading, their quotes decreased by $0.87 (by 1.2%) and ended the day at $71.37 per barrel.
Commercial oil inventories in the United States last week increased by 1.338 million barrels, the Energy Department reported. Analysts on average had forecast a decline of 675 thousand barrels, according to Trading Economics.
Gasoline reserves jumped by 8.03 million barrels, distillate reserves – by 6.53 million barrels. Experts expected an increase of 2.49 million and 2.38 million barrels, respectively.
S&P Global Commodity respondents predicted an average decrease in oil reserves by 900 thousand barrels, as well as an increase in gasoline reserves by 4.9 million barrels and distillate reserves by 3.7 million barrels.
Meanwhile, the oil market is supported by attacks by Yemeni Houthis on ships in the Red Sea, MarketWatch reports. The fact that the incidents continue despite the actions of the US and UK navies in the region increases fears of a protracted conflict, forcing transport companies to look for workarounds to transport goods.
Another factor that puts upward pressure on prices is the suspension of oil production at Libya’s largest field, Sharara, with a capacity of 300 thousand barrels per day, due to political protests.
