McDonald’s Ukraine Ltd., which operates the McDonald’s fast-food restaurant chain in Ukraine, has opened its first restaurant in Bukovel, in the village of Polianytsia, according to the company’s press office.
This is the 10th restaurant in the chain to open this year.
The restaurant, with an area of nearly 477 square meters, has about 280 seats. All of McDonald’s modern service channels will be available at the restaurant. Customers will be able to place orders at self-service kiosks in the dining area, use “McDrive,” or place orders in advance via the “Mobile Ordering” service in the McDonald’s app. The dining area is open daily from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., and “McDrive” is open from 5:00 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.
As previously reported, all McDonald’s restaurants in Ukraine operate in compliance with enhanced safety protocols: during an air raid alert, the restaurant temporarily suspends operations so that employees and guests can proceed to the nearest shelter, and resumes service once the all-clear is given. Employees receive their full wages regardless of the time spent in the shelter during their shift.
The first McDonald’s restaurant in Ukraine opened on May 24, 1997, in Kyiv. Today, McDonald’s employs nearly 11,000 Ukrainians and operates 131 restaurants in 44 locations. Since the start of the full-scale invasion, the company has opened 43 new locations.
According to data from the OpenDataBot analytics system, McDonald’s in Ukraine generated 21.3 billion UAH in revenue in 2025, which was 26.6% higher than the figure for the same period last year. Net profit increased by 21.3% to 1.567 billion UAH. Last year, the company paid 3.5 billion UAH in taxes to the state budget.
McDonald’s in Ukraine is a founding partner and the largest corporate partner of the charity organization “Ronald McDonald House Ukraine.”
MCD Europe Limited (London, United Kingdom) is listed as the owner of the foreign direct investment entity “McDonald’s Ukraine Ltd.” with a 100% stake.
In January–August 2026, Ukraine increased imports of nickel and nickel products by 8.9% compared to the same period last year, reaching $15.811 million.
According to statistics released by the State Customs Service of Ukraine, nickel and nickel product imports totaled $1.967 million in August.
Exports of nickel and nickel products in January–August 2026 totaled $404,000, and in August, $34,000, compared to $746,000 for the first eight months of 2025.
As previously reported, Ukraine reduced imports of nickel and nickel products by 2.7% in 2025 compared to 2024, down to $26.011 million. Exports of nickel and nickel products totaled $1.420 million, compared to $602 thousand in 2024.
Nickel is used in the production of stainless steel and for nickel plating. It is also used in battery manufacturing, powder metallurgy, and chemical reagents.
The organizers of the first International “Charitable Italy – Ukraine” Competition (Sostenitori dell’Ucraina in Italia) have extended the deadline for submitting applications through October 5, 2026, the Association of Ukrainian Philanthropists announced.
The announcement of the results and the awards ceremony are scheduled for late October 2026. The competition is being held as the international stage of the National Competition “Charitable Ukraine-2025: Charity in Defense of Ukraine.”
The goal of the initiative is to recognize charitable and volunteer organizations, informal communities, socially responsible businesses, and individuals in Italy who provide humanitarian, financial, social, educational, and cultural assistance to Ukraine and Ukrainians.
The organizers also hope that the competition will help strengthen the Ukrainian community in Italy and foster cooperation among volunteers, charitable organizations, businesses, and local communities that support Ukraine.
Eligible participants include charitable, volunteer, and civic organizations; formal and informal associations; socially responsible companies; and individuals who are located or registered in Italy and provide support to Ukraine.
Applications may be submitted not only by the philanthropist or organization itself. Ukrainian aid recipients, as well as any legal entities or individuals who consider a specific candidate worthy of the award, may also nominate Italian volunteers and organizations.
The competition features four categories: “Philanthropist of the Year—Non-Governmental Organization,” “Philanthropist of the Year—Individual,” “Ukrainians for Their Homeland,” and “Goodness Starts with You.” The latter category is intended for children’s and youth initiatives aimed at assisting Ukraine and fostering a culture of philanthropy.
Applications are accepted in Ukrainian or Italian. The completed application form can be sent in Word format to the organizing committee’s email address, konkurs@blagoukraine.org, or submitted via the online form.
The Italian-Ukrainian cultural association Futura Nostra in Rome serves as the organizing partner for the competition in Italy.
The Ukrainian Philanthropists Association announced the first “Charitable Italy – Ukraine” competition, to be held in late May–early June 2026. The deadline for submissions was originally set for September 1, but the organizers decided to extend the campaign by more than a month.
On September 10, the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) announced its intention to enter into a contract with insurance company “VUSO” (Kyiv) for employee health insurance, according to the Prozorro electronic procurement system.
With an expected cost of the service at 144.389 million UAH, the company’s bid amounted to 129.174 million UAH.
Insurance Company “Kraina” also participated in the tender—its bid was 2 UAH lower, but it was rejected.
Other participants in the tender included Insurance Company “Universalna” (UAH 129.826 million), “Arsenal Insurance” (UAH 144.159 million), and “INGO” (UAH 144.252 million).
As previously reported, on August 11, 2025, the NBU awarded the contract for employee health insurance to VUSO Insurance Company; on June 4, 2024, Universala Insurance Company was the winner of the tender.
VUSO Insurance Company was founded in 2001. It is a member of the Motor Transport Insurance Bureau of Ukraine (MTIBU) and the Ukrainian Insurance Federation (UIF), a participant in the Direct Claims Settlement Agreement, and a member of the Nuclear Insurance Pool.
According to the NBU, the company ranked third in premiums written among Ukraine’s non-life insurers as of the end of 2025.
In January–August 2026, Ukraine increased imports of aluminum and aluminum products by 31.7% compared with the same period last year, reaching $453.439 million.
According to statistics released by the State Customs Service of Ukraine, aluminum and aluminum product imports totaled $64.792 million in August.
Exports of aluminum and aluminum products in January–August of this year rose by 25.3% compared to the same period last year, reaching $123.934 million; in August, they totaled $14.369 million.
As previously reported, in 2025 Ukraine increased imports of aluminum and aluminum products by 15.3% compared to 2024, reaching $514.098 million. Exports of aluminum and aluminum products in 2025 rose by 22.9% to $152.919 million.
Aluminum is widely used as a structural material. The main advantages of aluminum are its light weight, formability, corrosion resistance, high thermal conductivity, and the non-toxic nature of its compounds. In particular, these properties have made aluminum extremely popular in the production of cookware, aluminum foil in the food industry, and for packaging. The first three properties have made aluminum the primary raw material in the aviation and aerospace industries (though it has recently been displaced by composite materials, primarily carbon fiber). After construction and packaging production—aluminum cans and foil—the energy sector is the largest consumer of this metal.
For a more detailed overview of global aluminum production from 1970 to 2024, watch the video on the Experts Club YouTube channel.
ALUMINUM, EXPERTS CLUB, EXPORTS, IMPORTS, METALLURGY, UKRAINE
According to Fixygen, Bitcoin’s volatility remains at historically low levels, despite significant fluctuations in flows into cryptocurrency ETFs, shifting expectations regarding Fed interest rates, and sharp price swings on individual trading days.
An analysis by Glassnode shows that one of the most important factors behind the decline in monthly realized volatility has been the increase in the share of Bitcoin held by long-term holders. This metric better explains changes in volatility than the cryptocurrency’s market capitalization, open interest in derivatives, funding rates, or trading volume, according to The Block.
In other words, it is no longer just the market size that matters, but also the structure of BTC holders.
Bitcoin, which previously circulated largely among speculative investors and traders, is increasingly concentrated among long-term holders, ETFs, companies, and other participants who trade much less frequently.
This may reduce the number of coins constantly involved in trading and decrease the market’s sensitivity to short-term fluctuations in demand.
At the same time, more than 71% of the total Bitcoin supply is currently in profit, according to data cited by Bitfinex analysts.
This figure is approaching the historical average of approximately 74.7%. Analysts note that a sustained move above this level in previous cycles has often coincided with the market’s transition from a bear market to a more sustained bull market.
At the same time, the high proportion of coins in profit has a dual effect. On the one hand, it reflects an improvement in the financial situation of Bitcoin holders. On the other hand, it creates a potential supply that could enter the market in the event of further price increases, as investors begin to take profits.
On September 12, Bitcoin is trading around $77,000, remaining well below its 2025 all-time high.
At the same time, the market infrastructure itself is changing. Spot ETFs have become one of the largest channels of institutional demand, public companies are building multibillion-dollar Bitcoin reserves, and the share of long-term holdings is increasing.
This is gradually bringing Bitcoin closer to traditional financial assets in terms of investor structure, although the cryptocurrency’s absolute volatility remains significantly higher than that of most major stock indices or government bonds.
According to Bitfinex analysts, the current situation is, for now, more consistent with consolidation with upside potential than with a confirmed new bullish breakout.
Thus, the shift in Bitcoin’s ownership structure may gradually alter the familiar pattern of cryptocurrency cycles. If an increasing portion of the supply remains held by ETFs, corporations, and long-term investors, future cycles may become less volatile, although it is still too early to completely rule out significant price fluctuations for Bitcoin.
