More than 13.3 thousand new food service businesses have opened in Ukraine this year, according to the Unified State Register. At the same time, more than 10.6 thousand food outlets have ceased operations. This year, the growth of new cafes and restaurants has more than halved. Half of the cafes and restaurants that closed this year had been in operation for less than a year and a half.
13,373 new food service outlets were opened in Ukraine this year. This is 5% less than in the same period last year. September was the most active month, with 1,699 new establishments opening.
At the same time, 10,645 cafes and restaurants ceased operations over the same period. Overall, this year’s growth of new entrepreneurs amounted to +2,728 establishments. For comparison, last year’s increase amounted to 6,004 new businesses.
The largest number of new HoReCa fops were opened this year in Kyiv (1,693), Dnipropetrovs’k (1,323), Lviv (1,136), Odesa (1,113), and Kyiv (1,054).
The restaurant business in Ukraine is currently predominantly a women’s business: 66% of new business owners are women. In some regions, this figure exceeds 70% – in particular, in Khmelnytskyi, Kirovohrad, Zakarpattia, Cherkasy, and Rivne. In no region do men prevail in terms of the number of new openings.
A quarter of the fops closed this year had been in operation for less than six months. In general, the median life of small and medium-sized businesses in HoReCa is 17 months. The oldest restaurant fop that closed this year had been operating since 1992.
Despite the decline in the number of new establishments, according to the Ukrainian service Poster, the revenue of public catering establishments increased by 6%, but this cannot be called a significant success. Attendance decreased by 9%, so the growth is due to higher prices rather than an increase in customers. The average check in restaurants has grown by 11% since the beginning of the year.
“Revenue growth of 6% is not real earnings, but catching up with inflation. The average check grew due to higher food prices and operating expenses for rent and payroll. The industry’s problems are exacerbated by the outflow of employees after legislative changes to the age of 18-22 and a decrease in the purchasing power of the population.
Despite the challenges, we do not currently see a massive outflow of customers at Poster – the number of existing establishments and those preparing to open remains within the average. The winter months are always a stressful test for the industry – not everyone passes it successfully, but in the spring new establishments open and the market is renewed,” comments Rodion Yeroshek, CEO and co-founder of the Ukrainian restaurant automation company Poster.
According to Poster, attendance has dropped across Ukraine this year. Looking at the top 5 big cities, it looks like this:
Lviv – -8%.
Odesa – -6%.
Kyiv – -13%.
Dnipro – -11%.
Kharkiv – -7%.
The number of insurance companies in Ukraine in October 2025 decreased by one. At the end of the month, 49 risk insurers and 10 life insurance companies, as well as the Export Credit Agency with special status were operating in the market, according to the website of the National Bank of Ukraine.
According to the NBU, the number of insurance and/or reinsurance brokers has not changed – 45. In October, the regulator received 55 inquiries regarding registration and licensing actions of insurers.
In general, the number of non-banking financial market participants for the month decreased to 787 from 791. In the non-banking market, there were 417 financial companies (there were 418), 102 pawnshops (there were 104), 88 credit unions, one lessor and 74 collection companies. The number of non-banking financial groups increased by one – to 42, banking groups unchanged – 16.
The number of banks in Ukraine in October 2025 has not changed and is 60, according to the website of the National Bank of Ukraine.
According to the regulator, the number of banking groups is also unchanged – 16. 15 payment systems created by residents, including state-owned ones, and 10 international payment systems continue to operate in the payment market.
Among payment service providers there are 16 payment institutions (17 a month earlier), 12 financial institutions authorized to provide payment services, one bank – issuer of electronic money, and one postal operator. Other payment market entities include 49 commercial agents and 32 technological payment service providers.
In October, the NBU received 243 requests for registration and licensing actions, including 41 requests for banks, 131 requests for financial companies, pawnshops and lessors, 55 requests for insurers, 14 requests for credit unions and collection companies, and 2 requests for payment institutions.
As of the first ten days of November 2025, 26 sugar factories belonging to the National Association of Sugar Producers of Ukraine produced 880,000 tons of sugar, which is 100,000 tons (10.2%) less than on the same date in 2924, Ukrtsukor reported on Telegram.
The industry association noted that the current sugar yield is 14.81% (last season — 14.09%). This is due, in particular, to the higher sugar content of beets upon acceptance — 17.39%, which is 0.62% higher than in 2024.
Among the regions, Vinnytsia region remains the leader in production, with six factories already producing 196,000 tons of sugar.
On November 18-20, 2025, one of the leading European exhibitions of electrical, energy and industrial automation – Matelec 2025 – will be held in Madrid (Spain).
This year, Kyiv will present the Made in Kyiv collective stand organized by the Department of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development of the Kyiv City State Administration.
The 36 m² stand will feature 10 Kyiv-based companies demonstrating the capital’s potential in the field of high technology, automation, energy and innovative production:
LLC “Company VERSIA”
ELVATEH LLC
LLC “SPF INIT”
Sensor Systems of Ukraine LLC
PJSC “Ukrainian Technological Company”
PJSC “Promzvjazok”
Inteltek Ukraine LLC (ITW Systems)
Spinor International LLC
NIK-Electronics LLC
STC Energosvyaz LLC.
Participation is free of charge for the companies. The project is implemented within the framework of the City Target Program for Promoting the Development of Industry, Entrepreneurship and the Consumer Market of Kyiv for 2024-2025.
On the second day of the exhibition, November 19, Matelec 2025 will host a Business Forum of Ukrainian-Spanish cooperation and a presentation of the export potential of Kyiv. The event will be attended by representatives of local authorities, businesses and industrial associations from both countries. The program of the forum includes presentations from both sides, B2B meetings and discussions of partnership opportunities in the energy, electronics and smart solutions sectors.
“The city of Kyiv systematically supports entrepreneurs and helps them enter international markets. Our goal is to strengthen Kyiv’s position as a strong European brand of production, innovation and business cooperation,” said Volodymyr Kostikov, Director of the Department of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development at the Kyiv City State Administration, .
Ukrainian bakery chain Lviv Croissants is entering the Norwegian market, according to the chain’s Instagram page.
It is specified that the first outlet will open in Oslo (Arbeidersamfunnets Plass, 1) on November 16, 2025.
According to the company’s website, the brand entered the European market in September 2022.
Currently, the chain has 178 outlets throughout Ukraine, 11 in Poland, and one each in Slovakia and the Czech Republic. In April 2025, the Lviv Croissants chain opened its first establishment in South Korea. Korean franchisees invested about $250,000 in the bakery, and the total investment in the opening was about $500,000.
