Rail shipments of grain to Danube ports in August 2026 nearly tripled compared to July—reaching 248.8 thousand metric tons, while shipments to the ports of Greater Odesa fell by 94.9%—to 68.5 thousand metric tons, according to a weekly review by the brokerage firm Spike Brokers.
Overall, rail grain shipments to seaports, including domestic shipments to Izmail, totaled approximately 317,300 metric tons in August, compared to 1.440 million metric tons in July. According to the brokerage firm, there was a sharp shift in cargo flows from the Greater Odessa region to the Danube.
In August, 1.297 million metric tons of grain were transported by rail—34.7% less than in July and 53.9% less than in August 2025. The average daily load amounted to 39.2 thousand metric tons, which is 22.5% lower than in July and 55% lower than in August 2025.
Exports of grain and milled products totaled 672.2 thousand metric tons, down 58.5% month-over-month and approximately 74% year-over-year. A total of 113,000 metric tons of vegetable oil were transported—15.4% more than in July and 54.7% more than in August 2025. Transportation of oilcake and meal totaled 167.1 thousand metric tons, down 9.3% month-over-month and 7.4% year-over-year.
In August, 501.8 thousand metric tons were transported via land crossings, compared to 208.8 thousand metric tons in July—a 2.4-fold increase.
The average daily throughput of grain cars through the main western border crossings in August was 192.8 cars, compared to 71.3 cars in July. The highest average daily figure was on the Polish route—56.6 cars. Through Hungary, 49.4 cars were transported per day; through Romania, 45.5; and through Slovakia, 41.4 cars.
Unlike in July, the August flow was distributed much more evenly among the four corridors.
As of September 3, there were 8,221 railcars en route to border crossings, of which 1,346 were loaded with grain, compared to 9,273 and 1,414 railcars, respectively, at the end of August. During the first days of the month, the total backlog decreased by approximately 11%, while the grain backlog decreased by 5%.
In August, 325,000 metric tons of agricultural products were exported via road border crossings, compared to 289,200 metric tons in July—an increase of 12.4%. Compared to August 2025, the volume was 23.7% higher.
Nearly half of August’s road freight traffic was destined for Poland—150,100 metric tons, or 46.2%. Among the largest categories in August were poultry meat—30,200 metric tons, sunflower oil—24,800 metric tons, ethyl alcohol—23,100 metric tons, sugar—18,600 metric tons, fruits and nuts—16.9 thousand metric tons, and soybean meal—15 thousand metric tons.
During the first three days of September, 33 thousand metric tons were exported by road, or about 11 thousand metric tons per day, compared to an average of 10.5 thousand metric tons per day in August.
In August, Ukraine exported 2.146 million metric tons of agricultural products in UKT ZED groups 01–24, worth $1.280 billion. The grain segment accounted for 987,100 metric tons, or 46% of the total volume, in the final August statistics: 612,700 metric tons of wheat, 305,700 metric tons of corn, and 68,700 metric tons of barley were shipped. Rapeseed accounted for another 292,600 metric tons, or 13.6% of exports. The three main vegetable oils totaled 279,100 metric tons, while sunflower and soybean meal totaled 187,200 metric tons.
The largest physical volumes went to Germany—227.1 thousand metric tons, Turkey—203.8 thousand metric tons, Italy—188.1 thousand metric tons, Poland—179.3 thousand metric tons, and the Netherlands—171.7 thousand metric tons. Together, these five countries accounted for about 45% of August’s exports.
From September 1–3, Ukraine exported 331.4 thousand metric tons of agricultural products worth $167.7 million, or about 110.5 thousand metric tons per day.
Dynamics of export of goods in january-february 2026 by the most important items in relation to the same period of 2025, %
The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) increased its interventions in the interbank market last week by $56.8 million, or 4.5%, to $1 billion 329.0 million, according to statistics on the regulator’s website.
According to the National Bank, during the first four days of last week, the average daily negative balance of currency purchases and sales by legal entities rose to $210.3 million from $195.0 million during the same period a week earlier, totaling $841.2 million.
In the retail foreign exchange market, the average daily net deficit nearly doubled: from Monday through Thursday, it stood at $46.6 million, compared to $24.6 million during the same period the previous week. Retail purchases of non-cash foreign currency exceeded sales every day.
The official hryvnia-to-dollar exchange rate at the beginning of last week was 44.5505 UAH/$1, and by the end of the week it had weakened to 44.7273 UAH/$1.
A similar trend was observed in the cash market, where the hryvnia’s exchange rate against the dollar weakened by 7–8 kopecks over the past week: the buying rate fell to 44.48 UAH/$1, while the selling rate fell to nearly 44.88 UAH/$1.
Gennadiy Chizhikov, President of the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, called on European chambers of commerce and industry, companies, and investors to become more actively involved in Ukraine’s economic recovery even before the war ends. This was discussed during a meeting of EUROCHAMBRES’ affiliated and associate members, which took place on September 1–2, 2026, in Istanbul, with the participation of representatives from European business communities.
The meeting was hosted by the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB). Participants included EUROCHAMBRES President Vladimir Dlouhy, EUROCHAMBRES Vice President and TOBB President Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu, Turkish Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for EU Affairs Mehmet Kemal Bozay, EUROCHAMBRES Director General Ben Batters, as well as the heads of chambers of commerce from Ukraine, Serbia, Georgia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and other countries.
Key topics of discussion included future EU enlargement, economic relations with candidate countries, the impact of the war in Ukraine on European security, trade, and transport links, as well as the growing role of the Black Sea region in trade, energy, and the supply of critical raw materials.
Participants paid special attention to the development of transport and economic corridors between the EU and Central Asia via Turkey and the South Caucasus. Meeting participants also discussed updating the mechanisms for interaction among EUROCHAMBRES members and strengthening practical cooperation between chambers of commerce.
“For Ukrainian business, European integration is a strategic and irreversible course. EUROCHAMBRES plays a special role as a bridge between Ukrainian and European business, as well as a practical tool for promoting Ukraine’s economic integration into the EU,” Chizhikov noted.
According to him, Ukraine’s progress toward EU membership must be accompanied by a parallel convergence of Ukrainian and European business, the formation of new supply chains, the expansion of trade, and the attraction of European capital to reconstruction projects.
The president of the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry emphasized that the country’s economic recovery cannot be postponed until the war ends. Ukrainian enterprises continue to operate amid attacks on production facilities, logistics centers, and commercial infrastructure, so practical support from European partners is needed right now.
“I spoke frankly: how is business holding up in these difficult times, when attacks on business facilities, logistics centers, and retail spaces are not stopping but, on the contrary, are intensifying? It’s not easy to say this out loud in front of colleagues from other countries, but it’s important that they hear it not from the news, but from us directly,” Chizhikov said.
Ukraine is an affiliated member of EUROCHAMBRES. According to the organization’s latest data, EUROCHAMBRES brings together, through its members, a network of approximately 1,700 regional and local chambers of commerce and industry, representing more than 20 million businesses in Europe. More than 93% of the companies represented by this network are small and medium-sized businesses, and together they provide over 120 million jobs. EUROCHAMBRES was founded in 1958 and represents the interests of the business community before EU institutions.
The Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry is a non-governmental, non-profit, self-governing organization. The Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry system includes the central chamber and 25 regional chambers of commerce and industry and brings together approximately 8,000 enterprises and entrepreneurs. The Chamber promotes export development and the search for international partners; conducts expert reviews and assessments; issues certificates of origin for goods; and certifies force majeure circumstances. According to the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, it has 70 representatives in 56 countries, has concluded 174 international cooperation agreements, and coordinates 45 bilateral business councils.
According to Fixygen, tokenization is becoming one of the fastest-growing segments of digital finance.
According to estimates compiled by Franklin Templeton, the value of real assets held directly on the blockchain exceeded $25 billion in early 2026, having roughly tripled in just one year and increased approximately fivefold since 2023.
The main sectors include government bonds, private credit, funds, and real estate.
Franklin Templeton itself is developing BENJI—a tokenized money market fund. As of the end of April, its portfolio had reached approximately $1.98 billion in assets.
On August 3, BlackRock additionally launched two new tokenized money market products.
The range of long-term forecasts is vast: various studies predict the market will grow to between $4 trillion and $16 trillion by 2030.
The essence of this trend lies not so much in the creation of “new cryptocurrencies” as in the transfer of conventional stocks, bonds, funds, and other financial instruments to the blockchain.
A meeting involving representatives from Ukraine, the U.S., and Europe is set to take place in the near future, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said following a meeting with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, representatives of U.S. President Donald Trump.
“We agreed that Ukraine, Europe, and the U.S. will meet in the near future. I don’t know where the meeting will take place. Perhaps in Ukraine again,” Zelenskyy said at a press conference in Kyiv.
The president noted that the American delegation’s visit worked for Kyiv “like a Patriot” and emphasized Ukraine’s need for it.
According to him, during the meeting, the parties discussed the challenges facing Ukraine on the eve of winter and a possible winter aid package.
