In January–June 2026, Ukraine increased its imports of aluminum and aluminum products by 24.5% compared to the same period last year, reaching $316.841 million.
According to customs statistics, aluminum and aluminum product imports totaled $68.864 million in June.
Exports of aluminum and aluminum products in January–June of this year rose by 28% compared to the same period last year, reaching $90.732 million; in June, they totaled $18.339 million.
As previously reported, in 2025, Ukraine increased its 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properties have made aluminum the primary raw material in the aviation and aerospace industries (though it has recently been replaced by composite materials, primarily carbon fiber).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.
A 99.9952% state-owned stake in one of Ukraine’s largest chemical companies, Sumykhimprom JSC, will be put up for an electronic auction on the “Prozorro.Sales” trading platform on October 13, 2026.
This decision was made by the auction commission chaired by Vitaliy Kovalenko, deputy head of the State Property Fund of Ukraine, the Fund announced on Facebook.
The State Property Fund of Ukraine (SPFU) noted that on July 8 of this year, the government approved the terms and the starting price for the sale of this stake at 1.005 billion UAH.
As previously reported, the repeat online auction for the privatization of “Sumykhimprom,” scheduled for January 13, 2026, with a price reduced by 9.3% to 1 billion 88.081 million UAH (excluding VAT), did not take place due to a lack of participants, just like the previous auction on June 11, 2025.
“Sumykhimprom represents a unique opportunity to acquire nearly 100% of the shares in an operating, high-capacity chemical complex with a wide range of products and significant production facilities for further modernization and development of export potential,” emphasized the State Property Fund of Ukraine (SPFU).
According to the terms of the tender, the new owner was required to maintain the company’s core business activities and invest at least 150 million hryvnias in technical re-equipment and production modernization. In addition, the winner must settle wage arrears and budget debts within six months, as well as overdue accounts payable—excluding debts owed to individuals and legal entities subject to sanctions and their associated parties, as well as creditors whose beneficiaries are citizens or residents of the Russian Federation and/or Belarus. The buyer must comply with social guarantees for employees in accordance with labor law requirements and prevent their dismissal for six months following the acquisition of the asset.
“Sumykhimprom” is one of the largest domestic enterprises producing compound mineral fertilizers, titanium dioxide, sulfuric acid, and other inorganic chemicals. The enterprise is among the top three revenue-generating enterprises in Sumy and the region. It produces more than 30 brands of NPK fertilizers with varying nutrient ratios for different soil and climatic zones.
For over 10 years, the plant was managed by a group of companies affiliated with Group DF, owned by businessman Dmytro Firtash. In November 2023, the Commercial Court of Sumy Oblast granted the motion filed by the State Property Fund of Ukraine (SPFU) and the Ministry of Justice and closed the proceedings in the bankruptcy and reorganization case of “Sumykhimprom.”
The SPFU had planned to sell the company to a private investor even before the full-scale war began. However, privatization was delayed due to the stance of minority shareholder Firtash, who in 2010 acquired 0.005% of the company’s shares and gained control over its management. “Sumykhimprom” accumulated debt, which led to the formation of a creditors’ committee and the initiation of a reorganization procedure.
Since 2015, the State Property Fund of Ukraine (SPFU) had been trying through the courts to halt the company’s bankruptcy proceedings, but was only able to do so in 2023, which cleared the way for privatization.
In March 2022, Russian forces shelled the plant, causing an ammonia leak. As a result, the plant was shut down for a year and resumed operations in the spring of 2023. As of June 2025, the front line was less than 30 km from “Sumykhimprom.”
According to the 2025 report, the company’s accounts payable at the end of the year amounted to 4.135 billion UAH, of which 1.292 billion UAH was debt related to the bankruptcy case initiated by the Commercial Court of Sumy Oblast in October 2011, based on the court-approved register of the JSC’s creditors.
“The company’s lack of working capital, unprofitable operations, and production downtime are causing its accounts payable to rise,” the report states.
Sumykhimprom’s revenue in 2025 amounted to 129.2 million UAH (compared to 395.9 million UAH the previous year), gross profit to 53.3 million UAH (9.9 million UAH), and net loss to 405.7 million UAH (600.2 million UAH).
“The main reason for Sumykhimprom’s unprofitable operations in 2025 was the forced shutdown of production facilities from November 2024 through July 22, 2025, and the shutdown of all structural units in the fourth quarter of 2025. In 2025, Sulfuric Acid Plant No. 5 operated for only two months,” the report states.
According to the report, due to the escalation of the dangerous situation in the region, the regional military administration did not grant permission to purchase ammonia, which prevented the company from launching its production program for complex mineral fertilizers, as envisaged in the approved financial plan for 2025.
AUCTION, CHEMICALS, PRIVATIZATION, State Property Fund of Ukraine, SUMYKHIMPROM
Number of unemployed in Ukraine and job opportunities, 2025-2026
In January–June of this year, Ukrainian companies increased their imports of copper and copper products by 14.2% in monetary terms compared to the same period last year, reaching $106.351 million.
According to customs statistics released by the State Customs Service of Ukraine, exports of copper and copper products rose by 11.6% over the six-month period, reaching $51.405 million.
In June, copper imports totaled $21.012 million, while exports amounted to $12.159 million.
As previously reported, in 2025, Ukrainian companies increased imports of copper and copper products by 23.2% in monetary terms compared to 2024—to $173.453 million—while exports of copper and copper products rose by 17.7%—to $103.848 million.
Copper is widely used in electrical engineering, in the production of pipes, for creating alloys, in medicine, and in other industries.
Previously, the Experts Club Information and Analytical Center released a video on global copper production and leading producing countries – https://youtube.com/shorts/_h8iU50z8C0?si=a-XkgGEfeUxseQNa
Over the past month, the BETS Trading Platform held 22 trading sessions for the purchase and sale of natural gas on the medium- and long-term markets, as well as four trading sessions each day on the short-term market.
A total of 118 initial positions were formed at BETS for trading resources for June, July, and August 2026 in the gas transmission system (GTS) and underground gas storage facilities (UGS). In total, 38.9 million cubic meters of natural gas were sold on the medium- and long-term market, more than double the figure for the previous period. On the short-term market, 8.42 million cubic meters of natural gas were sold.
On the medium- and long-term market in June, quoted prices in the section of the same name ranged from 20,595.89 to 21,685.83 UAH excluding VAT. On the short-term market, exchange rates fluctuated daily within the range of 20,959.12–21,626.64 UAH excluding VAT. Prices remained stable throughout the month.
“In June, the natural gas market on the UEB demonstrated sustained activity following May’s recovery and a transition to a more mature phase. Despite the influence of external factors, the Ukrainian exchange segment remained operational and liquid: participants actively established positions for both buying and selling, and demand for June’s supply confirmed the importance of transparent price indicators for supply planning. “For the UEB, this is a signal that exchange mechanisms continue to be a key tool for establishing an objective market price, managing commercial risks, and maintaining the stability of the wholesale natural gas market,” noted UEB CEO O. Kovalenko.
Oschadbank has officially joined the global WE Finance Code initiative by signing a letter of intent. Participation in the program confirms the bank’s commitment to expanding financing opportunities for women-led businesses, implementing international best practices in supporting entrepreneurship, and helping to remove barriers to access to financial resources.
By signing the letter of intent, Oschadbank has committed to ensuring the systematic development of its women’s entrepreneurship support initiatives, tracking and analyzing gender-based financing metrics, and expanding specialized products and programs for women entrepreneurs. Upon completion of the transition period, the bank will report on the fulfillment of these commitments to the National Bank of Ukraine for their subsequent inclusion in the annual global reporting under the WE Finance Code.
In Ukraine, the initiative is being implemented by the Ministry of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture, the National Bank of Ukraine, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). The Ministry serves as the national coordinator for the WE Finance Code and ensures the coordination of the coalition’s activities. The WE Finance Code coalition includes banks, credit unions, leasing companies, and relevant financial sector associations, and with Oschadbank’s accession, its membership continues to grow.
Joining the WE Finance Code is a logical continuation of Oschadbank’s systematic efforts to support women’s entrepreneurship. As of the end of June 2026, the loan portfolio for women-led businesses in the micro, small, and medium-sized enterprise (MSME) segment reached 5.2 billion UAH. By comparison, at the beginning of 2022, this figure stood at 1.3 billion UAH; in other words, during the period of full-scale war, the volume of lending to women-owned businesses has quadrupled.
Today, women entrepreneurs account for 34% of Oschadbank’s MSME loan portfolio. In addition, they account for 40% of all recipients of non-repayable grants, which the bank verifies and supports as part of national and international entrepreneurship support programs.
“During the full-scale war, Oschadbank’s loan portfolio for women-led businesses has quadrupled—to 5.2 billion UAH. This is the best proof that women entrepreneurs remain one of our most dynamic client groups. We see their resilience, adaptability, and strong financial discipline even under the current extremely challenging conditions. That is precisely why we are successfully developing our own “Women’s Business” ecosystem, which offers not just financing, but comprehensive solutions for starting and scaling a business. It is a great honor for us to join the global WE Finance Code community. We are convinced that market leaders must not only implement best practices but also set the direction for development. That is why we have set an ambitious goal for ourselves—to work with other participants in the initiative to create new financial solutions that will expand opportunities for Ukrainian women entrepreneurs and promote the development of this sector in Ukraine,” — said Natalia Butkova-Vitvitska, a member of Oschadbank’s board of directors responsible for MSMEs.
An important component of this work is Oschadbank’s own “Women’s Business” ecosystem, which provides comprehensive support to women entrepreneurs. The program offers financing for startups to purchase franchises of up to 5 million UAH and for agricultural projects—up to 10 million UAH, preferential lending terms with a deferral of principal repayment for 7–9 months, competitive interest rates, fast processing of loan applications, the option to submit documents online, personalized assistance from a manager, and consulting support.
WE Finance Code is a global multilateral initiative aimed at expanding women entrepreneurs’ access to financing. Today, it is being implemented in more than 30 countries worldwide and brings together financial institutions, regulators, business associations, and international partners to develop the financial ecosystem for women’s entrepreneurship.
female entrepreneur, LOAN, MSMEs, OSCHADBANK, WE Finance Code
