Ukrainian banks in 2021 reduced the number of structural units by 6.3%, or by 449 branches, to 6,685.
According to data on the website of the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU), in 2021 Oschadbank closed 235 branches (reducing their number to 1,602), PrivatBank – 220 (to 1,497), UkrSibbank – 21 (to 251), Alfa Bank – 17 (to 201), Pivdenny Bank – 10 (to 87), Ukreximbank – 9 (to 53), Ukrgasbank – 8 (268), PIB – 7 (19), Sberbank – 5 (85), Raiffeisen Bank Aval – 4 (to 392).
At the same time, in 2020 banks opened 84 branches, including Accordbank – 28 branches, expanding its regional network to 107 branches, FUIB – 24 (up to 248), Crystalbank – 12 (up to 36), A-Bank – 7 (up to 239), Alliance Bank, CIB and Ukrbudinvestbank – 5 each (up to 30, 43 and 53, respectively).
According to the data of the National Bank, as of January 1, 2022 Oschadbank remains the leader in terms of the number of branches (1,602), the second place is occupied by PrivatBank (1,497), the third is Raiffeisen Bank Aval (392), the fourth is Ukrgasbank (268) and the fifth – UkrSibbank (251).
As in the first half of the year, Prominvestbank (PIB), Albank, Credit Europe and Familny banks, BTA Bank, ING Bank Ukraine, Citibank, Trust-Capital Bank, the Ukrainian Bank for Reconstruction and Development (UBRD), CreditWest Bank, Deutsche Bank DBU, SEB Corporate Bank, Alpari Bank, Avangard Bank and Portal Bank, according to the regulator’s data, operate with one open branch.
State-owned PrivatBank topped the list of profit-making Ukrainian banks in 2021, declaring UAH 35.05 billion of net profit, while Pravex Bank recorded the largest loss last year – UAH 266.249 million.
According to the data of the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU), the second position in the list of profit-making banks was taken by Raiffeisen Bank Aval (UAH 4.858 billion), and the third by FUIB (UAH 4.188 billion). According to the results of 2021, the subsidiary of the Russian Sberbank IR Bank (UAH 3.897 billion) is in the fourth position, and Ukrgasbank is in the fifth position (UAH 3.82 billion).
According to the central bank, Unex Bank (UAH 50.355 million) ranked second among loss-making banks, BTA Bank (UAH 32.085 million) ranked third, Ukrainian Bank for Reconstruction and Development fourth (UAH 27.928 million) and Alpari Bank fifth (UAH 6.12 million).
During this period, 66 out of 71 banks operating in Ukraine saw profit.
According to the statistics of the National Bank, in terms of total assets, PrivatBank (UAH 582.851 billion) retained the first place in the ranking in 2021 (UAH 582.851 billion), Oschadbank (UAH 249.938 billion) was second, Ukreximbank was third (UAH 210.029 billion), and Ukrgasbank was fourth (UAH 130.817 billion) and Raiffeisen Bank Aval fifth (UAH 133.651 billion).
The most in-demand specialists in 2021 were specialists in sales, IT, banking and investment, marketing, advertising and PR, as well as transport and logistics, according to a study by the expert-analytical center grc.ua. “The search for personnel during the year has more than doubled,” Ruslana Berezovska, head of the expert-analytical center grc.ua, said.
In particular, vacancies in sales, IT, banking and investment, marketing, advertising and PR, transport and logistics increased from 91% to 174%.
At the same time, specialists in insurance, top management, law, sports, fitness and beauty industries, government service and non-profit organizations were not in demand in 2021.
According to the study, the leaders in the largest number of vacancies are Kyiv city, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Odesa, Lviv, and Kyiv regions.
The top five spheres with the highest average wages included: IT and communication (UAH 54,000), top management (UAH 43,600), consulting (UAH 26,200), construction and real estate (UAH 24,800), and civil service (UAH 23,100).
The top five spheres with the lowest average wages included: tourism and restaurants (UAH 13,200), healthcare (UAH 13,000), initial career (UAH 12,200), working staff (UAH 11,900), and administrative staff (UAH 10,700).
Bank Credit Dnipro intends to acquire the First Investment Bank (PINbank, Kyiv), owned by Russian citizen Yevgeny Giner (88.89% of shares), the press service of the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine said on Monday. “By order of the state commissioner No. 09/334-r dated November 23, 2021, case No. 130-25 / 3-20-EK was initiated on concentration in the form of acquisition of the First Investment Bank by Bank Credit Dnipro, which grants that 50% of the votes in the supreme management body of the bank are exceeded,” the committee said.According to the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU), as of June 25, 2021, the shareholders of PINbank were also Oleksandr Shandruk with a 9.51% stake.Bank Credit Dnipro was founded in 1993. As of January 1, 2021, according to the National Bank of Ukraine, the only shareholder of the bank was Oleksandr Yaroslavsky.According to the NBU, as of October 1, 2021, Bank Credit Dnipro was ranked 19th in terms of total assets (UAH 19.781 billion) and PINbank 44th (UAH 3.698 billion) among 71 operating banks.
Ukraine intends to prohibit former owners of failed banks from participating in public procurement and privatization until they take measures to pay off their debts to the Deposit Guarantee Fund, according to a memorandum signed between Ukraine and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).”We will specifically enumerate measures that can be taken to end the state’s business-as-usual with former owners of failed banks until the latter have taken actions to satisfy their debts to the Deposit Guarantee Fund, for example, by prohibiting former bank owners of resolved banks, their related parties, and entities controlled by them, with legally ascertained debts to the Deposit Guarantee Fund, from participating in public procurement and privatization processes,” the document said.According to it, Ukraine is stepping up its efforts to boost asset recovery from the former owners and related parties of failed banks to reduce the cost of bank failures to Ukrainian taxpayers.”We recognize the need to take a more comprehensive approach to pursue all commercial and legal avenues available to recover assets from failed banks and hold former owners and former managers of failed banks accountable for losses. This comprehensive approach would demonstrate a strong political commitment and provide a consolidated view on Ukraine’s asset recovery strategy, on policy measures that will fix institutional, legal and coordination gaps forestalling recoveries with due attention,” the memorandum said.In addition, it undertakes to ensure the impossibility of interfering with the work on the return of PrivatBank’s assets.The new structural benchmark is to prepare a comprehensive asset recovery strategy paper and action plan, which will be adopted and published by the Cabinet of Ministers by end-February 2022.
US Eximbank has tentatively agreed on the total amount of financing for construction of two new power units using AP1000 technology of the American company Westinghouse, further negotiations are underway, Head of Energoatom Petro Kotin has said.”Financing is provided through the US Eximbank. The total amount of financing for two power units has been preliminary agreed, but there is still a long procedure to make a final decision in order to receive this money,” Kotin said at a briefing at the international conference Atomic Opportunities for National Development, held in Kyiv on Monday.At the same time, he specified that “both the American and Ukrainian shares are being financed.” At the same time, he did not name the amount of funding.In the Energoatom’s presentation on nuclear power development, presented at the conference, the amount of construction of one power unit is indicated approximately in the range of $5 billion.At the same time, Energy Minister Herman Haluschenko noted that conditions for provision of financing that are favorable for Ukraine, are being considered.”I would not like to specify anything before making a final decision, but I will say: we are talking about the use of funds for 18 years at very low interest rates,” he said, adding that “now we are talking about the first tranche of financing for two units.”As reported, Westinghouse (USA) and Energoatom signed two cooperation agreements providing for the start of projects for construction of two new power units at Khmelnytsky nuclear power plant (KhNPP) using AP1000 technology.As part of the September visit of the President of Ukraine to the United States, Energoatom and Westinghouse Electric signed a memorandum on construction of five nuclear power units in Ukraine. The cost of the project will be about $25 billion.
