Retail sales of Ukrainian retail enterprises—legal entities—increased by 9.1% in January–July 2026 compared with the same period in 2025, according to data from the State Statistics Service of Ukraine.
Thus, retail enterprises grew slightly faster than the country’s retail market as a whole, whose turnover increased by 9% during this period.
In July, enterprise turnover rose by 8.8% compared to July 2025 and by 3.7% compared to June of this year.
Overall, Ukraine’s retail trade turnover—which also includes estimates of the activities of individual entrepreneurs—reached approximately 1.7 trillion UAH over the seven-month period.
The difference between the growth rate of total turnover and that of legal entities is small—just 0.1 percentage points. However, the fact that comparable growth rates have been maintained indicates that the retail market’s growth is driven not only by small businesses but also by the corporate retail segment.
Retail enterprises include, in particular, national and regional supermarket chains, non-food stores, home appliance and electronics chains, pharmacies and specialty retailers, auto dealers, and other legal entities engaged in retail sales.
By the end of 2025, Ukraine’s retail trade had grown by 8.1%, so the figures for the first seven months of 2026 so far indicate that the market is maintaining higher growth rates.
Statistics from the State Statistics Service do not include territories temporarily occupied by Russia or parts of territories where hostilities are ongoing or have taken place.
Only 11 of the 103 criminal cases involving corporate raiding registered in Ukraine between January and July 2026 were referred to court, according to data from the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine published by Opendatabot and analyzed by the Experts Club think tank.
Thus, approximately 10.7% of the cases reached the court stage—roughly one in nine cases.
In another 21 cases, law enforcement agencies issued notices of suspicion. This corresponds to roughly one in five cases registered since the beginning of the year.
All 11 cases that reached court relate to Article 205-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine—the forgery of documents submitted for state registration of legal entities and individual entrepreneurs.
In total, 74 cases were opened under this article between January and July, accounting for nearly 72% of all proceedings related to corporate raiding.
The prospects for court proceedings regarding categories that are more serious from a business perspective look significantly worse.
Over the course of seven months, law enforcement agencies registered 17 proceedings concerning the unlawful seizure of property belonging to an enterprise, institution, or organization under Article 206-2 of the Criminal Code and 12 proceedings concerning obstruction of lawful economic activity under Article 206.
None of these 29 proceedings had been referred to court as of the publication of this study.
At the same time, the number of cases involving the unlawful seizure of corporate property in just the first seven months of 2026 already exceeded the total for the entire previous year, and their share in the overall structure of raider-related cases rose from 7% in 2025 to approximately 17% this year.
Overall, the number of registered raider attacks continues to decline. From January through July, there were 103 such cases—36% fewer than during the same period in 2025, and approximately five times fewer than before the start of the full-scale war.
BUSINESS, COURT, PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE, raider attacks, UKRAINE
According to Experts.news, amid an overall decline in the number of criminal proceedings related to corporate raiding, the proportion of cases involving the unlawful seizure of corporate assets has risen sharply in Ukraine: From January through July 2026, 17 such cases were already registered, exceeding the total for all of 2025, according to data from the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine published by Opendatabot and analyzed by the Experts Club think tank.
In total, 103 criminal cases classified by Opendatabot as involving corporate raiding were registered in the first seven months of this year. Their total number decreased by 36% compared to the same period last year.
However, the nature of these crimes has changed significantly.
Cases under Article 206-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine—unlawful seizure of property belonging to an enterprise, institution, or organization—accounted for 17 proceedings, or about 16.5% of all raider attacks cases.
By comparison, in 2025, this category accounted for about 7%.
Thus, over the course of the year, the proportion of cases most directly related to the seizure of enterprise property more than doubled—from approximately 7% to 17%.
Another 12 cases were opened in January–July under Article 206 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, which pertains to obstructing lawful economic activity.
At the same time, the majority of registered cases, as before, are related not to the direct seizure of assets but to documents. Under Article 205-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, concerning the forgery of documents submitted for state registration of legal entities and individual entrepreneurs, 74 proceedings were initiated—nearly 72% of the total.
Despite the increase in the number of cases involving the unlawful seizure of property, none of the 17 such cases from January through July 2026 were referred to court. A similar situation arose with cases involving obstruction of lawful economic activity.
All 11 raiding cases referred to court since the beginning of the year involved document forgery.
Thus, official statistics reveal two opposing trends: the total number of registered raiding cases in Ukraine is declining, yet the proportion of proceedings directly related to the unlawful seizure of corporate assets is rising significantly.
BUSINESS, ENTERPRISE, EXPERTS CLUB, PROPERTY, RAIDING, UKRAINE
In Ukraine, 103 criminal cases related to raider attacks were registered from January through July 2026, which is 36% fewer than during the same period last year, according to data from the Prosecutor General’s Office analyzed by Opendatabot.
The study was published on August 25, 2026.
Compared to the period before the full-scale war, the number of such cases has decreased by approximately five times. On average, law enforcement agencies registered about 15 cases of corporate raiding per month in 2026.
The highest number of new cases was opened in March—31 cases.
Most of the investigations involved the use of forged documents during business registration. Seventy-four cases were opened under Article 205-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, accounting for 71.8% of the total.
Another 17 cases, or 16.5%, concern the unlawful seizure of property belonging to a company, institution, or organization under Article 206-2 of the Criminal Code. Twelve cases, or 11.7%, were registered under Article 206 regarding obstruction of lawful economic activity.
At the same time, the success rate of investigations remains relatively low. Suspects were notified of charges in 21 out of 103 cases, or approximately one in five.
Eleven cases, or about 11% of the total, were referred to court over the seven-month period. Thus, approximately one in nine registered cases reached the court stage.
All cases referred to court relate to the article on document forgery. No proceedings concerning the unlawful seizure of corporate property or obstruction of lawful business activities were referred to court in January–July.
Source: Opendatabot, data from the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine; study published on August 25, 2026.
BUSINESS, corporate raiding, criminal proceedings, PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE, UKRAINE
Ukrainian banks expect further growth in their business and household loan portfolios over the next 12 months, as well as an increase in demand for all types of corporate and retail loans in the third quarter, according to the results of a survey by the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU).
At the same time, these expectations have become more subdued: the balance of responses regarding growth in the business loan portfolio fell to 38.2% from 72.2% in the first quarter of 2026, and for retail loans—to 38.9% from 65.1%.
Banks forecast a slight improvement in the quality of the corporate loan portfolio over the next 12 months: the balance of responses stood at 7.3% compared to 7.1% a quarter earlier. At the same time, for the fourth consecutive quarter, respondents expect the quality of loans to households to deteriorate, although the corresponding balance has become less negative—“minus” 16.3% versus “minus” 17%.
Financial institutions also expect growth in deposits from businesses and households. The balance of responses regarding the expected change in the volume of corporate sector deposits rose to 53.7% from 50.7%, reaching its highest level since the start of the full-scale invasion, while the balance for household deposits rose to 53.8% from 53.3%.
In the second quarter, business demand for loans increased: the overall balance of responses rose to 35.5% from 34.4% in January–March, also reaching its highest level since the start of the full-scale invasion.
Demand for long-term loans saw the sharpest increase—rising to 35.4% from 24.6%. Demand for loans to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) rose to 24.7% from 23.8%, while demand for loans to large enterprises also increased, though at a slower pace than a quarter ago: the balance of responses fell to 26.9% from 34%.
Banks cited the need for capital investments and working capital as the main drivers of the growth in corporate demand. In the third quarter, they expect demand to increase for all types of business loans, particularly long-term ones.
Household demand also rose in the second quarter for both mortgage and consumer loans. According to banks’ estimates, demand for consumer loans has been growing since the second quarter of 2023, and for mortgages—since the beginning of 2025.
In July–September, respondents expect a further increase in household demand for loans, particularly for mortgages. Several large banks cited lower borrowing costs and improved prospects for the real estate market as the main drivers of rising mortgage demand.
Lending standards for the corporate sector remained virtually unchanged in the second quarter: the balance of responses stood at 1.7%, compared with “minus” 2.9% a quarter earlier. Standards for SMEs eased, though to a lesser extent than in January–March: “minus” 3.3% versus “minus” 25.2%.
In the third quarter, banks generally do not plan to change their corporate lending standards but expect them to ease for SME loans.
The approval rate for business loan applications remained largely unchanged in the second quarter: the balance of responses stood at 0% compared to 12.6% a quarter earlier. At the same time, for SMEs, it stood at 13% versus 24.4%, as some banks reported the possibility of providing them with larger loans.
For households, banks eased standards in the second quarter for both mortgages and consumer loans. For mortgages, the net balance of responses fell to “minus” 14.9% from zero, while for consumer loans it stood at “minus” 21.5% compared with “minus” 23.1% a quarter earlier.
Competition among banks remained the main factor behind the easing of consumer lending standards. For mortgages, additional factors included expectations regarding overall economic activity and the outlook for the real estate market.
Banks also expect a further easing of standards for both mortgage and consumer loans in the third quarter.
The approval rate for household loan applications rose in April–June. Banks reported lower interest rates, higher loan amounts, and longer terms for consumer loans, as well as lower mortgage costs and somewhat stricter collateral requirements for mortgages.
Banks assessed the debt burden on businesses in the second quarter as moderate, although assessments regarding SMEs tended toward the low end of the scale. The debt burden on households remained low.
In the second quarter, banks recorded an increase in credit, foreign exchange, and liquidity risks. The balance of responses regarding credit risk rose to 30.3% from 24.9% a quarter ago; for foreign exchange risk, it stood at 14.5% versus 21.3%; for liquidity risk, 8.4% versus 18.8%; while interest rate and operational risks remained largely unchanged.
At the same time, respondents expect currency and credit risks, in particular, to intensify in the third quarter.
The survey was conducted from June 16 to July 8, 2026, among credit managers at 25 banks, which accounted for 96% of the banking system’s total assets.
BANK, BUSINESS, LOAN, NBU, POPULATION
During the first five months of 2026, Ukrainian companies were fined over 7 million UAH for failing to submit or for late submission of transportation data to the Territorial Mobilization and Social Support Centers.
According to OpenDataBot, which cites information from the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ Land Forces Command, 263 penalty orders were issued between January and May. The total amount of fines imposed was 7.057 million UAH.
Of this amount, 6.652 million hryvnias—or 94%—have already been paid voluntarily by the companies or collected by force into the budget.
In total, since 2014, 1,047 Ukrainian companies have received rulings for failing to submit information on their vehicles. Notably, 87% of all sanctions were imposed after the start of the full-scale war.
The rulings are issued against company officials responsible for submitting the information. These may include directors, accountants, or other employees entrusted with these duties.
Companies are required to report twice a year to the TCC and the SP on the availability and technical condition of their vehicles and equipment.
Original source: OpenDataBot – “7 million UAH in fines imposed on businesses this year for failing to submit information on vehicles to the TCC”, published on July 29, 2026.
