The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) counts on continuation of cooperation of Ukraine with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) after the expiration of the currency Stand-By Arrangement (SBA), according to an inflation report for January 2019 posted on the website of the central bank.
The document, in particular, has the key assumptions for the macroeconomic forecast of the NBU for 2019-2021, including payments to the public sector from donors in 2019-2021 ($6.5 billion from the IMF, $1.6 billion each from the EU and the World Bank), along with the placement of government external loan bonds for $8.5 billion, will allow refinancing most of the payments on external obligations.
As reported, the IMF Executive Board, following a meeting on December 19, 2018, approved a new program of cooperation with Ukraine under the stand-by arrangement. The amount of the 14-month program is equivalent to SDR 2.8 billion, or about $3.9 billion. Some SDR 1 billion (about $1.4 billion) was provided immediately, while the remaining funds will be provided based on the results of the program reviews in May and September 2019. The NBU thus plans to raise some $4 billion from the IMF in 2020-2021.
In addition, at the end of January 2019, the NBU said that it had laid out macroeconomic forecasts for the country to place eurobonds worth $2 billion in 2019. Thus, the National Bank expects an increase in sovereign eurobonds in subsequent years to more than $3 billion.
As reported, Ukraine in October 2018 placed two tranches of eurobonds: $750 million five-year bonds and $1.25 billion 10-year bonds.
The yield on the five-year bonds was 9% per annum, and for the 10-year bonds it is 9.75%.
BNP Paribas, Citi, Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan acted as organizers of the issue.
The Cabinet of Ministers has approved a draft law on ratification of an agreement on the development of cooperation with Turkey.
The government took a corresponding decision at a meeting on Wednesday.
According to the explanatory note to the draft law available to Interfax-Ukraine, the implementation of the document will favor the implementation of technical cooperation projects – the transfer of know-how, training of personnel, the supply of equipment and materials, and will also contribute to financial projects and grants to finance the supply of goods, equipment and materials.
The agreement also provides for the creation of a Programs Coordination Office of the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) in Ukraine.
Kharkiv-based JSC Turboatom and Westinghouse have extended a memorandum of understanding in the nuclear energy sphere for one year.
The press service of National Nuclear Generating Company Energoatom reported that the document was signed on November 7, 2018 by Turboatom Director General Viktor Subotin, Westinghouse Vice President and Managing Director Aziz Dag and Energoatom President Yuriy Nedashkovsky during the international fuel and energy forum held in Kyiv.
“The memorandum of understanding with Turboatom includes cooperation under the Ukraine-EU Energy Bridge Project. According to the memorandum, Turboatom will provide products and services for the turbine part of the project. Yesterday, the expansion of the current memorandum for another year was signed,” Dag told Interfax-Ukraine.
As reported, Westinghouse within cooperation with Turboatom continues to discuss preparations for the implementation of programs to increase the installed capacity of VVER power units and the capability utilization index, while activation of cooperation is possible when launching the Ukraine-EU Energy Bridge Project.
The government decided to implement the Ukraine-EU Energy Bridge pilot project in June 2015. The project envisages organizing the transmission of power from reactor two of the Khmelnytsky NPP to the EU power grid. The funds received from electricity exports from this reactor are planned to be used to finance the construction of reactors three and four of the Khmelnytsky NPP.
A consortium of companies, consisting of Westinghouse Electric Sweden AB, Polenergia International S.àr.l. and EDF Trading Limited, announced their intention to participate in the project of arranging the Ukraine-EU energy bridge.
Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine Stepan Kubiv has met with his colleague from Turkey Ruhsar Pekcan in Istanbul, where they discussed issues of enhancing trade and economic cooperation between the two countries. “Within the framework of Petro Poroshenko’s visit to Turkey, I’ve met with my Turkish counterpart, the Minister of Trade for Turkey. We are talking about strengthening trade and economic cooperation between Ukraine and Turkey, especially when bilateral trade volumes are constantly growing,” Kubiv wrote on his Facebook page.
“There are also good prospects for cooperation in the digital economy, industry, energy, IT, aviation and many other spheres,” the Ukrainian official added.
On Tuesday, the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine signed an agreement on cooperation in the field of physical culture and sports with the Secretariat of Sports of the Argentine Republic, Minister of Youth and Sports of Ukraine Ihor Zhdanov has said.
“While visiting Buenos Aires, I signed an agreement between the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine and the Secretariat of Sports of the Argentine Republic on cooperation in the field of physical culture and sports,” the minister wrote on his Facebook page on Tuesday.
He noted that Secretary of State for Sports of Argentina Carlos Javier Mac Allister, who is a member of the government, and his successor, Diogenes de Urquiza, attended the signing ceremony. He starts to perform the duties of his colleague in a month.
According to Zhdanov, the agreement establishes the legal framework of the Ukrainian-Argentine cooperation in the field of physical culture and sports through the central executive bodies and public organizations of physical culture and sports.
“There will be an intensive exchange of experience between coaches and athletes of both countries within the framework of the agreement,” the minister said.
Study visits of specialists, organization and holding of seminars and conferences on issues of the sphere of physical culture and sports with the participation of representatives of state bodies, national federations for sports, sports societies and clubs are planned.
Head of the National Bank of Ukraine Yakiv Smolii positively assesses the course of the negotiations on the possibilities of obtaining the next tranche of financing with the mission of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that have been held in Kyiv since September 6.
“The negotiations with the IMF are continuing. The mission is finishing its work next week, and we expect a positive decision on continuing cooperation,” he told journalists on the sidelines of the 15th YES forum organized by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation in Kyiv.
Asked about the aspects of this cooperation, Smolii noted that the fund’s continued financial support for Ukraine remains an important element of it.
“The replenishment of foreign exchange reserves is the key to macro-financial stability,” the NBU head said.
As reported, the IMF mission headed by Ron van Rooden began work in Kyiv on September 6 and plans to work until September 19 “to discuss the latest economic events and economic policy.”
