According to Experts.news, Ukrainians’ total debt to microfinance organizations (MFOs) reached 32.32 billion UAH as of July 1, 2026, an increase of 17%—or 4.7 billion UAH—since the beginning of the year. At the same time, the number of court cases filed by the largest players in the microcredit market rose significantly in 2026, according to data from the analytical service “OpenDataBot” published on September 1 and October 28.
According to statistics from the National Bank of Ukraine, during the first half of 2026, the population entered into 4,196,309 contracts with microfinance organizations totaling 37.5 billion UAH.
At the same time, the number of loans issued did not change significantly compared to last year and amounted to approximately 700,000 contracts per month.
The main change is related to an increase in the average loan amount.
In the second quarter of 2026, it reached 9,170 UAH, compared to approximately 6,290 UAH during the same period in 2025. Thus, the average microloan increased by nearly one and a half times.
At the same time, the total debt of the population to MFIs continued to grow.
As of the end of 2022, microloan debt stood at approximately 8 billion UAH. However, starting in 2023, this figure began to rise, exceeding 32 billion UAH by mid-2026.
The growth in lending volumes has been accompanied by an increase in revenue for the largest microfinance companies.
According to OpenDataBot, the combined revenue of Ukraine’s ten largest MFIs for January–June 2026 totaled 12.78 billion UAH, while their combined profit amounted to 1.16 billion UAH.
“Ukr Credit Finance,” operating under the CreditKasa brand, took first place in terms of revenue with 1.99 billion UAH. The company’s profit amounted to 172.6 million UAH.
“E Groshi” took second place in revenue among MFOs with 1.85 billion UAH, while “Spotzhyvchyi Tsentr,” operating under the “ShvydkoGroshi” brand, took third place with 1.52 billion UAH.
At the same time, “Spotzhyvchyi Tsentr” was the most profitable company among the top ten MFOs, with a profit of 361.3 million UAH for the first half of the year.
According to the ranking of corporate plaintiffs published on October 28, “Ukr Credit Finance” also ranks first in Ukraine in terms of the number of new court cases.
In the first half of 2026, 80,421 cases were filed based on its claims, compared to approximately 23,000 for the entire year of 2025.
“Consumer Center” ranks second with 68,076 cases, which is 36% more than in the full previous year.
Thus, the two companies, which are among the largest players in the microcredit market in terms of financial indicators, have also become leaders in the number of court cases filed.
Vasyl Krat, a judge on the Supreme Court of Ukraine, attributes the high number of credit disputes, in particular, to the lack of a fully-fledged out-of-court mechanism that would simultaneously ensure the collection of legitimate debts and protect citizens from excessive interest rates.
He also draws attention to the financial difficulties faced by the population amid a full-scale war, when the loss of income and property increases the need for short-term loans but simultaneously limits the ability to repay them.
At the same time, debt indicators and the number of court cases cannot be directly equated.
MFI statistics reflect borrowers’ aggregate financial obligations as of a specific date, whereas the ranking of corporate plaintiffs takes into account the number of pending court cases. It does not include data on the amounts of claims, their resolution, or the amounts actually recovered.
Furthermore, the study does not establish a direct cause-and-effect relationship between the growth in debt to MFIs and the number of lawsuits filed against specific companies.
At the same time, the combination of an increase in the average size of microloans, total household debt, and creditors’ litigation activity indicates the growing significance of the consumer debt problem for Ukraine’s financial market.
Microfinance organizations are participants in the non-bank financial market and primarily provide short-term consumer loans to the public. The National Bank of Ukraine regulates and supervises their activities.
Sources: “OpenDataBot,” microcredit statistics as of September 1, 2026; “OpenDataBot,” ranking of corporate plaintiffs as of October 28, 2026; Supreme Court of Ukraine, commentary on interest rates on consumer loans.
According to Experts.news, the lack of an effective out-of-court mechanism for settling consumer loan debts contributes to a significant number of court cases between financial companies and borrowers. At the same time, it is precisely the judicial process that allows for verifying the validity of the interest charged and protecting consumers from excessive financial demands, according to Vasyl Krat, a judge of the Supreme Court of Ukraine.
As noted in a study by the analytical service “OpenDataBot,” published on October 28, 2026, all ten of the country’s largest corporate plaintiffs operate in the financial sector.
“Ukr Credit Finance” topped the ranking, with 80,421 court cases filed based on its claims during the incomplete year of 2026. In second place is “Consumer Center” with 68,076 cases.
Overall, among the hundred legal entities that most frequently filed lawsuits in 2026, 39 operate in the lending and other financial services sectors.
Commenting on the study’s findings, Krat noted that current regulations governing the collection of consumer loan debts limit the use of notarial enforcement orders and arbitration proceedings.
As a result, creditors are forced to turn to state courts.
According to the judge, the problem is exacerbated by the financial consequences of a full-scale war. The loss of jobs, income, and property is forcing a portion of the population to resort to accessible forms of short-term lending, particularly microloans.
At the same time, the ability to obtain a loan quickly does not always correspond to the borrower’s ability to fulfill their obligations on time.
Excessive interest rates remain a separate problem.
Krat reported that in one court case, the effective annual interest rate on a loan was 1,139,966%.
This figure, cited by the judge as an example of judicial practice, is not the current permitted rate for new consumer loans.
In Ukraine, a cap on the maximum daily interest rate for consumer loans at 1% has been in effect since August 20, 2024.
This provision was established by Law No. 3498-IX of November 22, 2023, with a phased reduction of the permitted rate during the transition period.
As clarified by the Supreme Court on September 14, 2026, for agreements entered into after the end of the transition period, any provision regarding a daily rate that exceeds the maximum established by law is not applicable to the extent of the excess.
However, the new restrictions do not automatically apply to agreements entered into before the relevant amendments took effect.
In particular, when considering disputes regarding old loan agreements, it is necessary to take into account the date of their conclusion, any possible extension of the loan term, and the provisions of the legislation in effect during the relevant period.
These issues were addressed by the Joint Chamber of the Civil Cassation Court within the Supreme Court, specifically in its ruling of September 7, 2026, in Case No. 552/672/23.
The court noted that, under certain circumstances, excessive or ambiguously worded terms of a loan agreement may be subject to judicial review under consumer protection laws.
At the same time, certain remedies require the borrower to file specific claims, whereas the court may interpret ambiguous provisions of the agreement in favor of the consumer directly during the resolution of the dispute.
This issue has significant economic implications.
According to OpenDataBot, based on statistics from the National Bank of Ukraine, as of July 1, 2026, the total debt of the population to microfinance organizations reached 32.32 billion UAH.
Since the beginning of the year, this figure has increased by 17%, or 4.7 billion UAH.
In the first half of the year, Ukrainians entered into nearly 4.2 million contracts with microfinance organizations totaling 37.5 billion UAH.
The growth in loan debt, combined with restrictions on extrajudicial collection, places an additional burden on the judicial system. At the same time, the available data does not allow for determining what proportion of new court cases is directly related to delinquent microloans and how many of them concern challenges to accrued interest.
The Supreme Court of Ukraine is the highest court in the country’s judicial system. It includes the Civil Court of Cassation, which hears, among other things, disputes related to the fulfillment of credit obligations and the protection of the rights of consumers of financial services.
Sources: “OpenDataBot,” study dated October 28, 2026; Supreme Court of Ukraine, clarification by Vasyl Krat dated September 14, 2026; Supreme Court, materials from the National Judicial Forum dated October 20, 2026; “OpenDataBot,” microloan debt.
In Ukraine, 1,293 personal bankruptcy cases were filed from January through September 2026, which is 37% more than during the same period in 2025. The highest number of such cases was recorded in Kyiv, Kyiv Oblast, and Lviv Oblast, according to data from the Supreme Court published on October 19 by “OpenDataBot,” a service that monitors state registries.
According to the study, the number of personal bankruptcy cases has been rising for the fourth consecutive year following a decline in 2022. In 2021, 496 cases were filed; in 2022, 374; in 2023, 576; in 2024, 927; and in 2025, 1,348.
Thus, in just the first nine months of 2026, the number of cases already exceeded the total for all of 2024 by 39.5% and accounted for nearly 96% of the total for all of 2025.
In total, 5,014 cases of individual insolvency have been recorded in Ukraine since the beginning of 2021.
The largest share of citizens who initiated bankruptcy proceedings in 2026 consists of people aged 25 to 45. This category accounts for 876 cases, or 67.7% of the total.
Another 304 cases, or 23.5%, involve individuals over 45 years of age, while 113 cases, or 8.7%, were filed by citizens under 25 years of age. The youngest applicant is 20 years old, and the oldest is 77.
In terms of gender distribution, 2026 marked the first time that women outnumbered men among the parties to such proceedings: 685 women versus 608 men. Women accounted for 53%, whereas in 2025, men accounted for 51%.
Regionally, the courts in Kyiv handled the largest number of insolvency cases involving individuals—228 proceedings. Compared to the first nine months of 2025, this number increased by 57.2% from 145 cases.
The Kyiv region ranked second with 130 proceedings, and the Lviv region ranked third with 109. These three regions account for 467 cases, or 36.1% of the national total.
In the Kyiv region, the number of cases rose by 85.7%, from 70 to 130, and in the Lviv region, by 43.4%, from 76 to 109.
Among the regions with a notable increase in the number of cases are also the Kirovohrad region, where the figure rose by 115%, from 20 to 43 cases; the Ternopil region—by 64.3%, from 28 to 46; and the Kharkiv region—by 59.4%, from 32 to 51.
At the same time, some regions saw a decrease in the number of cases. Specifically, in Vinnytsia Oblast, the figure fell by 18.2%, from 77 to 63 cases; in Odesa Oblast, by 5.9%, from 68 to 64; and in Mykolaiv Oblast, by 31.3%, from 16 to 11.
The increase in the number of insolvency cases may indicate both a rise in the debt burden on individual households and more active use by citizens of the debt settlement procedure provided for by law. At the same time, these statistics alone do not allow for determining the causes of bankruptcy for each applicant.
Individuals in Ukraine gained the ability to initiate bankruptcy proceedings in October 2019, following the entry into force of the Code of Ukraine on Bankruptcy Procedures.
Unlike corporate bankruptcy, insolvency proceedings against an individual can be initiated only upon the individual’s own petition. Creditors do not have the right to initiate such proceedings against an individual on their own.
However, the opening of proceedings does not automatically mean that the person is declared bankrupt or that all their debts are discharged. The court proceedings may involve debt restructuring, the satisfaction of creditors’ claims through the sale of assets, and subsequent discharge from certain obligations in cases provided for by law.
Certain types of debt, such as child support obligations, are not subject to discharge as a result of bankruptcy proceedings.
In addition, for five years after being declared bankrupt, the individual is required to disclose their status before entering into loan, credit, surety, or pledge agreements. Reopening an insolvency case during this period is also restricted by law.
You can check information about an individual’s bankruptcy through the “OpenDataBot” service using their tax ID number.
“OpenDataBot” is a Ukrainian service that monitors public registries, providing information on companies, entrepreneurs, court decisions, debt obligations, and other legally significant data. The service regularly publishes analytical reports based on government statistics and open data.
Source: “OpenDataBot”
In Ukraine, 4,621 enforcement proceedings were initiated between January and August 2026 to collect unpaid wages, which is 16% fewer than during the same period last year, when 5,470 such proceedings were registered, according to data from the Unified Register of Debtors, as analyzed by OpenDataBot.
Despite the decline in the number of new cases, the total volume of unresolved wage arrears remains significant. As of September, the Unified Register of Debtors listed 35,922 active cases related to unpaid wages.
Some of these debts have remained unresolved for many years. In particular, 1,957 active cases were opened as far back as 2017 and have still not been closed.
New cases were filed against 311 companies between January and August 2026. Of these, 144—or about 46%—are private enterprises, 117 are state-owned, and another 50 belong to local communities.
Thus, state-owned and municipal companies together account for more than half of the enterprises against which new enforcement proceedings regarding wage arrears were initiated this year.
OpenDataBot compiles statistics based on the Unified Register of Debtors, into which enforcement proceedings are entered after the relevant decisions on debt collection are issued.
Source: OpenDataBot, data for January–August 2026.
More than half of the new enforcement proceedings regarding wage arrears in Ukraine during the first eight months of 2026 were concentrated in just two sectors—electricity and gas supply, and chemical production.
According to OpenDataBot, 1,545 enforcement proceedings were initiated against companies in the electricity and gas supply sector from January through August, accounting for about one-third of all new cases involving wage arrears.
Another 989 proceedings, or 21%, were initiated against chemical manufacturers.
Thus, these two sectors together accounted for about 55% of all new enforcement proceedings related to wage arrears in the country.
The next sector by number of proceedings was the manufacture of other transportation equipment, with 263 cases. Machinery manufacturing companies accounted for 235 proceedings, and electrical equipment manufacturers for 191.
In total, 4,621 new enforcement proceedings regarding wage arrears were registered in Ukraine from January through August 2026, which is 16% fewer than a year earlier.
The high concentration of debt in the energy and chemical industries is linked, in particular, to the presence in these sectors of large enterprises with complex financial situations and significant accumulated debt to employees.
In particular, among the companies with a large number of new enforcement proceedings in 2026 are Sumykhimprom, the Odesa Port Plant, Karpatnaftochim, and Dniproazot.
Source: OpenDataBot, Unified Register of Debtors.
As of July 1, 2026, the Poltava region ranked first in Ukraine in terms of the average amount of tax debt per debtor company.
According to data from the State Tax Service cited by Opendatabot, the average tax debt per company in Poltava Oblast is approximately 2.78 million UAH.
Kirovohrad Oblast ranks second in this metric, with an average of about 2.2 million UAH per company in debt.
These figures significantly exceed the national average. In total, 218,731 companies owe the state 263.32 billion UAH, meaning the average debt is approximately 1.2 million UAH per company.
However, the largest number of debtors and the largest absolute amount of debt are concentrated not in the Poltava region, but in Kyiv. There are 58,056 debtor companies registered in the capital, with a combined debt of 96.06 billion UAH.
Thus, regional statistics reveal a significant difference between the number of debtors and the size of the debt: Kyiv dominates in terms of absolute figures, while Poltava Oblast leads in terms of the average debt per company.
Source: Opendatabot
