Business news from Ukraine

Business news from Ukraine

“Kyivstar” Increased Quarterly EBITDA by 21.1%

Kyivstar, Ukraine’s largest mobile operator, increased its EBITDA by 21.1% in the second quarter of 2026 to 8.3 billion UAH, while revenue rose by 27% to 14.9 billion UAH, according to the company’s quarterly report released on Friday.

“Kyivstar has demonstrated another quarter of broad-based profitable growth, and we are once again raising our full-year forecast,” Kyivstar CEO and President Oleksandr Komarov is quoted as saying in the document.
He noted that digital technologies now account for more than one-fifth of the company’s revenue, which is 7 percentage points higher than a year ago.

“We remain focused on leading Ukraine’s digital future and ensuring sustainable returns for our shareholders,” Komarov added.
In U.S. dollars, Kyivstar now estimates revenue growth in the second quarter of this year at 19.3%—to $339 million—and EBITDA at 13.7%, to $188 million, resulting in a margin of 55.4%.

Kyivstar’s net income was $77 million, with earnings per share of $0.33. Revenue from digital services grew by 94.7% to 3.3 billion UAH, accounting for 21.7% of total revenue, or 83%, to $73.7 million. ​
The number of Kyivstar’s multiplay customers in the second quarter of 2026 grew by 23.6% to 8.1 million, representing 39.9% of the total number of active mobile customers during the month. Revenue from these services increased by 47.4% to $139 million (up 56.9% to 6.2 billion UAH), or 41.1% of total revenue.

ARPU (Average Revenue Per User) for this period rose by 11.2% to $3.9 (up 18.3% to 172.7 UAH).
The report also states that the total number of monthly active digital users for the quarter was 29.3 million. Specifically, the figure rose by 8.2% at Uklon—to 5.2 million; by 0.7% at Helsi—to 5 million; stood at 6.3 million at Tabletki; and increased by 47.7% at KyivstarTV—to 3.6 million.

The online taxi service Uklon, which was consolidated into Kyivstar’s financial statements in April 2025, generated 1.448 billion UAH in revenue, or $32.8 million, in the second quarter of 2026. Its EBITDA amounted to 554 million UAH, or $12.5 million. The number of booked trips during this period increased by 4.5% to 43 million, while the number of completed trips rose by 25.9% to 1.4 million.

It is noted that as of the end of the second quarter of 2026, the Helsi healthcare information system had 109,000 paid subscribers; its revenue increased by 44.6% compared to the same period in 2025—to 105 million UAH—or by 35.9%—to $2.4 million. The service’s clients have access to 1,800 healthcare facilities. The number of patient visits reached 2.4 million.
Tabletki.ua, which was acquired in February of this year for $160 million, generated 342 million UAH, or $7.8 million, in the second quarter. EBITDA amounted to 274 million UAH, or $6.2 million. The average monthly number of orders reached 15 million, and gross merchandise value (GMV) reached $376 million.

Revenue for the Kyivstar TV platform in the second quarter of 2026 reached 614 million UAH, or $13.9 million, as the number of user sessions grew by 34.2% to 931 million.
The report specified that capital expenditures, excluding licenses and assets in the form of rights of use, amounted to $59 million. The company emphasizes that the capital expenditure intensity in the second quarter of 2026 was 17.3% and 26.6% over the past 12 months, which is 3.3 percentage points lower than the 29.9% recorded in the first quarter.

It is noted that going forward, the group expects revenue growth in dollar terms of 14–16% (previously projected at 11–14%) and EBITDA growth of 9–12% (previously indicated as 7–10%), while the capital expenditure rate will remain unchanged at 21–24%, assuming an average UAH/USD exchange rate of 44.5.
Free cash flow to shareholders, after accounting for lease and license expenses, increased by 32.2% to $104 million. Additionally, as of June 30, 2026, cash, cash equivalents, and deposits totaled 16.4 billion UAH, or $364 million.

Kyivstar added that more than 6 million of its customers currently use the Starlink Direct-to-Cell service, which during the reporting period also expanded its capabilities beyond messaging to include data transmission via specific apps—such as Google Maps, Viber, and WhatsApp—in areas without terrestrial coverage.
Among other things, during the second quarter of this year, the group acquired six solar power plants in the Lviv region (105 MW in total for $80.8 million), expanding its renewable energy portfolio nearly ninefold—to approximately 30% of expected energy needs—and strengthening its energy resilience.

The Uklon service launched the Uklon Store, signed an agreement to acquire E-wings, and conducted Ukraine’s first real-time testing of autonomous vehicles.

The group also signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Economy to explore the possibility of establishing an AI-ready data center, as well as a memorandum with the National Securities and Stock Market Commission of Ukraine to examine the possibility of providing domestic investors with access to the group’s Nasdaq-listed shares through established brokerage channels.

As reported, in the first quarter of 2026, Kyivstar increased its EBITDA by 28.5% to 7.5 billion UAH, while revenue grew by 31.3% to 13.9 billion UAH
In 2025, the company increased its EBITDA by 30% to 27 billion UAH, with revenue growing by 30.3% to 48.2 billion UAH; including in the fourth quarter, when EBITDA increased by 23.1% to 7.2 billion UAH, with revenue growing by 30.1% to 13.5 billion UAH.

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“Ukrtelecom” Increased EBITDA by 50% in First Half of Year

“Ukrtelecom,” the country’s largest fixed-line operator, increased its total revenue by 12.6% in the first half of 2026 compared to the same period last year—to 2.78 billion UAH, while EBITDA rose by 50% to exceed 810 million UAH, according to a company press release on Friday.

“As it has throughout the full-scale war, Ukrtelecom continues to implement its strategic approach: not merely to restore damaged networks, but to replace outdated infrastructure with modern telecom and IT equipment to implement a new optical telecom architecture and a modern IT landscape for the company,” emphasized Yuriy Kurmaz, CEO of Ukrtelecom, in the press release.

According to him, as of today, the company has over 95,000 km of fiber-optic network and is continuing a large-scale modernization of its infrastructure across the country.
It is noted that the EBITDA margin has risen to more than 29%.

The number of new connections in the residential segment increased by 81% compared to the same period last year, while the figure for small and medium-sized businesses rose by 17%.
Ukrtelecom specified that, as of the end of the first half of 2026, 1,400 medical facilities and 2,000 educational institutions were connected to the fiber-optic network. Meanwhile, revenue from fiber-optic internet services in the first half of 2026 increased by 12.5% compared to the same period last year.

Among other things, the fixed-line operator reported that revenue from commercial leases for the first six months of 2026 exceeded 320 million UAH, representing growth of more than 20% compared to the same period in 2025.
The company added that, according to survey results, the net promoter score (NPS) for new fiber-optic subscribers of the fixed-line operator in the first half of 2026 was more than 70%.

Separately, the CEO of Ukrtelecom noted that the company is simultaneously building fiber-optic networks while restoring and modernizing infrastructure damaged by hostilities in frontline regions of the Kharkiv, Sumy, Kherson, Mykolaiv, and Dnipropetrovsk regions, as well as other regions of Ukraine.
It is noted that in the first half of 2026, the company paid nearly 800 million UAH in taxes and fees to budgets at all levels.

The fixed-line operator is expected to continue investing in the development of telecommunications infrastructure.

In January–March 2026, Ukrtelecom reported a consolidated net profit of 15.46 million UAH, compared to a net loss of 652.95 million UAH for the same period in 2025.

As previously reported, in 2025, Ukrtelecom increased its consolidated net loss by 24.6% compared to 2025—to 294.87 million UAH—while its net revenue grew by 3.2%—to 4.27 billion UAH.

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ArcelorMittal increases Q2 EBITDA by 23% to $2.06 bln

ArcelorMittal, the world’s second-largest steel producer, increased EBITDA by 23% in the second quarter of 2026 compared with the first quarter, to $2.06 billion, the company said in a statement. The figure rose by 11% compared with the same period last year.

Net profit amounted to $683 million, which was 18% higher than in the previous quarter but 62% below the profit recorded in the second quarter of 2025.

Revenue increased by almost 8% quarter-on-quarter and by 5% year-on-year in the second quarter, to $16.8 billion. The main reason for the improvement was a 4.4% increase in the average steel price.

ArcelorMittal’s capital expenditure amounted to $1.1 billion in April-June. Net debt increased to $9.5 billion at the end of June, compared with $9.3 billion as of March 31.

In the second quarter, the company increased steel production by 7.5% compared with the previous three months, to 14.3 million tonnes, versus 14.4 million tonnes a year earlier. Steel shipments amounted to 13.4 million tonnes in the quarter, compared with 12.8 million tonnes in the previous quarter and 13.8 million tonnes a year earlier. Iron ore production amounted to 13.5 million tonnes during the quarter, compared with 9.7 million tonnes in the first quarter and 11.8 million tonnes a year earlier.

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Metinvest Repaid Over $1 Bln on Three Series of Bonds

Metinvest B.V. (Netherlands), the parent company of the Metinvest mining and metallurgical group, reduced its debt to $1.027 billion as of June 30, 2026, down from $2.242 billion at the end of 2021.

According to Metinvest B.V.’s annual report, released on Monday, Metinvest made significant progress in reducing its debt burden during the reporting period. As a result, total debt as of December 31, 2025, stood at $1.441 billion, a 15% decrease compared to the previous year. At the same time, the net debt-to-EBITDA ratio rose to 1.4x, an increase of 0.4x compared to the previous year.

It is noted that bonds listed on the Euronext Dublin stock exchange continued to constitute the bulk of the group’s capital structure—representing 88% of the debt portfolio, compared to 85% as of December 31, 2024.
Metinvest continued to actively manage its debt obligations. In the first half of 2025, the issued Senior Notes totaling EUR300 million were fully repaid upon maturity. As a result, the total amount of debt repaid since the beginning of 2022 reached $801 million.

In addition, it is noted that the overall reduction in debt during this period was driven by the full and timely repayment of senior bonds (two series); liability management measures, including cash tender offers and private repurchases; scheduled repayment of bank loans; a reduction in reliance on short-term trade finance; and the optimization of lease assets. These results were achieved despite the war and the loss of operational control over certain Ukrainian assets.

In parallel with measures to reduce its debt burden, Metinvest continued to secure targeted financing to support its operations and investment priorities. Specifically, in July 2025, a 11.5-year buyer’s credit facility in the amount of EUR23.6 million was secured for Northern GOK to finance the purchase of equipment for a project to thicken tailings. This credit line, guaranteed by the Finnish export credit agency Finnvera, marked Metinvest’s first instance of securing long-term financing for capital expenditures in Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion.

In addition, in April 2026, the group successfully completed the redemption of bonds maturing in 2026, marking another important milestone amid the ongoing war. To date, Metinvest has fully repaid three separate bond series, with total payments on these instruments exceeding $1 billion. These results were achieved despite the challenges of full-scale war, the loss of control over certain Ukrainian assets, and ongoing operational difficulties. At the same time, no debt has been restructured since the start of the war. According to pro forma figures, taking into account the redemption of the 2026 bonds, the group’s net debt-to-EBITDA ratio was less than 1x, the report notes.

As previously reported, Metinvest’s EBITDA in 2025 decreased by 24.2% compared to 2024—to $765 million from $1.009 billion. The year ended with a net loss of $191 million, compared to a net loss of $1.152 billion in 2024. Revenue decreased by 6% to $7.242 billion. At the same time, revenue from the mining segment fell by 25% year-over-year to $2.135 billion due to the absence of coking coal concentrate sales and a decline in iron ore product sales (by 11%). The segment’s contribution to total revenue was 29% (a decrease of 8 percentage points year-over-year).

In 2025, revenue from the metallurgical segment increased by 6% year-over-year to $5.107 billion, primarily due to growth in sales of finished products, semi-finished products (up 4% and 7%, respectively), and other products and services (up 40%). Meanwhile, coke sales fell by 20% year-over-year. This segment accounted for 71% of total revenue in the reporting period (an increase of 8 percentage points year-over-year).

For the year, the group posted an operating profit of $319 million, compared to an operating loss of $858 million in 2024.
At the time, Metinvest CEO Yuriy Ryzhenkov noted in his comments that the full-scale war continues to test both the nation and the group, which remains steadfast.

Metinvest is a vertically integrated group of mining and metallurgical enterprises. Its facilities are located in Ukraine—in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Dnipropetrovsk regions—as well as in the European Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The holding company’s main shareholders are the SCM Group (71.24%) and Smart Holding (23.76%). Metinvest Holding LLC is the management company of the Metinvest Group.

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“Ukrposhta” Turned Profit in First Half of 2026

The national postal operator, JSC “Ukrposhta,” reported a pre-tax profit of 122 million UAH in the first half of 2026, compared to a pre-tax loss of 318.8 million UAH during the same period last year and a pre-tax loss of 204.8 million UAH in the first quarter of this year.

“Operating profit (EBITDA)—which excludes the sale of assets, depreciation, and exchange rate fluctuations—amounted to 293 million UAH, nearly six times the target,” wrote the company’s CEO, Ihor Smilianskyi, on Facebook.

In the first half of 2025, EBITDA was negative at 100 million UAH, whereas in the first quarter of this year it turned positive at 25.4 million UAH.

“And we achieved this result despite the injuries and deaths of our employees, the loss of hundreds of new vehicles, damage to and loss of sorting centers, and daily attacks on our branches,” the company’s CEO emphasized.

According to him, the company’s capital as of mid-year exceeded 2.3 billion UAH, compared to 2.2 billion UAH at the beginning of the year.

It is noted that year-over-year growth in the number of packages in June 2026 ranged from 12% to 17%.

“Year-over-year growth in the number of packages in June 2026 ranged from 12% to 17%, depending on the segment, which indicates growing customer confidence,” the CEO emphasized.

Among other achievements, he highlighted a 98% on-time delivery rate, a ranking among the top three global postal operators in terms of international delivery quality, and a market share of over 50% in Ukraine’s highly competitive international shipping market.

“We launched ‘Ukrposhta.Apteka’ nationwide and, for the first time in Ukraine’s history, made it possible to pay by bank card in 100% of populated areas,” Smiliansky added.

The rest of the performance metrics for the first half of the year are not yet available.

The day before, Smiliansky announced the expansion of the network of express parcel lockers. Specifically, the service has been launched in the Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk regions. Installation has also begun in the frontline regions of Kharkiv, Sumy, and Poltava. Previously, such postal kiosks had already been opened in Odesa, Vinnytsia, Khmelnytskyi, Mykolaiv, Kyiv (122 branches), Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, and Kropyvnytskyi.

As reported, in January–March 2026, the company posted a net loss of 204.8 million UAH, which is 1.1 million UAH, or 0.5%, more than in the same period of 2025, while its revenue grew by 1.1% to 13 billion 118.42 billion UAH.

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“Kyivstar” is considering pilot bond offering on Ukrainian market

Kyivstar, Ukraine’s largest telecommunications operator, is considering a pilot bond offering on the Ukrainian market, the company’s President and CEO Oleksandr Komarov announced at the “UP 100 Business” event in Kyiv on the evening of June 17, dedicated to the 20th anniversary of “Ekonomichna Pravda.”

“We have a functioning business with fairly solid metrics. I feel that if we need financing in hryvnia or foreign currency, there are bond instruments that we plan to try in the near future. I see this opportunity and don’t see any obstacles,” Komarov noted.

He recalled that at one point in its history, Kyivstar was “approximately $250 million in debt” and successfully and promptly fulfilled all its obligations.

According to him, the company has never taken out loans secured by its assets, only against its working capital.

Komarov added that an instrument such as bonds could enable Kyivstar to implement a strategy of independence from its current liquidity levels.

He also expressed the view that “something positive is happening at the (National) Securities Commission” right now.

“I hope there will be some degree of legalization, and that new, simplified mechanisms for raising capital will be created. In other words, it seems to me that, despite the very difficult environment, we are gradually moving in the right direction,” said the president of Kyivstar on the day a bill was submitted to the Verkhovna Rada to simplify the registration of private share offerings.

As reported, Kyivstar increased its consolidated EBITDA by 28.5% in the first quarter of 2026—to 7.5 billion UAH—while revenue grew by 31.3%—to 13.9 billion UAH.

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