Business news from Ukraine

Business news from Ukraine

EBRD to consider loan and guarantees for Bank Lviv worth over EUR70 mln

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) may provide Bank Lviv with an unsecured loan in hryvnia for up to EUR 40 million and guarantees for EUR 31.5 million to cover the credit risk on new loans to the Ukrainian bank for a total amount equivalent to EUR 45 million.

According to the EBRD website, its Board of Directors plans to consider the relevant projects at its meeting on October 22 this year.
According to published materials, the loan is planned to be provided in four equal tranches of EUR 10 million each. It will consist of two components: at least 75% under the EBRD’s Resilience and Livelihoods Program and up to 25% under the EU4Business-EBRD Credit Line with incentives to finance long-term capital investments by MSMEs.

As for the guarantee project, unlike most similar projects with larger banks, it covers 70% of the risk, rather than the usual 50%. It is noted that the mechanism will include two sub-limits with a covered portfolio: EUR 36 million under the Sustainability and Livelihoods Guarantee product and EUR 9 million under the EU4Business-EBRD credit line with incentives.

The EBRD notes that Bank Lviv is a regional bank focused on MSMEs operating in western Ukraine, with total assets of EUR 333 million (0.5% of the market, ranked 23rd among 60 banks) and a loan portfolio (mainly SMEs) of approximately EUR 212 million as of the end of the second quarter of 2025 (1.2% of the market). Bank Lviv has its head office in Lviv and 20 branches.

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Ukrposhta purchased 160 new vehicles with EBRD funds

The national postal operator Ukrposhta has purchased 160 new vehicles to improve its logistics using credit funds from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), which will reduce the average age of its fleet, currently 17-18 years, by five years, according to the company’s CEO Ihor Smelyansky.

“Thanks to our partners at the EBRD, Ukrposhta has updated its fleet with 160 new vehicles (modern MAN and Iveco) for efficient logistics and to compensate for vehicles lost under shelling,” he wrote on Telegram on Thursday.

It is noted that 100 MAN vehicles (5 tons) are intended for interregional transportation, restoring logistics links between transport hubs damaged by the war, while 60 Iveco vehicles (20 tons) are intended for large interregional transportation.

As Smelyansky clarified, the first 11 vehicles are already operating on routes, delivering humanitarian and commercial cargo, and the rest will be delivered by the end of this year.

“This is a continuation of the large-scale upgrade that started last year: at that time, Ukrposhta received 250 Citroën Jumpers,” Smelyansky emphasized.

The CEO also added that since the start of the full-scale invasion, the enemy has caused more than UAH 2.5 billion in damage to the company’s infrastructure.

In its latest report, Ukrposhta said that as of June 30, 2025, EUR 42.5 million had been received under a loan agreement with the EBRD, and EUR 14.81 million had been repaid.

According to the report, as of June 30, 2025, the company had breached the financial covenants under the loan agreement with the EBRD, but at the company’s request, the bank waived the requirement to comply with the covenants for 2025.

In the first half of 2025, Ukrposhta increased its revenue by 5.4% compared to the same period last year, to UAH 6 billion 505.0 million, reducing its net loss by 27.2% to UAH 311.8 million.

 

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EBRD provides EUR11 mln loan for new Karpatski Mineralni Vody plant

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) will provide a long-term secured loan of EUR11 million to Karpatski Mineralni Vody LLC (KMV) from the group of the same name to finance the construction and commissioning of a new beverage production plant with an effective capacity of 200 million bottles per year in the Lviv region.

“The use of modern equipment at the new plant will significantly increase resource efficiency compared to the existing plant. The project will increase the Group’s competitiveness, production efficiency, and environmental performance,” the bank said on its website.

According to the information, the EBRD Board of Directors approved the loan on August 5, and the next step will be the signing of the necessary documents.
It is noted that the total cost of the project is EUR24 million.

KMV LLC is a manufacturing company of the KMV Group, one of Ukraine’s leading producers of non-alcoholic beverages, producing mineral water, flavored mineral water, other non-alcoholic and energy drinks, as well as snacks, the EBRD noted.

According to the project, the group will have to conduct a comprehensive hydrogeological study during the first three years of operation to assess the permissible volume of water intake for the future, as well as ensure automatic monitoring of water intake and groundwater levels at its wells.

The project provides for a first loss guarantee provided by the European Union through the Ukraine Investment Framework (UIF), and the costs of external pre-investment legal and environmental and social analysis will be partially covered by the Japan-EBRD Cooperation Fund.

In addition, KMV is expected to receive a grant under the EBRD’s Human Capital Investment Incentive (HCII) program to cover up to 50% of eligible costs related to improving workplace accessibility and upgrading equipment and infrastructure. It is expected that the grant funds will be allocated from the Japan-EBRD Cooperation Fund or provided by a Taiwanese donor. The project is also expected to receive a FINTECC grant under the EU4Climate program for the purchase of energy-efficient bottling equipment.

According to data from YouControl, KMV LLC increased its revenue by almost 2.3 times in the first half of 2025, to UAH 277.20 million, and its net profit by 8.2 times, to UAH 140.69 million.
The beneficiaries of the company are listed as Serhiy Petrovych and Petro Ivanovych Ustenko, who own 83.77% and 16.23%, respectively.

The revenue of Serhiy Ustenko’s KMV Trading House LLC for the first half of this year increased by 18.5% to UAH 1 billion 71.47 million, while net profit decreased 2.4 times to UAH 61.17 million.

According to the Karpatski Mineralni Vody website, the company began operating in the mineral water market in 1996 with the first bottling of Karpatskaya Dzherelna natural mineral table water, and in June 2002, it was reorganized into a plant for the production of mineral water and non-alcoholic beverages, Karpatski Mineralni Vody. In 2002, the company began producing sweet carbonated beverages under the TM “Fruktova Dzherelna” and TM ‘Sokovinka’ brands, and in 2016, the energy drink TM “Dragon”.

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EBRD to provide Ukreximbank with a EUR100 million guarantee for business lending

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) will provide a risk-sharing guarantee without pre-financing to the state-owned Ukreximbank in order to expand financing and provide new loans to Ukrainian businesses in the amount of EUR100 million.

As stated on the EBRD website, whose board of directors approved the relevant project on September 9, it will cover up to 50% of the credit risk.

According to the published information, the guarantee will be provided in two equal tranches, with the second tranche currently without obligations.

It is noted that up to EUR 20 million of sub-loans with risk sharing will be directed to finance long-term investments by SMEs under the EU4Business-EBRD Credit Line with incentives, which will allow financing long-term capital investments by SMEs to upgrade their technologies and equipment to EU standards, including investments in sustainable and green technologies (at least 70% of the sub-limit).

Eligible sub-borrowers will also receive EU-funded technical assistance and grant support in the form of investment incentives upon completion of their investment projects.

Ukreximbank is the third largest bank in Ukraine in terms of total assets as of mid-year – UAH 318.6 billion (8.3% of the system’s total assets).

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EBRD to provide EUR200 mln guarantee for business lending through Raiffeisen Bank

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is providing a risk-sharing guarantee without upfront financing to Raiffeisen Bank to expand financing and provide new loans to Ukrainian businesses in the amount of EUR200 million. The relevant agreement was signed in London on September 9.

“The EBRD instrument will cover up to 50% of Raiffeisen Bank’s credit risk under new financing agreements for businesses operating in Ukraine. Under this mechanism, the bank will provide sub-loans to companies operating in critical sectors of the economy, such as agriculture, industrial production, pharmaceuticals, transport, and logistics,” the Ukrainian bank said in a press release on Wednesday.

According to the press release, this is already the fourth such risk-sharing agreement concluded by the EBRD with Raiffeisen Bank.

It is noted that 20% of the sub-loans covered by the EBRD guarantee will be provided to MSMEs for long-term investments in EU-compliant technologies and green technologies, strengthening the competitiveness of such enterprises in domestic and foreign markets.

Sub-borrowers who meet the conditions will also be able to receive EU-funded technical support and investment incentives, such as grants to complete their investment projects, under the EU4Business initiative. Larger incentives will be provided to businesses and households most affected by the war (e.g., those whose assets have been destroyed, damaged, or relocated), as well as to sub-borrowers that promote the reintegration of war veterans, people with special needs, internally displaced persons, and/or enterprises located in areas most severely affected by the war.

The EBRD guarantee will be supported by partial coverage of first-loss risk received from France and the EU under the Ukraine Investment Framework.

Since the start of the full-scale Russian-Ukrainian war, the EBRD has enabled more than EUR 3 billion in financing to Ukrainian borrowers through 37 similar instruments in partnership with 12 financial institutions.

Raiffeisen Bank is the largest privately owned bank in Ukraine and the fourth largest overall, with total assets of UAH 252.23 billion (6.5% of the system’s total assets) as of mid-year.

Raiffeisen Bank was founded in 1992. According to the financial institution, 68.21% of its shares are owned by Raiffeisen Bank International AG (RBI), 30% by the EBRD, and the remaining 1.79% by minority shareholders.

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Agrotrade received €4.5 mln from Raiffeisen Bank and EBRD for seasonal needs

Agroholding Agrotrade received UAH 120 million in financing from Raiffeisen Bank as part of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) risk-sharing program, the agroholding’s press service reported on Facebook.

It is noted that these funds will be used to cover seasonal needs: payment for agricultural services, purchase of fertilizers and plant protection products, as well as preparation for a new production cycle.

In addition, the company will attract an EBRD grant under the Human Capital Investment Incentive Program. It will be used to improve working conditions for employees and will be financed by the Kingdom of the Netherlands through the EBRD’s Special Crisis Response Fund.

“This result is the culmination of a year and a half of work with the EBRD. The negotiations were not easy, as our assets are located in the northeastern regions of Ukraine, which are considered high-risk. But we have proven that we are able to work effectively in any conditions, maintaining transparency, discipline, and responsibility to our partners,” said Antin Zhdanov, Deputy CEO for Economics and Finance at Agrotrade Group, whose words are quoted in the press release.

“Our cooperation with the EBRD under the risk-sharing program makes credit financing more accessible for agricultural companies, even in frontline regions. This has a positive impact on the recovery of the economy and the agricultural sector in particular,” said Larisa Bondareva, Deputy Chair of the Board of Raiffeisen Bank.

Analyzing the advantages of the project, the agricultural holding explained that Agrotrade gained financial flexibility and was able to purchase resources for production cycles on time, Raiffeisen Bank received guarantees for part of its loan portfolio, and the EBRD implemented its strategy of supporting business in regions affected by the war.

The Agrotrade Group of Companies is a vertically integrated holding company covering the entire agro-industrial cycle (production, processing, storage, and trade in agricultural products). It cultivates over 70,000 hectares of land in the Chernihiv, Sumy, Poltava, and Kharkiv regions. Its main crops are sunflower, corn, winter wheat, soybeans, and rapeseed. It has its own network of elevators with a one-time storage capacity of 570,000 tons.

The group also produces hybrid seeds for corn, sunflower, barley, and winter wheat. In 2014, a seed plant with a capacity of 20,000 tons of seeds per year was built on the basis of the Kolos seed farm (Kharkiv region). In 2018, Agrotrade launched its own brand, Agroseeds.

The founder of Agrotrade is Vsevolod Kozhemyako.

 

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