Over the course of a year since the launch of the Open Agri platform, the Kernel agricultural holding has attracted approximately 480 small and medium-sized agricultural producers who cultivate more than 255,000 hectares of land; the amount of financing secured through the project has exceeded $16 million, the holding’s press service told the Interfax-Ukraine news agency.
“Today, farmers need more than just a buyer for their harvest; they need a strong partner who can help optimize costs and minimize risks. At Open Agri, we have combined expertise, financing, and legal protection, as well as practical services for farm development,” the press service quoted Open Agri project manager Igor Kotsel as saying.
It is noted that platform participants gain access to agronomic expertise, laboratory testing, legal and accounting support, as well as financing programs for future harvests.
According to reports, more than 120 farms have already conducted soil analyses and received customized nutrient maps.
“Kernel” plans to expand the project and increase the number of partner farms by the end of 2026, the press release states.
Open Agri is a platform for the company’s collaboration with small and medium-sized agricultural producers.
Kernel previously reported that it has invested 1 billion hryvnia in the development of Ukrainian communities over the past four years. Specifically, as part of the “My Community: Together with Kernel” program, 67 local initiatives have been funded over two years with more than 10 million hryvnia.
Kernel Agricultural Holding is the world’s largest producer and exporter of sunflower oil, Ukraine’s largest grain exporter, the operator of an extensive network of logistics assets, and a leading producer of grains and oilseeds in Ukraine. It is one of the largest producers and sellers of bottled oil in Ukraine. It is engaged in the cultivation and sale of agricultural products.
According to results for the first nine months of fiscal year 2026 (July 2025–March 2026), Kernel’s net profit decreased by 5% to $208 million, while its revenue increased by 0.4% to $3.092 billion, and EBITDA rose by 1% to $403 million.
AGRICULTURAL PRODUCERS, FARMERS, FINANCING, KERNEL, Open Agri
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.
State-owned Oschadbank increased the loan portfolio of the MHP group of companies by UAH 500 million by providing a blanket credit line to replenish working capital, the financial institution announced on Wednesday.
According to a press release from the bank, taking into account the new financing, the total amount of funds provided to MHP under the general credit agreement exceeded UAH 2.66 billion.
“For companies demonstrating a high level of financial management, Oschadbank is ready to offer not only large credit lines but also flexible financing instruments without collateral,” said Serhiy Chernikov, director of the bank’s corporate business department.
It is noted that the new unsecured credit line will enable the company to finance its current operations, maintain production cycles, and fulfill its obligations to partners.
As reported, Oschadbank’s loan portfolio for the first quarter of 2026 increased by 2.5%, or by 3.14 billion UAH, to 130.59 billion UAH; specifically, loans to legal entities rose by 1.9% to 102.74 billion UAH.
According to the National Bank, as of April 1, 2026, the state-owned bank, with net assets of UAH 500.9 billion, ranked second among the country’s 58 banks.
MHP is the largest poultry producer in Ukraine and also produces grains, oil, and meat products. The agricultural holding’s production facilities are located in Ukraine and the countries of Southeast Europe.
On April 17, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) approved a EUR25 million long-term loan for the Rozetka corporate group, specifically EUR20 million for Rozetka.ua LLC in Ukraine and EUR5 million for Rozetka EU LLC in Poland, according to the financial institution’s materials.
As noted, EUR10 million of this amount is earmarked for financing the working capital of the group’s Ukrainian and Polish operations, and the bank may provide up to an additional EUR15 million for working capital and potential capital investments in Ukraine and Poland.
The project will receive partial first-loss risk coverage from the European Union under the Ukraine Investment Facility (UIF), which supports “green” investments in key economic sectors and promotes recovery during the war.
According to the bank’s assessment, the project will also contribute to the reintegration of veterans and other vulnerable groups, while the “green” component of the financing involves the purchase of energy-efficient household appliances.
The loan will provide the Rozetka Group with longer-term financing not available on the local market, support the early-stage development of its Polish operations, and help strengthen HR policies, skills development, and women’s participation in the company.
As reported with reference to YouControl, companies within the Rozetka corporate group generated a total of UAH 30.2 billion in revenue from January to September 2025, accounting for 76% of the total revenue of the 10 largest online retailers.
Rozetka was founded in 2005 in Kyiv by Vladislav and Irina Chechotkin. Later, a fund managed by Horizon Capital became a co-owner of the company. Currently, the company operates as a multi-category online marketplace and is developing a network of its own stores.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has set records for financing Ukraine for the second year in a row: in 2025, it amounted to EUR2.9 billion after EUR2.4 billion in 2024, according to a press release from the bank on Thursday.
“Energy security accounted for more than €1.2 billion of EBRD financing to Ukraine in 2025… And for the second year in a row, more than 90% of projects and 57% of its investments were directed to the private sector,” the information notes.
According to the press release, in 2025, the EBRD allocated a record EUR 1.2 billion through partner financial institutions in Ukraine, including EUR 550 million under the Trade Facilitation Program.
The bank also provided EUR 504 million under portfolio risk-sharing programs, which provided new lending by Ukrainian partner financial institutions in the amount of up to EUR 1.6 billion.
In total, since 2022, these programs have enabled more than EUR 2.4 billion in new lending through 30,000 sub-loans to Ukrainian businesses, mainly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
In addition, the bank has focused on supporting skills development and employment in Ukraine, enabling partner financial institutions to develop specialized lending products that mobilize financing for veterans and veteran-owned businesses.
As EBRD First Vice President Gregory Hayett, who was visiting Kyiv this week, told reporters, the issue of personnel and their quality currently appears to be the most important for companies, even more so than ensuring their electricity supply.
In 2025, as part of programs with partner banks, the EBRD supported 111 sub-loans totaling EUR 12.2 million for the reintegration of veterans.
According to EBRD calculations, it is the largest provider of risk-sharing services for loan portfolios outside of government programs.
The EBRD stressed that the increase in funding for Ukraine was made possible by additional forms of financing and assistance from partners. In 2025, this included significant donor grants and trade financing amounting to EUR 600 million, while the EBRD’s core investments reached a record EUR 2.3 billion.
According to the release, since the start of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine in February 2022, the bank has allocated EUR 9.1 billion to the country, including nearly EUR 3.3 billion for energy security.
During this time, the EBRD mobilized EUR 3.4 billion in donor funds for Ukraine, including unfunded guarantees, of which EUR 904 million in secured financing was signed in 2025.
An additional EUR 20 million was mobilized in 2025 through multilateral donor funds, enabling investment in a variety of projects across the country, the EBRD noted.
“We will continue to support Ukraine and are already working with the government to lay the groundwork for reconstruction,” EBRD President Odile Renaud-Basso said in the release.
According to him, the bank will continue to provide Ukraine with at least EUR 1.5 billion per year during the war, with the possibility of further increases once reconstruction begins. These intentions are backed by a 2023 agreement to increase the EBRD’s paid-in capital by EUR 4 billion, which provides support to Ukraine. The capital increase has already been 95% completed.
The release also notes that, in addition to financing, the EBRD continues to support Ukraine’s reform efforts and preparations for the effective absorption of the huge amount of financing that the recovery is expected to bring. To this end, the bank is involved in project preparation, including the multinational Ukraine FIRST initiative announced in 2025, which aims to accelerate the restoration of Ukraine’s critical infrastructure by optimising and coordinating the preparation of large-scale projects.
Overall, in 2025, the bank’s annual investments in all EBRD regions increased to EUR16.8 billion, also a record, from EUR16.6 billion in 2024. The bank’s full financial results are expected to be announced in the spring.
The EBRD was established in 1991. According to data at the end of 2024, during its operation, the financial institution approved 624 projects for Ukraine worth EUR22.15 billion, of which EUR14.14 billion was disbursed. The current portfolio at the end of 2024 consisted of 241 projects worth EUR6.13 billion.
Bulgaria, Greece, and Romania have agreed to prepare a joint application for European funding for a high-speed railway line along the “Western Axis” Athens-Thessaloniki-Sofia-Bucharest, according to the Bulgarian publication Sega.
According to the publication, the initiative was discussed at a meeting between representatives of the three countries and the European Commission in the context of the development of the North-South transport corridor, which is intended to connect the Baltic, Black and Aegean Seas. The meeting was hosted by Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Grozdan Karadzhov.
Greek Transport Minister Konstantinos Kiranakis said that by 2027, it is planned to provide high-quality passenger rail service between Thessaloniki and Sofia, while the Bulgarian side recalled that rail service on this route was interrupted in 2017.
Karadzhov also noted that the countries intend to synchronize planning, design, and permitting procedures to avoid delays and bureaucratic obstacles. Among Bulgaria’s priorities, he highlighted the acceleration of the project for a new bridge across the Danube between Ruse and Giurgiu, as well as the preparation of projects for new bridges in the Nikopol-Turnu Măgurele and Silistra-Kelerashi areas; the restoration of ferry connections on the Danube, including the Ruse-Giurgiu line, was also mentioned.
According to Sega, Romanian Transport Ministry representative Ionut Cristian Savoiu named among Romania’s priorities the modernization of the existing Giurgiu-Ruse bridge, the construction of a new Danube bridge, and the development of road and rail lines, as well as improvements on the Vidin – Calafat – Craiova section for better connectivity with Ukraine and Moldova.
