Business news from Ukraine

Business news from Ukraine

Lending to Ukraine’s agricultural sector increased by 25 bln hryvnia over past year

As of August 24, the volume of lending to Ukraine’s agricultural sector had increased by 25 billion hryvnias compared to the same date in 2025—reaching 105 billion hryvnias, Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Taras Vysotsky announced at a briefing on Friday.

“An additional 2 billion hryvnias in loans were issued over the past week. Overall, looking at the total as of today, the figure stands at 105 billion hryvnias as of August 24. This is 25 billion more than on the same date last year. Lending options are expanding,” he said.

As previously reported, according to Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 1012 dated August 13, 2026, agricultural producers are now able to obtain preferential loans under the government’s “5-7-9%” program for up to 90 million hryvnias to finance their operations, without the requirement that the funds be used for investment purposes.

Previously, loans to replenish working capital were capped at 5 million hryvnia.

As reported, the Ukrainian Maritime Corridor ceased operations on July 22 following enemy attacks. Farmers appealed to the government for assistance due to a sharp drop in market prices, difficulties with exporting their products, and the need for additional funds for storage.

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Agricultural enterprises have raised 46.3 bln UAH under “5-7-9%” program since beginning of year

Since the beginning of the year, 6,864 agricultural enterprises have raised 46.29 billion UAH under the state program “Affordable Loans 5-7-9%,” according to the press service of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine.

The program was most actively utilized in the Odesa (6.14 billion UAH for 817 agricultural enterprises), Kyiv (4.49 billion UAH for 577 agricultural enterprises), Kirovohrad (4.26 billion UAH for 817 agricultural enterprises), Vinnytsia (4.12 billion UAH for 731 agricultural enterprises), and Kharkiv (3.17 billion UAH for 402 agricultural enterprises) regions.

In total, since the beginning of the year, 11,887 agricultural enterprises have secured over 105.63 billion UAH in loan funds through all financing programs.

In 2025, 15,574 agricultural enterprises received 131.47 billion UAH in bank loans for development.

Under the state program “Affordable Loans 5-7-9%,” 7,978 farms were financed in the amount of 53.76 billion UAH.

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UIAK will issue five-year bonds bearing 25% annual interest in first year

Ukrainian Investment and Analytical Company LLC (UIAC, Dnipro), which is engaged in automobile sales and financial leasing and is part of the non-bank financial group “Planetgroup,” has registered its debut public offering of five-year bonds with an annual offering of 50 million UAH.

According to the offering prospectus on the company’s website, the bonds have a face value of 1,000 UAH, an interest rate of 25% per annum in the first year of circulation, and quarterly coupon payments; for subsequent years, the rate will be determined separately within the range of 5–35% per annum.
The bond offering is scheduled to take place from August 25 to September 8 of this year through the PFTS stock exchange. The underwriter is the investment firm “Univer Capital” (both based in Kyiv).

“100% of the total funds raised (up to 50 million UAH) will be used to expand the leasing portfolio, increase the volume of financial leasing services, and optimize the financing structure,” the prospectus states regarding the purpose of the fundraising.
In the first half of this year, UIAK increased its revenue by 39.6% to 29.78 million UAH and its net profit by 41.5% to 3.09 million UAH.

Its total assets have grown by 27.6% since the beginning of the year—to 34.72 million UAH—and its equity has increased by 14.7%—to 24.14 million UAH.
Last year, UIAK increased its revenue nearly 2.9-fold to 40.68 million UAH and maintained a net profit of 3.02 million UAH.

According to the prospectus, revenue is projected to reach 50 million UAH in 2026 and 52.8 million UAH the following year, while net profit is projected to be 5.0 million UAH and 5.4 million UAH, respectively. In 2030, these figures are expected to rise to 58.8 million UAH and 6.3 million UAH, respectively, while assets are projected to reach 61.0 million UAH and equity is expected to reach 48.6 million UAH.

In the summer of 2025, the company secured a one-year revolving credit line from A-Bank in the amount of 1.38 million UAH at an annual interest rate of 18.9% to replenish working capital.
Andriy Kovtun and Tetiana Yagupova are the co-owners of UIAK. Kovtun is also the controlling shareholder of “Planetgroup,” which also includes “AK Plus” LLC and “Avtokredit Plus” LLC.

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PrivatBank and Limagrain Launch Financing Programs for Farmers

State-owned PrivatBank and Limagrain, one of the world’s largest seed companies, have launched two partnership financing programs for agricultural producers ahead of the fall planting season, the bank’s press service reported.

“We are expanding financing options and offering farmers new tools that are more effective and convenient, given the specific nature of agricultural production,” the press service quoted Mykhailo Kovalov, head of PrivatBank’s Department of Documentary Operations and Trade Finance, as saying.
According to the announcement, farmers can take advantage of a working capital financing program to purchase seeds and a promissory note program, which allows for flexible payment planning and optimizes the financial burden on the farm.

The bank noted that both programs offer preferential financing terms as well as a simplified application process.
For more details on the loan terms, please contact Limagrain Ukraine managers or visit your nearest PrivatBank branch.

Limagrain—a seed company founded by farmers in France over 50 years ago—ranks fourth in the global seed industry. The company has been operating in Ukraine since 2008. The main crops it breeds include corn, sunflower, rapeseed, spring and winter wheat, and spring and winter barley (for feed and brewing). The company’s global network of branches spans 56 countries. Each year, the company invests approximately 14% of its revenue in research.

PrivatBank is Ukraine’s largest bank. According to the National Bank, the financial institution’s total assets as of June 1, 2026, amounted to 965.11 billion UAH (22.7% of the total).
The state-owned bank noted that, according to regular Brand Health Tracking surveys for the first quarter of 2026, the level of trust in it is higher than that of other financial institutions on the market and stands at 49%. The bank attributes this to the availability of accessible, personalized, and digitized products for its customers.

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Ferrexpo Continues Preparations to Raise at Least $100 Mln

Ferrexpo plc, a mining and ore company with its main assets in Ukraine, continues to focus on managing its costs and optimizing its sales structure to maximize its working capital.

According to a company statement released ahead of its annual general meeting on Monday, the group continues to operate under severely constrained conditions due to the war in Ukraine and related operational and financial difficulties.

At the same time, the statement notes that despite significant disruptions in the operating environment in Ukraine, the group continues to operate one of its four pellet production lines and export its products to customers in Europe and the Middle East.

As previously announced, the group decided to sell its own transshipment vessel, the Iron Destiny, for which it received a net profit of $7.7 million. Based on current production rates, current and projected energy prices for the next quarter, and taking into account an optimized sales mix, the group now forecasts that it will have sufficient net available cash—excluding funds frozen at Mbaer Bank—beyond the previously stated end of August 2026.

“This assessment remains subject to the volatility of iron ore prices and operating expenses (including energy costs) and assumes that there will be no significant changes in the Group’s operating conditions—including electricity supply—and that no restrictive measures will be taken by the insolvency administrator at Poltava Mining and Processing Plant (PGZK), and that there will be no final, non-appealable negative outcomes in the various judicial and administrative proceedings currently pending against the group,” the statement said.

In addition, it is noted that the group continues to actively pursue initiatives to enable it to begin raising equity capital in the amount of at least $100 million. As noted in the company’s previous announcements, the group remains confident that raising equity capital is the most viable solution within the required timeframe.

“At this stage, there is no certainty that the group will successfully complete such financing options. If the issues regarding the withholding of VAT refunds and financing are not resolved in a timely manner, this could lead to significant negative consequences for the group. The planned capital raise, if implemented, will be the subject of a further announcement, including the full terms of the planned capital raise,” the press release states.

The company plans to release its production report for the second quarter of 2026 on July 15 of this year.

As previously reported, Ferrexpo plc announced that it will hold its annual shareholders’ meeting on June 29 of this year. The total number of shares whose holders are entitled to vote at the meeting is 598,137,142 ordinary shares. Only one class of shares is outstanding, and each share carries one vote; therefore, the total number of voting rights that can be exercised at the meeting is 598,137,142.

Lucio Genovese, the company’s interim acting chairman, explained that voting on all resolutions will be conducted by poll, and the voting results will be announced through the Regulatory Information Service and published on the group’s website as soon as possible after the general meeting.

Genovese reiterated that the company aims to raise at least $100 million, which is needed to finance Ferrexpo Group’s operations over the next 18 months. The Group’s operations have been significantly impacted since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, leading to a reduction in operational activities and periods of complete suspension of operations. This has had a material impact on the Group’s revenue.

In addition, the decision by Ukraine’s tax authorities to suspend VAT refunds effective March 2025, amounting to approximately $90 million, has further significantly impacted the group’s liquidity. The company intends to complete the equity offering as soon as possible and is actively working toward this goal. However, it is not yet in a position to officially launch the equity offering.

“Until the equity offering is ready to launch, the company cannot publish its audited financial results for the year ended December 31, 2025, on a going-concern basis, as the company and its auditors require sufficient assurance regarding the commencement and successful completion of the equity offering before signing off on the financial statements. Due to the delay in the equity offering and given the dependence on the commencement of the equity offering for the publication of the audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2025, on a going-concern basis, the company is unable to finalize the audited annual report and financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2025, but is committed to doing so as soon as possible,” the acting CEO stated in his address.

According to him, this annual shareholders’ meeting is being held solely to address routine matters, namely the reelection of directors and the renewal of authorizations granted to conduct market purchases of the company’s own shares and to convene annual shareholders’ meetings. All directors will step down at the 2026 general meeting of shareholders and will seek re-election by the shareholders, with the exception of Mr. Vitaliy Lisovenko, who, as previously announced, will resign from the company’s board of directors upon the conclusion of the general meeting.

According to the information, the meeting will propose, among other things, the re-election of Stuart Brown, Mykola Kladiev, Lucio Genovese, and Fiona Macaulay as members of the board of directors.

As previously reported, Ferrexpo has delayed the publication of its audited report for 2025.

It was also reported that the London Stock Exchange (LSE) suspended trading in Ferrexpo shares, while the company twice warned shareholders in the second half of April about the suspension of its listing and trading due to its inability to publish its annual financial statements on time. Most recently, on April 28, Ferrexpo noted that it had received indicative, non-binding expressions of interest from institutional investors regarding a potential capital raise of more than $100 million—on which the publication of the report also depends—but that it would not be able to complete this by the end of April.

Ferrexpo owns a 100% stake in Yeristivsky GZK LLC, a 99.9% stake in Bilanivsky GZK LLC, and 100% of the shares in Poltava GZK PJSC.

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“Kernel” has brought approximately 480 agricultural producers onto Open Agri

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.

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