Oschadbank has officially joined the global WE Finance Code initiative by signing a letter of intent. Participation in the program confirms the bank’s commitment to expanding financing opportunities for women-led businesses, implementing international best practices in supporting entrepreneurship, and helping to remove barriers to access to financial resources.
By signing the letter of intent, Oschadbank has committed to ensuring the systematic development of its women’s entrepreneurship support initiatives, tracking and analyzing gender-based financing metrics, and expanding specialized products and programs for women entrepreneurs. Upon completion of the transition period, the bank will report on the fulfillment of these commitments to the National Bank of Ukraine for their subsequent inclusion in the annual global reporting under the WE Finance Code.
In Ukraine, the initiative is being implemented by the Ministry of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture, the National Bank of Ukraine, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). The Ministry serves as the national coordinator for the WE Finance Code and ensures the coordination of the coalition’s activities. The WE Finance Code coalition includes banks, credit unions, leasing companies, and relevant financial sector associations, and with Oschadbank’s accession, its membership continues to grow.
Joining the WE Finance Code is a logical continuation of Oschadbank’s systematic efforts to support women’s entrepreneurship. As of the end of June 2026, the loan portfolio for women-led businesses in the micro, small, and medium-sized enterprise (MSME) segment reached 5.2 billion UAH. By comparison, at the beginning of 2022, this figure stood at 1.3 billion UAH; in other words, during the period of full-scale war, the volume of lending to women-owned businesses has quadrupled.
Today, women entrepreneurs account for 34% of Oschadbank’s MSME loan portfolio. In addition, they account for 40% of all recipients of non-repayable grants, which the bank verifies and supports as part of national and international entrepreneurship support programs.
“During the full-scale war, Oschadbank’s loan portfolio for women-led businesses has quadrupled—to 5.2 billion UAH. This is the best proof that women entrepreneurs remain one of our most dynamic client groups. We see their resilience, adaptability, and strong financial discipline even under the current extremely challenging conditions. That is precisely why we are successfully developing our own “Women’s Business” ecosystem, which offers not just financing, but comprehensive solutions for starting and scaling a business. It is a great honor for us to join the global WE Finance Code community. We are convinced that market leaders must not only implement best practices but also set the direction for development. That is why we have set an ambitious goal for ourselves—to work with other participants in the initiative to create new financial solutions that will expand opportunities for Ukrainian women entrepreneurs and promote the development of this sector in Ukraine,” — said Natalia Butkova-Vitvitska, a member of Oschadbank’s board of directors responsible for MSMEs.
An important component of this work is Oschadbank’s own “Women’s Business” ecosystem, which provides comprehensive support to women entrepreneurs. The program offers financing for startups to purchase franchises of up to 5 million UAH and for agricultural projects—up to 10 million UAH, preferential lending terms with a deferral of principal repayment for 7–9 months, competitive interest rates, fast processing of loan applications, the option to submit documents online, personalized assistance from a manager, and consulting support.
WE Finance Code is a global multilateral initiative aimed at expanding women entrepreneurs’ access to financing. Today, it is being implemented in more than 30 countries worldwide and brings together financial institutions, regulators, business associations, and international partners to develop the financial ecosystem for women’s entrepreneurship.
female entrepreneur, LOAN, MSMEs, OSCHADBANK, WE Finance Code
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is considering providing Kyiv with a loan of up to EUR 50 million to support the liquidity of the municipal utility “Kyivteploenergo” and ensure the uninterrupted provision of critical municipal services amid the war.
According to the bank’s materials, the project is scheduled to be approved on July 22, 2026.
The loan is intended to cover Kyivteploenergo’s critical liquidity needs, including operating and maintenance costs, as well as to offset temporary revenue losses and additional expenses caused by the war.
Due to war-related risks, the loan will be partially covered by a European Union (EU) guarantee for first-loss coverage under the Municipal, Infrastructure, and Industrial Resilience (MIIR) Program as part of the Investment Program for Ukraine (UIF).
The financing is intended to ensure uninterrupted heat supply to schools, kindergartens, hospitals, residential buildings, and businesses, as well as electricity generation for the city and the power grid.
The EBRD notes that the additional strain on Kyiv’s district heating system is linked, in particular, to the significant number of internally displaced persons.
The project is part of the EBRD’s “Resilience and Livelihoods” (RLF) program. It is also intended to support the development and expansion of municipal services for veterans and their families.
As previously reported, in June, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko stated that the Kyiv City Council must approve a EUR50 million EBRD loan for “Kyivteploenergo” to implement measures under the Capital’s Resilience Plan. He estimated the cost of Kyiv’s priority energy resilience measures at approximately 30 billion hryvnia.
Raiffeisen Bank has granted the “Pan Kurchak” group a 350 million hryvnia loan to rebuild a factory destroyed by a fire in 2024; 50% of the loan risk is covered by a guarantee from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) under the Extended Guarantee of the RSF Ukraine Investment Facility.
According to a correspondent for the “Interfax-Ukraine” news agency, the relevant documents were signed on the sidelines of the URC 2026 Conference on Ukraine’s Recovery, which took place in Gdańsk on June 25–26.
According to the report, the loan will be used to reconstruct the plant and install modern, energy-efficient equipment. The project is expected to strengthen the company’s position in the domestic market and enhance its operational resilience.
This is the first project to benefit from the new RSF Extended Guarantee.
As previously reported, the “Pan Kurchak” agro-industrial group was founded in 2001. It is engaged in crop cultivation, the production and sale of compound feed, broiler and pig breeding, and meat processing.
The agribusiness group includes “Western Agrarian Company” (which cultivates 16.7 thousand hectares), “Agrotechnika” LLC (which operates two compound feed mills, an oilseed processing plant, and four grain elevators), “Agidel” LLC (which maintains a parent flock of poultry with a production capacity of 32 million eggs and a broiler complex for 10,000 birds), VMP LLC (processes meat, produces sausage products and semi-finished meat products), Gubin Poultry Complex LLC (operates six farms with an annual capacity of 14 million head of poultry). All of the group’s production facilities are located in the Volyn region.
“Pan Kurchak” also operates a chain of branded stores called “M’yasna Tochka” and “Smarty” (Ukrainian Retail Networks LLC).
According to the Unified State Register of Legal Entities and Individual Entrepreneurs, the group is owned by Serhiy and Ivanna Martyniak.
As of the end of June, state-owned Oschadbank had formed a pipeline of 32 municipal projects with a total value of EUR74 million, according to Natalia Butkova-Vitvitska, a member of the bank’s board responsible for micro, small, and medium-sized businesses, during the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC 2026) in Gdańsk.
Of these, 26 projects are planned for small towns and villages in the small and medium-sized business segment, while another six are for large regional centers in the corporate segment.
The projects focus, in particular, on modernizing water supply and wastewater systems, upgrading public transportation and municipal infrastructure, improving the energy efficiency of buildings, restoring social facilities, and strengthening the energy resilience of communities.
According to Butkova-Vitvitskaya, one of the main constraints on municipal financing remains the inadequate preparation of projects. Communities need technical assistance in developing feasibility studies, conducting energy audits, assessing ESG risks, and preparing projects for bank financing.
She believes that international risk-sharing mechanisms for infrastructure and energy projects should be designed for a term of at least 10 years, while financing for communities should be available for up to 20 years.
Among other necessary measures, the Oschadbank representative cited the simplification of procurement procedures, the expansion of grant programs, the provision of guarantees by the government and international financial organizations, and training for municipal teams.
According to the bank, about 1,000 of more than 1,400 Ukrainian communities are creditworthy. The total volume of municipal borrowing in recent years has reached nearly EUR2.7 billion, of which EUR1.1 billion came from the domestic market and over EUR1.6 billion from international financial organizations.
Oschadbank estimates its share of the municipal lending market at approximately 39%.
According to the National Bank, as of May 1, 2026, Oschadbank, with total assets of 534.47 billion UAH, ranked second among the country’s 58 solvent banks.
Kredobank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) signed two risk-sharing agreements during the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC 2026) in Gdańsk for new loan portfolios to Ukrainian businesses totaling EUR100 million, the Ukrainian bank’s press service reported.
“The additional EUR100 million from the EBRD will allow Kredobank to expand lending to Ukrainian companies not only in the small and medium-sized business sector but also in the corporate segment,” the press release quoted Jakub Karnowski, the bank’s chairman of the board, as saying.
One of the agreements covers a EUR60 million loan portfolio for small and medium-sized enterprises with annual revenue of up to EUR50 million and up to 250 employees.
It is being implemented under two programs: the EBRD’s “Resilience and Livelihoods Guarantee” (RLG) and the program to support the competitiveness and inclusion of small and medium-sized enterprises in the EU’s Eastern Partnership countries.
Under the RLG, the EBRD’s share of risk-sharing will be up to 70%, and the term of the guarantee coverage will be five years.
The program to support the competitiveness and inclusion of small and medium-sized enterprises in the EU’s Eastern Partnership countries enables Kredobank’s clients to receive grant support of up to 30% for investment projects that meet the EBRD’s requirements.
The EUR60 million agreement also provides for the use of the Enterprise Security Enhancement (ESE) mechanism, which will allow Kredobank to partially write off the debt of companies whose assets were damaged as a result of the war.
Under the second agreement, implemented through the RLG program, a EUR40 million loan portfolio is provided for large companies with no restrictions on revenue or number of employees. The EBRD’s share of risk-sharing will be up to 80%, the guarantee period will be five years, and the maximum amount of a single loan will be EUR4 million.
Both agreements provide for the possibility of lending without additional collateral.
According to Karnovski, the volume of financing for Ukrainian companies within Kredobank’s portfolio, which is covered by the EBRD’s limits and guarantees, has already reached EUR249 million. The funds were directed, in particular, to agriculture, the food industry, logistics, and retail.
As of the beginning of the year, according to information on the EBRD’s website, Kredobank served over 54,000 SME and corporate clients and over 550,000 retail clients.
According to the regulator, as of May 1, 2026, the bank ranked 14th (76.94 billion UAH) among Ukraine’s 58 solvent banks in terms of total assets.
The mining and metallurgical group Metinvest has signed a new seven-year loan agreement worth 20 million euros with the Black Sea Trade and Development Bank (BSTDB), strengthening its long-standing partnership with the international financial institution.
According to a press release, the agreement was signed by Oleksiy Sobolev, Ukraine’s Minister of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture, during the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC 2026) in Gdańsk, Poland.
As noted, the financing will help strengthen the group’s energy resilience in Ukraine, specifically by installing the first solar power plants with a total capacity of 37 MW, as well as supporting critical energy infrastructure. Additionally, this will help reduce Metinvest’s carbon footprint.
The new agreement continues Metinvest’s cooperation with the China-Belarus Trade and Investment Bank (CBTIB), which began with investment loans in 2020 and working capital financing in 2024.
Metinvest CEO Yuriy Ryzhenkov emphasized that the partnership with the Black Sea Trade and Development Bank (BSTDB) reaffirms confidence in Metinvest’s long-term strategy: “This financing will help us modernize our production facilities, invest in renewable energy, and strengthen Ukraine’s industrial potential.”
For his part, CBTR President Dr. Serhat Keksal noted that the long-standing partnership with Metinvest reflects CBTR’s commitment to supporting sustainable Ukrainian companies.
“This financing will help strengthen industrial production, enhance energy resilience, and support Ukraine’s economic recovery. We also highly value our partnership with the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), which reaffirms our shared commitment to supporting Ukraine’s recovery and sustainable development,” concluded the CEBT Chairman.
Metinvest is a vertically integrated group consisting 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’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.
