Verifying a foreign investor helps Ukrainian businesses establish the origin of capital, the ownership structure and the partner’s ability to fulfil its obligations.
When raising foreign financing, the main attention is usually paid to verifying the Ukrainian company. A potential investor analyses financial statements, corporate documents, taxes, litigation, assets and the business model.
However, Ukrainian owners should also verify the party offering the capital. The name of a well-known fund in a presentation or claimed access to significant financial resources does not yet confirm that the negotiations are being conducted by an authorised person or that the money actually belongs to the declared investor.
Before signing an agreement, it is worth verifying the legal entity, the date of its establishment, its executives, owners, corporate group, previous investments and possible sanctions or reputational risks.
Particular caution is required if the investor demands payment of an upfront fee, uses unofficial email addresses, avoids providing corporate documents or proposes making payments through a company that is not a party to the agreement.
D&B third-party verification solutions make it possible to identify a company, analyse its corporate relationships, establish its owners and conduct checks against sanctions lists and other risk sources. D&B Investigate is also used to visualise business relationships and support enhanced due diligence.
“When raising capital, it is not only the Ukrainian company that undergoes verification. Business owners also need to understand who is offering the financing, where this capital comes from and whether the potential investor is capable of fulfilling its obligations,” emphasised Maksym Urakin, Director of Development and Marketing at Interfax-Ukraine, Head of the D&B-Interfax-Ukraine Business Unit and PhD in Economics.
According to him, verification is particularly important for small and medium-sized businesses that do not have their own large legal or compliance department and may perceive the very fact of a foreign investor’s interest as confirmation of its reliability.
The verification result does not replace legal and financial due diligence, but it helps determine whether it is worth proceeding to the costly stage of negotiations, disclosing confidential data and providing access to internal documentation.
Before signing an agreement, it is also necessary to make sure that the representative is authorised to act on behalf of the investor and that the bank account used for the transaction belongs to a party to the agreement or to a duly authorised entity.
Dun & Bradstreet is an international business data and analytics company founded in 1841. Its solutions are used for company verification, corporate ownership analysis, compliance, credit risk assessment and business decision support.
In Ukraine, Dun & Bradstreet is represented by the Interfax-Ukraine News Agency. The D&B-Interfax-Ukraine unit helps Ukrainian enterprises verify potential investors, partners, buyers and suppliers. The agency has operated in the political and economic information market since 1992.
Enquiries can be submitted via D&B’s specialised resource — dnb.ua, by email at Urakin@interfax.kyiv.ua or by telephone at +38 (044) 270-65-74.
Ukraine continues to have the lowest minimum wage among European countries with a statutory minimum wage included in Eurostat statistics.
As of 1 July 2026, Ukraine’s minimum wage amounts to EUR 169 gross per month when converted into euros, according to Eurostat data.
Moldova ranks second from the bottom with a minimum wage of EUR 313, while in all other countries covered by the survey, the figure exceeds EUR 500.
For comparison, the minimum wage is approximately EUR 517 in Albania, EUR 620 in Bulgaria, EUR 621 in Türkiye, EUR 624 in North Macedonia, EUR 670 in Montenegro and EUR 743 in Serbia.
At the opposite end of the European ranking is Luxembourg, with a minimum wage of EUR 2,771 per month. It is followed by Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and France, where the minimum wage exceeds EUR 1,800 in all cases.
When making comparisons, it should be taken into account that Eurostat presents the figures in euros and as gross monthly equivalents. For countries that do not use the euro, the amounts are converted using the exchange rate at the end of the previous month. Therefore, changes in the national currency’s exchange rate may also affect a country’s position in the ranking.
In total, Eurostat covers 22 EU member states with a national minimum wage and seven candidate and potential candidate countries where such a wage is established at the national level. At the same time, Denmark, Italy, Austria, Finland and Sweden do not have a single statutory national minimum wage.
Below is the full ranking of minimum wages in Europe as of 1 July 2026, from highest to lowest, gross per month converted into euros according to Eurostat’s methodology.
Luxembourg — €2,771
Ireland — €2,391
Germany — €2,343
Netherlands — €2,338
Belgium — €2,234
France — €1,867
Slovenia — €1,482
Spain — €1,425
Lithuania — €1,153
Poland — €1,119
Cyprus — €1,088
Greece — €1,073
Portugal — €1,073
Croatia — €1,050
Malta — €994
Estonia — €946
Czechia — €923
Slovakia — €915
Hungary — €906
Romania — €825
Latvia — €780
Serbia — €743
Montenegro — €670
North Macedonia — €624
Türkiye — €621
Bulgaria — €620
Albania — €517
Moldova — €313
Ukraine — €169
Only eight of the 29 European countries that have a national minimum wage raised it in their national currency between January and July 2026, according to Eurostat data.
The largest increase over the six-month period was recorded in North Macedonia—6.9%.
Next were Romania and Estonia—both at 6.8%—followed by Belgium at 5.8%, Greece at 4.5%, Luxembourg at 2.5%, France at 2.4%, and the Netherlands at 1.9%.
In the remaining 21 countries, the minimum wage in national currency remained unchanged between January 1 and July 1. This group includes, in particular, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Poland, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Bulgaria, Hungary, and Ukraine.
At the same time, the absence of an increase in the nominal minimum wage effectively means a decline in its purchasing power in countries where consumer prices continued to rise during this period.
Eurostat publishes comparative data on minimum wages twice a year—as of January 1 and July 1. Changes that occur between these dates are reflected in the next semi-annual update of the statistics.
As of July 1, 2026, the minimum wage among EU countries ranged from 620 euros in Bulgaria to 2,771 euros in Luxembourg. When candidate countries are included, the lowest figure was recorded in Ukraine—169 euros.
In Ukraine, from January 1, 2026, the minimum wage has increased to 8,647 hryvnia.
In particular, according to the law “On the State Budget for 2026,” which came into force on January 1, the minimum wage has increased from 8,000 to 8,647 hryvnia, and the hourly minimum wage has increased from 48 to 52 hryvnia.
Also, from January 1, the general subsistence minimum increased from UAH 2,920 to UAH 3,209.
For children under six years of age, the subsistence minimum is now UAH 2,817, for children from six to eighteen years of age – UAH 3,512, for able-bodied persons – UAH 3,328, for persons who have lost their ability to work – UAH 2,595, and for persons who have lost their ability to work, which is used to determine the amount of additional payment for living in areas of radioactive contamination according to court decisions, it is UAH 1,600.
It has also been established that the subsistence minimum for able-bodied persons, which is used to determine the base salary of judges, district prosecutors, and employees of other state bodies whose remuneration is regulated by special laws, as well as employees of tax and customs authorities, is set at the level established for the relevant state body as of December 31, 2025.
In addition, the document stipulates that in 2026, the level of the subsistence minimum for the purpose of granting assistance in accordance with the Law “On State Social Assistance to Low-Income Families” as a percentage of the subsistence minimum for the main social and demographic groups of the population shall be: for able-bodied persons – 60%; for persons who have lost their ability to work and persons with disabilities – 100%; for children – 145% of the corresponding subsistence minimum.
At the same time, the subsistence minimum level for determining the right to exemption from payment for a child’s meals in state and municipal preschool education institutions in accordance with the Law “On Preschool Education” will not increase in 2026.
Starting April 1, 2024, according to the Law “On the State Budget of Ukraine for 2024”, the minimum wage in Ukraine will increase to UAH 8 thousand. This will change the amount of certain employment-related payments, the amount of which is aligned with the minimum wage.
In particular, the maximum amount of compensation to employers will increase.
Thus, the amount of compensation for the employment of citizens who have been registered as unemployed for more than 1 month (people with disabilities, combatants and those who have no more than 5 years left before the right to an old-age pension) will now amount to UAH 8 thousand (1 minimum wage).
Compensation for the employment of young people among the registered unemployed (under 25 years of age – with less than 12 months of insurance experience; under 35 years of age – for the first job; discharged from military / alternative service – for the first job) will increase to UAH 4 thousand (50 percent of the minimum wage).
The compensation for employment of citizens who have been registered as unemployed for more than 1 month and have additional employment guarantees or have been registered for more than 6 months will increase to UAH 3,520 (double the minimum insurance premium, which is 22 percent of the minimum wage).
Compensation for the employment of internally displaced persons during martial law will amount to UAH 8 thousand (1 minimum wage) starting from April 1, 2024. At the same time, the compensation of employer’s expenses for labor remuneration of IDPs hired by the employment centers will increase to UAH 16 thousand (2 minimum wages).
The amount of partial unemployment benefits per employee or individual entrepreneur will also increase to UAH 4 thousand (50% of the minimum wage).
The maximum amount of remuneration for participation in public works will also increase and from April 1 will amount to UAH 12 thousand per month (1.5 times the minimum wage).
For reference: Since the beginning of 2024, 295 employers in the capital have used the compensation programs of the Kyiv SLC and received payments in the amount of over UAH 7 million.
compensation to employers, LAW, minimum wage, State Budget of Ukraine, WAGES
Effective January 1, 2024, the minimum wage in Ukraine increased to UAH 7.1 thousand.
In particular, according to the law “On the State Budget for 2024”, which came into force on January 1, the minimum wage increased from UAH 6.7 thousand to UAH 7.1 thousand, and the hourly minimum wage increased to UAH 42.6.
Also, as of January 1, the overall subsistence level increased from UAH 2,589 to UAH 2,920. For children under six years of age, the subsistence minimum is now UAH 2,563, for children from six to eighteen years of age – UAH 3,196, for able-bodied persons – UAH 3,023, and for persons who have lost their ability to work – UAH 2,361.
