Business news from Ukraine

Business news from Ukraine

Oschadbank buys bonds of Nova Poshta for UAH 650 mln

State-owned Oschadbank (Kyiv) has entered into an agreement with Nova Poshta to purchase unsecured corporate bonds of the E series with a maturity of 15 months for UAH 650 million, the press service of the financial institution reported on Tuesday.

“The acquisition of bonds for such a significant amount demonstrates both Oschad’s readiness to share risks with businesses to rebuild the country and the impeccable reputation of Nova Poshta,” Yuriy Katsiyon, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Oschad responsible for corporate business, said in a press release.

“In addition, this project can be another step towards popularizing securities as an alternative tool for raising funds for the development of Ukrainian business,” he added.

It is specified that the issue of series E bonds was registered on April 26, 2024. This is the third transaction since 2019 to finance Nova Poshta by the state bank through the purchase of corporate bonds.

“Thanks to the funding raised, Nova Poshta is able to actively invest in the development and improvement of operational processes, quickly recover from infrastructure shelling, and our customers can continue to receive quality service,” Serhiy Yermolenko, Director of Corporate Finance at NOVA Group, was quoted as saying.

As reported earlier, Nova Poshta LLC, the largest logistics operator in Ukraine and a member of the NOVA Group, issued interest-bearing unsecured corporate bonds of series E and F with a nominal amount of UAH 1 billion each, which were registered by the National Securities and Stock Market Commission (NSSMC) on April 26 this year.

No other information on the parameters of these issues, including the maturity and yield, is yet available on the regulator’s website or the issuer’s website.

In 2023, Nova Poshta made two bond issues – “C” and “D” – each with a nominal amount of UAH 800 million. The C series bonds were issued for a 12-month term with a 24% p.a. interest rate, while the D series bonds were issued for a 20-month term with a 23% p.a. interest rate.

Earlier, in February 2023, Nova Poshta redeemed the UAH 700 million of Series B bonds issued in March 2020.

In 2023, the consolidated net income of “Nova Poshta” LLC amounted to UAH 43.65 billion, which is 53.3% more than in 2022, and the consolidated net profit reached UAH 4.28 billion, which is 31.1% better than in 2022.

According to its unconsolidated financial statements, in 2023, Nova Poshta LLC increased its net profit by 85.7% to UAH 3 billion 967.2 million, while its revenue increased by 54% to UAH 36.47 billion.

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Oschadbank to pay UAH 6 bln in income tax and dividends to budget

State-owned Oschadbank (Kyiv) has so far paid UAH 4.2 billion in income tax and UAH 0.7 billion in dividends to the budget based on the results of its operations in 2023 and plans to make another final payment of UAH 1.1 billion, the Oschadbank press service said at the request of Interfax-Ukraine on Wednesday.

“The budget will receive a total of UAH 6 billion from income tax and dividends, UAH 0.5 billion is taken into account in the calculations for previous periods,” the press service of the financial institution noted.

According to the finalized financial results, the bank earned UAH 6 billion in net profit last year, which, according to the bank, is the second highest figure in the market after PrivatBank.

As of March 1, 2024, Oschad ranked second in terms of total assets (UAH 376.4 billion) among 63 banks in the country.

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Oschadbank earned UAH 6 bln of net profit in 2023

State-owned Oschadbank (Kyiv) earned UAH 6 billion in net profit in 2023, which is UAH 1.25 billion more than the previously announced preliminary data and 9.4 times higher than the financial result of 2022 (UAH 0.638 billion), the financial institution said on Friday.

“Based on the results of annual adjustments, the bank’s financial result reached almost UAH 6 billion, a record level for the entire period of its operation. (…) Thanks to this, Oschadbank has risen to the second place in the rating of profitability of Ukrainian banking institutions (according to the NBU),” the press release said.

Thus, Oschad beat Raiffeisen Bank, Sens Bank, and state-owned Ukreximbank, which, according to preliminary data, ended last year with a net profit of UAH 5.22 billion.

It is noted that the Management Board and Supervisory Board of Oschad approved the final results of the year 2023 based on the audit reports and unqualified opinion.

“The past year of 2023 was the eighth consecutive year during which the bank demonstrated profitable operations,” the press service of the financial institution emphasized.

It is also noted that in the first quarter of this year, Oschad earned UAH 4.9 billion in net profit, which is more than twice the result for the first quarter of last year.

“This is largely due to an increase in operating income, which increased by UAH 0.9 billion, or 14%, as well as a positive result of the revaluation of government bonds with an indexed value of UAH 1.2 billion,” the state bank explained.

Oschad added that an additional factor in this result is a balanced approach to optimizing operating costs, an effective risk management policy and the formation of the active part of the balance sheet “taking into account the realities and needs of the wartime economy.”

According to the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU), as of February 1 this year, Oschadbank ranked second in terms of total assets (UAH 369.56 billion) among 63 banks operating in the country.

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Corteva Agriscience and Oschadbank expand lending program for Ukrainian agricultural producers

International agricultural research company Corteva Agriscience and state-owned Oschadbank (Kyiv) are expanding their partnership lending program to Ukrainian agricultural producers to enable them to purchase the company’s crop protection products on favorable terms, the company’s press service said.

According to the press release, under the terms of this lending program, farmers can purchase sunflower, corn and winter rape seeds of premium genetics of the Pioneer® brand at reduced rates.

Farmers wishing to purchase Corteva plant protection products in the amount of UAH 200 thousand or more can take out a loan with an interest rate of 0.01% per annum in UAH, depending on the repayment schedule, loan term and availability of collateral. There is no loan disbursement fee. The maximum loan term is 12 months. To apply, farmers should contact Corteva representatives in their region.

Borrowers under this program will provide Oschadbank with a simplified list of documents and can expect priority consideration of their application, as well as a shorter time for making a loan decision.

“Launched in February, Corteva’s program of lending at reduced rates for the purchase of Pioneer seeds in partnership with Oschadbank was well received by farmers, so we are pleased to welcome the willingness of our partners to expand the program to give farmers better access to Corteva’s advanced crop protection products,” explained Elena Dunina, Financial Head of Corteva Agriculture in Ukraine, Central Asia and the Caucasus.

“The agricultural sector suffered significant losses during the war. The State Bank considers it its mission to support agrarians and provide them with the most extensive package of opportunities. (…) Thanks to the simple and flexible terms of the Corteva partnership program, agricultural producers can get a loan at reduced rates, replenish working capital and optimize costs,” said Natalia Butkova-Vitvitska, Oschadbank Board Member in charge of micro, small and medium-sized businesses.

Corteva Agriculture is a global agricultural company. It offers comprehensive solutions to maximize yields and profitability. It has more than 150 research facilities and more than 65 active ingredients in its portfolio.

The company’s presence in Ukraine includes the headquarters in Kyiv, a research center in Liubartsi village (Kyiv region) and a seed production complex in Stasi village (Poltava region).

In April 2022, the company decided to leave the Russian market due to the full-scale war against Ukraine waged by Russia.

According to the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU), as of February 1 this year, Oschadbank ranked second in terms of total assets (UAH 369.56 billion) among 63 banks operating in the country.

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Oschadbank sells Atmosphere shopping center and Ramada Encore Kyiv hotel for UAH 1.79 bln

State-owned Oschadbank (Kyiv) has put up for sale the Atmosfera shopping mall and Ramada Encore Kyiv hotel in the capital, 11 land plots in Kozyn (Kyiv region) and the right of claim to Niteko LLC for UAH 1.79 billion through the OpenMarket electronic trading system (SE SETAM of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine).

According to SETAM’s press service, the lot includes real estate in Kyiv at 103 Stolichne Shosse (buildings 1-4). They include an administrative and hotel center with an area of 39.5 thousand square meters, a shopping and entertainment center (31.6 thousand square meters) with a parking lot (16.8 thousand square meters), a two-level parking lot (17.5 thousand square meters) and other premises.

In addition, the lot also includes 11 land plots in Kozyn with a total area of 17.3 hectares for residential construction, as well as the rights to claim against LLC “Company Niteko” under the 2007 non-revolving credit line agreement, including the assignment of rights under security agreements.

“The well-known Kyiv shopping center and hotel are located at the intersection of three major highways towards the elite villages of Obukhiv district and Koncha Zaspa, so they are well served by traffic. This offer may potentially be of interest to major market players,” the press service quoted Oleksandr Mamro, CEO of SETAM, as saying.

The auction is scheduled for March 25. The guarantee fee is UAH 89.9 million.

According to Opendatabot, the owner of Niteko is FC NGI Management LLC, and the ultimate beneficiary is Dmytro Buriak. At the end of 2023, the company reduced its net loss by 4.9 times compared to 2022 – to UAH 70.2 million, while net income increased by 69% to UAH 146.2 million.

As reported, Wyndham Hotel Group (WHG) opened its largest four-star hotel under the Ramada Encore brand in June 2012 as part of the Stolychnyi mixed-use complex (formerly Domosfera) at 103 Stolychne Shosse in the Holosiivskyi district of Kyiv.

The 22-storey hotel has 332 rooms and 58 apartments. The hotel’s infrastructure includes a conference center with a total area of more than 4 thousand square meters with 20 meeting rooms, a two-level parking lot for 1150 cars, two fitness centers, restaurants, a sushi bar and a summer terrace. The hotel is managed by DBI Hotels & Resorts (Switzerland).

The Atmosfera shopping and entertainment center (SEC) in Stolychny was opened on April 12, 2014. The mall has about 50 premium shops and boutiques, a food court, an entertainment area, a karting center, a fitness center, a cinema with restaurant service and an event hall with 800 seats.

The developer of the Stolychnyi mixed-use project is DeVision Group. The mixed-use complex also includes Domosfera shopping center with a leasable area of 30.7 thousand square meters, opened on May 16, 2009, and Europe business center of B+ class with a total area of 22 thousand square meters and parking for 300 cars. The total area of the mixed-use complex is 158.2 thousand square meters.

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Oschadbank increased its net profit by 7.4 times

State-owned Oschadbank ended 2023 with UAH 4.75 billion in net profit, 7.4 times higher than the financial result of 2022 (UAH 0.638 billion), the financial institution said in a press release on Monday.

“The final amount of net profit in 2023 was significantly affected by an increase in the corporate income tax rate for banking institutions (from 18% to 50%) (…), as well as a negative revaluation of derivatives – government bonds with an indexed value in the capital of Oschadbank in the amount of UAH 2.9 billion,” the financial institution explained.

Regarding the bonds, Oschadbank emphasized that their fair value is influenced by external factors beyond the bank’s control, such as exchange rates and interest rates.

It is indicated that the pre-tax profit of the state-owned bank amounted to UAH 9.5 billion, which is a historical maximum.

“Compared to last year’s figures, Oschadbank’s net interest income increased by 26% to almost UAH 19 billion, while net commission income increased by 14% to UAH 7 billion,” the release says.

According to the release, in the face of the national currency devaluation, the bank managed to keep its operating expenses at the same level as last year due to effective management of operating expenses.

At the same time, Oschad’s operating profit, before provisions for credit risks, revaluation of derivatives and taxation, amounted to UAH 12 billion, which is 52% higher than in 2022.

As for the volume of customer accounts, in 2023 it increased by 28% to UAH 300 billion. The bank specifies that the growth of stable term customer accounts was 26%, and their volume reached UAH 100 billion.

Over the four quarters of 2023, Oschad managed to increase its loan and investment portfolio by 16% to UAH 263 billion. In particular, retail loans increased by 30% to UAH 15 billion.

It is noted that at the same time, the state-owned bank maintained a consistently high level of liquidity to ensure the smooth implementation of all client payments.

“A balanced credit policy taking into account the risks of wartime and the gradual liberation of our land from the occupiers contributed to the improvement of the quality of the Oschadbank loan portfolio and the dissolution of UAH 1.4 billion of provisions for expected credit risks on interest-bearing assets,” the financial institution said in a release.

The press service of Oschadbank informed that the bank has sufficient liquidity and capital reserves. According to the data provided, the regulatory capital adequacy ratio of the state-owned bank as of January 1, 2024 is 16.57%, while the NBU standard is 10%.

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