Poland became the largest gold buyer among the world’s central banks in January-August 2026, increasing its reserves by approximately 98 tonnes, according to an Experts Club analysis based on World Gold Council (WGC) data published on October 6.
In August, global central banks continued actively increasing their gold reserves, purchasing another 39 tonnes on a net basis compared with 23 tonnes a month earlier. However, the ranking of cumulative purchases since the beginning of the year differs noticeably from the results of August alone.
According to the WGC, the largest gold buyers in January-August 2026 included:
Poland – about 98 tonnes
China – about 80 tonnes
Uzbekistan – about 50 tonnes
Kazakhstan – about 36 tonnes
Czech Republic – about 14 tonnes
The National Bank of Poland retained first place thanks to the continuation of its large-scale precious metal accumulation programme. In August alone, the Polish central bank purchased another approximately 7.8 tonnes.
As a result, Poland’s gold holdings approached 648 tonnes, while the National Bank’s strategic target is 700 tonnes.
China ranks second. In August, the People’s Bank of China was the largest buyer in the world, increasing its reserves by as much as 20.2 tonnes.
In January-August, China purchased about 80 tonnes of gold, while its official gold reserves reached approximately 2,387 tonnes. Gold accounts for about 9% of the country’s international reserves.
At the same time, China has continued buying the precious metal for 22 consecutive months, making it one of the most consistent buyers among the world’s largest central banks.
Uzbekistan ranks third, having increased its gold reserves by approximately 50 tonnes since the beginning of the year. In August, the country purchased another approximately 7.8 tonnes. The total volume of gold in Uzbekistan’s reserves reached approximately 439 tonnes, with the precious metal accounting for about 90% of the country’s international reserves.
Kazakhstan ranks fourth, with purchases of approximately 36 tonnes over eight months. In August, the National Bank of Kazakhstan added about 7.4 tonnes, bringing its gold holdings to approximately 377 tonnes. Gold accounts for about 79% of the country’s international reserves.
The Czech Republic rounds out the top five largest buyers. The Czech National Bank purchased 14 tonnes since the beginning of the year, including approximately 1.7 tonnes in August. The country’s total gold reserves reached around 86 tonnes.
Notably, the Czech Republic has been increasing its gold holdings for 42 consecutive months, implementing one of the most consistent reserve expansion programmes among European central banks.
At the same time, Turkey and Russia became the largest gold sellers since the beginning of 2026. Turkey reduced its reserves by approximately 82 tonnes, although in August it returned to purchases and bought about 2.9 tonnes. Russia sold about 56 tonnes in January-August, including approximately 6.2 tonnes in August.
The World Gold Council notes that the continued presence of the same countries among active buyers indicates the long-term nature of gold accumulation policies. Monthly changes in purchase volumes largely reflect the implementation schedules of these programmes, market conditions and the liquidity needs of individual countries.
According to the WGC, in January-August 2026 central banks reported net purchases of approximately 170 tonnes of gold. At the same time, officially recorded changes in reserves do not necessarily reflect total public-sector demand, as some central bank transactions become known with a delay or are not disclosed.
The World Gold Council regularly tracks changes in central banks’ official gold reserves based on data from the International Monetary Fund, national regulators and other official sources. The WGC regards central bank demand as one of the key factors in the global gold market.
Central banks, CHINA, CZECH REPUBLIC, EXPERTS CLUB, GOLD, gold reserves, KAZAKHSTAN, POLAND, UZBEKISTAN, WORLD GOLD COUNCIL
The Polish oil refining group ORLEN S.A. supplied 1.3 million metric tons of diesel fuel to Ukraine from January through September 2026, which is 33% more than during the same period in 2025, according to data from the A-95 Consulting Group.
Compared to the first nine months of 2024, shipments increased by 68%.
ORLEN remains the largest corporate supplier of diesel fuel to the Ukrainian market.
In September, the company shipped a total of approximately 110,000 metric tons of diesel fuel from refineries in Poland and Lithuania. This is 30% less than in September of last year.
The decline in monthly shipments occurred against the backdrop of an overall reduction in Ukrainian diesel fuel imports. In September, the volume of imports amounted to 537,000 metric tons, which is 21% less than a year earlier.
At the same time, Poland retained its status as the largest supplier of diesel fuel to Ukraine. Over the first nine months, shipments from Poland rose by 44% and exceeded 2 million metric tons.
According to Serhiy Kuyun, director of the “A-95” Consulting Group, the role of the northern route in supplying the Ukrainian market has strengthened due to the higher cost of shipments from Southern Europe.
“A-95” notes that due to the significant rise in the price of Southern European supplies, Ukrainian companies are increasingly turning to supplies from Poland and Lithuania.
The “A-95” Consulting Group specializes in research and monitoring of the Ukrainian petroleum products market. The company’s director is Serhiy Kuyun.
The Lviv region is preparing to sign an agreement to develop a feasibility study for the construction of the Warsaw–Rava-Ruska–Bryukhovychi–Lviv European-standard railway line.
According to “Interfax-Ukraine”, this was announced by Maksym Kozytskyi, head of the Lviv Regional Military Administration, during the forum “Regional Dialogues with Business on European Integration” in Lviv on September 24.
According to him, the new line is intended to provide a European-standard rail connection between Lviv and Warsaw. Options are being considered for the line to terminate either at Lviv’s main railway station or at the Sknylivsky station.
“An agreement on the development of a feasibility study is set to be signed soon. This feasibility study will be submitted to the railway authority, prepared in accordance with their technical specifications, and will cover a narrow-gauge connection between Lviv and Warsaw,” Kozytskyi noted.
Funding for the development of the feasibility study is planned to come from regional and local budgets.
Separately, the head of the Lviv Regional State Administration highlighted the extension of the European-gauge track to Uzhhorod as a promising project. In his view, this could partially relieve traffic at the road border crossings on the western border and create additional opportunities for the development of the Carpathian region.
Among other railway projects, Kozytskyi mentioned the already completed Nyzhankovychi–Khyriv–Smilnytsia line. According to him, the Ukrainian side has completed the necessary work, and the further launch of the route depends on agreements with the Polish side.
He also highlighted the need to expand certain sections of the Kyiv–Chop highway. The development of rail and road infrastructure, according to Kozytskyi, should strengthen the role of the Lviv region as one of Ukraine’s key logistics hubs.
The Warsaw–Lviv standard-gauge railway project is of particular importance for integrating Ukraine’s transportation system into the European network, as the standard track gauge in most EU countries is 1,435 mm, while Ukraine traditionally uses a 1,520 mm gauge.
On September 23, 2026, the Honorary Consulate of Ukraine officially opened in Katowice, Poland, and will be located at ul. Wita Stwosza 2.
According to the Consulate General of Ukraine in Kraków, the opening ceremony was attended by Vasyl Bodnar, Ukraine’s Ambassador to Poland; Oresta Starak, Ukraine’s Consul General in Kraków; Luiza Gananya, Ukraine’s Honorary Consul in Katowice; Silesian Voivode Marek Wujcik, Marshal of the Silesian Voivodeship Wojciech Saluga, and Katowice Mayor Marcin Krupa.
The event was also attended by representatives of the diplomatic corps, local government bodies, and the Ukrainian community.
Vasyl Bodnar, Ukraine’s Ambassador to Poland, stated that the opening of the Honorary Consulate is an important step in the development of cooperation between Ukraine and the Silesian Voivodeship.
“We expect that the Honorary Consulate will become a close partner to the Ukrainian community, support Ukrainian citizens, and at the same time contribute to the development of contacts between Ukraine and the Silesian Voivodeship,” Bodnar noted.
He also thanked Honorary Consul Luiz Ganani for his willingness to carry out this mission, and the authorities of the Silesian Voivodeship and the city of Katowice for their support of Ukraine.
The consulate is expected to promote the development of Ukrainian-Polish interregional cooperation, expand contacts with local authorities, businesses, and civil society organizations, and provide support to Ukrainians living in the Silesian Voivodeship.
The Silesian Voivodeship is one of Poland’s largest industrial and economic regions, and Katowice is its administrative center. The opening of the Ukrainian Honorary Consulate creates an additional platform for the development of regional, economic, cultural, and humanitarian ties between Ukraine and Poland.
According to Experts.news, Poland remained the top destination for Ukrainians applying for EU residence permits outside the temporary protection mechanism: in 2025, the country accounted for 72% of all first-time residence permits issued to Ukrainian citizens in the European Union, according to Eurostat data.
In total, Ukrainians received 335,096 first-time residence permits in EU countries. Based on Poland’s share, this amounts to approximately 241,000 permits issued to Ukrainians by Polish authorities.
This concentration clearly sets Ukrainian migration apart from other large groups of third-country nationals. By comparison, Poland was also the primary destination for Belarusians, issuing 87.1% of all first-time residence permits received by Belarusian citizens in EU countries.
For Ukrainians, employment remains the main reason for applying for a residence permit. Moreover, 86.3% of all first-time residence permits granted to Ukrainians in the EU for work purposes were issued by Poland.
Poland itself issued 467,300 first-time residence permits to citizens of non-EU countries in 2025, ranking third in the European Union after Spain and Germany.
At the same time, Poland remains the undisputed EU leader in terms of the number of work-related permits: the country issued 318,200 first-time work-based residence permits. Eurostat notes that the main recipients were citizens of Ukraine and Belarus.
The statistics on first-time residence permits do not include Ukrainians who are in Poland or other EU countries under temporary protection.
According to Experts Club, Ukraine remains one of the world’s largest producers of currants and ranks second behind Poland, EastFruit reports, citing data from Oleksandr Yareshchenko and Inna Babiychuk, experts at the Institute of Horticulture of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences (NAAS).
According to official statistics, the area under currant cultivation in Ukraine exceeds 4,000 hectares, and the annual gross harvest is estimated at approximately 27,000 metric tons. However, experts note that these figures should be interpreted with caution, as about two-thirds of the area is accounted for by private households, which are not fully covered by statistical reporting.
For the commercial sector, experts consider an estimate of about 15,000 metric tons of currants per year to be more realistic. Even with this volume, Ukraine remains one of the key global players and accounts for about 8% of the world’s currant plantation area.
The global market for this berry remains fairly concentrated. The total area of currant plantations is estimated at approximately 50,000 hectares, with over 95% located in Europe. This concentration means that global supply is highly dependent on weather conditions and crop yields in a few major producing countries.
For Ukraine, currants have formed a distinct segment of the berry industry. This crop is in demand both in the fresh produce market and for processing—for freezing, juice production, purees, jams, and other food products.
Ukraine’s strong position in the global market also creates export potential; however, the industry’s development depends on the modernization of commercial plantations, crop yields, the availability of cooling and freezing facilities, and stable demand from processors.
At the same time, official data do not fully reflect the structure of production, as a significant portion of currants is grown by the population for personal consumption and sale on the domestic market.
Source: EastFruit, published on September 15, 2026.
