Business news from Ukraine

Business news from Ukraine

Astarta maintained soybean processing but reduced segment profits

Agroholding Astarta, Ukraine’s largest sugar producer, processed 123,000 tons of soybeans in January-June 2025, which is in line with last year’s figure, according to the agricultural holding’s report published on the Warsaw Stock Exchange on Friday.

According to the published data, the segment’s revenue in the first half of 2025 decreased by 6% year-on-year to EUR 55 million, with exports accounting for 91% (+5 p.p. year-on-year) of this revenue.

Gross profit in the soybean processing segment decreased by 41% year-on-year to EUR12 million. Gross profit margin was 21% in the first half of 2025, compared to 33% in the first half of 2024, which Astarta explained by an increase in the cost of sales. EBITDA for the first half of 2025 amounted to EUR7 million (-58% year-on-year), while EBITDA margin decreased from 28% to 13% in the first half of 2025.

According to the agricultural holding, the implementation of the investment project to build a soy protein concentrate production plant is proceeding according to schedule. Production is scheduled to start in 2026.

Astarta is a vertically integrated agro-industrial holding company operating in eight regions of Ukraine and is the largest sugar producer in Ukraine. It comprises six sugar factories, agricultural enterprises with a land bank of 220,000 hectares, dairy farms with 22,000 head of cattle, an oil extraction plant in Hlobyn (Poltava region), seven elevators, and a biogas complex.

In 2024, Astarta increased its net profit by 34.5% to EUR83.25 million, while its consolidated revenue decreased by 1.1% to EUR612.15 million.

In the first quarter of this year, the agricultural holding’s revenue fell by 24.9% to EUR124.58 million, while net profit fell by 28.8% to EUR6.42 million.

On June 12 this year, the shareholders’ meeting approved the payment of dividends for 2024 in the amount of EUR0.5 per share for a total of EUR12.5 million, which is in line with the figures for the previous two years.

 

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Vodafone Ukraine reduced its profit but increased its revenue by 15%

Vodafone Ukraine (VFU), Ukraine’s second-largest mobile operator, reduced its net profit by 13% in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period last year, to UAH 1.705 billion, while its revenue grew by 15% to UAH 13.518 billion.

“The main growth factors remain the development of the fixed-line business, an increase in the volume of data services and the number of Internet users, and, accordingly, revenues from services, both mobile and fixed-line,” the company said in its financial report on Friday.

According to the report, the decrease in net profit was caused by additional expenses related to the two-year deferral of payments on Eurobonds, as well as an increase in debt servicing costs due to a 1.5-fold increase in the interest rate in accordance with the new restructuring terms.

As reported, in January-March 2025, revenue increased by 14% compared to the same period in 2024, to UAH 6.59 billion, while net profit fell by 24%, to UAH 697 million.

Vodafone Ukraine notes that OIBDA in the first half of 2025 increased by 12% compared to the first half of 2024, to UAH 7.17 billion, while the OIBDA margin decreased by 1.7 percentage points compared to the same period last year, to 53.1%.

The company emphasized that in the first half of the year, it increased its investments by 66% compared to the same period in 2024, investing more than UAH 3.5 billion in critical infrastructure, and in total, over 3.5 years of full-scale war, investments in Ukraine reached almost UAH 19 billion.

In the structure of investments in the first half of this year, 51% is accounted for by the construction and restoration of the network, as well as its preparation for operation during blackouts, 31% – network maintenance, 11% – fixed-line communications development, and 4% – the billing exchange program.

It is noted that the company’s net debt in the middle of this year amounted to UAH 13.65 billion: UAH 23.55 billion in gross debt, of which UAH 12.43 billion was in Eurobonds, against UAH 9.9 billion in free cash, including government bonds.

Vodafone Ukraine also noted that in July-August 2025, it paid dividends totaling UAH 97 million.

According to the report, in the second quarter of 2025, the number of customers decreased by 3.1% compared to the same period last year, to 15.4 million, but ARPU (average revenue per user per month) increased by 18.5% to UAH 136.

Vodafone announced that it had introduced innovative energy-saving technology Powerstar 2.0, based on artificial intelligence, and began connecting mobile base stations via passive xPON (1/10 Gigabit/s Passive Optical Network) optical networks, which should allow for a relatively quick transition to new mobile communication technologies – 5G and, in the future, 6G.

In addition, the modernization of the telecom infrastructure of the fixed-line operator Frinet, which has been part of the group since August 2023, has begun: replacement of the FTTB network with GPON, which will provide customers with up to 72 hours of autonomous operation and 10 times faster internet speed.

It is also noted that in May 2025, Vodafone Ukraine received and began using the 1940–1945/2130–2135 MHz radio frequencies, which previously belonged to the operator TriMob, which made it possible to increase the efficiency of spectrum use and strengthen network capacity.

According to the financial statements, in August 2025, the Group committed to participate in a joint project to build a new submarine cable system across the Black Sea, connecting Ukraine to the international transit route between Europe and Asia. The system will connect Bulgaria, Ukraine, Georgia, and Turkey, and is expected to be completed within five years. The total cost to the group is estimated at EUR65 million.

Vodafone Ukraine has been part of NEQSOL Holding since December 2019.

 

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Vienna Insurance Group increased premiums by 8.7% and profit to €531 mln

The Vienna Insurance Group (VIG) reported a 10.5% increase in pre-tax profit to €531.4 million in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, partly due to significantly lower overall claims development.

According to the Reinsurance News website, citing data from the insurer, gross written premiums also increased to €8.57 billion (up 8.7%).

According to VIG, all areas of its business recorded growth, with the highest rates observed in life insurance (+32.7%) and life insurance linked to investment funds and indices (+26.4%).

Meanwhile, health insurance grew by 15.0% and motor vehicle liability insurance by 12.5%.

VIG also added that premiums in special markets grew by 19%, with Turkey (23.8%), Poland (15.2%), and the wider Central and Eastern Europe region (10.1%) being the main growth drivers, with Romania (+14.4%) and the Baltic states (+10.7%) making the largest contributions to this figure.

At the same time, insurance premiums grew by 6.7% in the Czech Republic and 5.2% in Austria.

As reported, VIG’s net combined ratio for the first half of 2025 improved to 91.9% compared to 93.3% in the first half of 2024. This is due to significantly lower costs caused by weather conditions and natural disasters during the period.

In Ukraine, VIG is represented by PJSC “IC ”Knyazha Vienna Insurance Group“, PJSC ”IC “Ukrainian Insurance Group” and PJSC “IC ”Knyazha LIFE Vienna Insurance Group”.

 

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NBU’s profit in first half of 2025 decreased by 2.4 times to UAH 51.2 bln

The consolidated financial result of the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) for January-June 2025 amounted to UAH 51.2 billion, which is 2.4 times less than in the same period of 2024, according to the central bank’s report on its website on Wednesday.

According to the report, the National Bank ended the second quarter of this year with a financial result of UAH 36.4 billion, which is 43.6% less than the financial result of the second quarter of last year.

This decrease in profit is explained by the decline in the result from operations with financial assets and liabilities in foreign currency and monetary gold: in the first half of this year, they amounted to UAH 17.1 billion, compared to UAH 95.7 billion in the first half of last year, including UAH 21.0 billion in the second quarter, compared to UAH 49.7 billion.

“The largest impact on the amount of profit was made by the results of transactions with financial instruments in the amount of UAH 25.6 billion, consisting of recognized interest income on non-resident securities and changes in the fair value of financial instruments and the official exchange rate,” the NBU noted.

At the same time, the central bank emphasized that the consolidated profit reflected in the National Bank’s financial statements is not part of the distributable profit to be transferred to the state budget, which will be determined based on the results of the entire 2025 and published in the spring of 2026. In April and May 2025, the National Bank transferred UAH 84.2 billion to the state budget based on the results of 2024.

The central bank also reported that at the end of the first half of the year, its assets increased by 3% to UAH 2,791 billion. The main changes were due to changes in foreign currency-denominated assets, namely: a 54% increase in SDR assets to UAH 71.8 billion; a 10% increase in foreign currency and bank metal funds and deposits to UAH 534 billion.

As the NBU noted, the volume of international reserves it managed in accordance with its mandate increased by 3% to $45.1 billion at the end of the first half of 2025.

The National Bank’s liabilities at the end of the first half of 2025 amounted to UAH 2,171 billion, which is 1.8% more than at the beginning of the year.

Among other things, the volume of funds of state and other institutions increased by 35% to UAH 375.2 billion; at the same time, the volume of liabilities on loans received from the IMF decreased by 34% to UAH 34.8 billion.

According to the report, as of mid-year, hryvnia funds of budgets and budgetary institutions in NBU accounts amounted to UAH 50.5 billion (UAH 101.4 billion at the beginning of the year), while foreign currency funds amounted to UAH 320.9 billion (UAH 171.9 billion).

In the first half of this year, the National Bank reduced its expenses on deposit certificates by 7.6% to UAH 39.9 billion, although in the second quarter they increased by 6.6% to UAH 21.7 billion.

“The 9% increase in the National Bank’s equity capital in the first half of 2025, from UAH 567 billion to UAH 619 billion, was mainly due to the accumulation of profits in the current year,” the National Bank emphasized.

The final amount of the National Bank’s distributable profit to be transferred by the National Bank to the state budget in 2026 will depend on the actual macroeconomic indicators in 2025 and will be determined after confirmation by an external audit and approval by the National Bank Council of the NBU’s annual financial statements for 2025.

According to the report, personnel expenses in the first half of this year increased by 28.8% to UAH 2.28 billion.

 

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Carlsberg Ukraine increased production by 8% in 2024, with profits reaching UAH 2.2 bln

PrJSC Carlsberg Ukraine, a producer of beer, non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages, increased its production by 8% in 2024, which allowed it to increase its net income from sales by 15.5%.

According to a report in the information disclosure system of the National Securities and Stock Market Commission (NSSMC), Carlsberg Ukraine PJSC’s net financial result for 2024 increased by 19.38% and amounted to UAH 2.2 billion.

“The increase was due to revenue from the sale of all types of products, but mainly from the sale of non-alcoholic beverages (+49.6%) and cider (+33.6%),” the company explained, adding that 96.3% of the products manufactured were sold in Ukraine, with the remaining 3.7% exported.

PrJSC Carlsberg Ukraine continued its operations throughout 2024 and exported its products directly from Ukraine to more than 20 countries around the world. At the same time, the company used 100% Ukrainian barley to manufacture its products in order to support local farmers and the Ukrainian economy.

Currently, beer accounts for 86% of Carlsberg Ukraine’s production, cider for 1%, and non-alcoholic beverages for 13%.

According to the company, as a result of modernization and the launch of new lines, by the end of 2024, its market share by segment within the framework of innovations was as follows: alcoholic beer – 30%, non-alcoholic beer – 42.7%, kvass – 35%, cider – 55.8%, energy drinks – 6%.

PJSC Carlsberg Ukraine referred to data from the industry association Ukrpivo, according to which the company currently holds 33.3% of the market in the “alcoholic beer” category. The sales leaders in the group’s portfolio for 2024 were products under the Lvivske, S&R’s Garage, and Tuborg brands.

Somersby cider and Kvas Taras continue to occupy leading positions in their product categories.

According to the State Fiscal Service, Carlsberg Ukraine PJSC was included in the list of Ukraine’s largest taxpayers in 2024 and paid UAH 3.401 billion to the country’s budgets at all levels in the form of taxes and fees.

The company’s management emphasized that there is only one significant factor of uncertainty that could raise significant doubts about the company’s ability to continue its operations without interruption: a further significant escalation of military action, which could destabilize operations in Ukraine. In such a case, the Ukrainian representative office relies on the parent company having sufficient resources to continue its operations. At the same time, the Ukrainian division has promised to make every effort and take all possible measures to minimize any negative consequences.

According to data from Opendatabot, in 2024, Carlsberg Ukraine PJSC increased its revenue by 15.5% to UAH 12.488 billion, net profit by 19.4% to UAH 2.18 billion, debt obligations by 34.9% to UAH 5.11 billion, and assets by 33.1% to UAH 13.84 billion. The company currently employs 1,310 people.

Carlsberg Ukraine is part of the Carlsberg Group, one of the world’s leading brewery groups with a large portfolio of beer and other beverage brands. Carlsberg Ukraine includes factories in Zaporizhia, Kyiv, and Lviv. Carlsberg’s portfolio in Ukraine includes beer, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages of such brands as Lvivske, Robert Doms, Baltika, Carlsberg, Tuborg, Kronenbourg 1664, Arsenal, Kvas Taras, Somersby, etc.

 

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Kyivstar received 3.4 bln hryvnia in net profit

Kyivstar Group Ltd. (Nasdaq: KYIV, “Kyivstar”) increased its net profit in the second quarter of 2025 by 18.6% compared to the same period in 2024, to 3.4 billion hryvnia, the company reported in its SEC filing.

“Kyivstar Group continues to demonstrate the resilience and strength of our digital operator strategy, delivering significant revenue growth and high profitability. This quarter’s results demonstrate our ability to deliver stable financial performance while expanding our digital ecosystem,” said Alexander Komarov, CEO of Kyivstar Group.

It is added that net profit in dollars increased by 13.9% to $82 million.
According to the report, Kyivstar Group’s operating revenue in the second quarter increased by 25.9% to UAH 11.86 billion, and adjusted EBITDA increased by 23.6% to UAH 6.8 billion.

In dollars, revenue grew by 20.9% to $284 million, EBITDA by 18.7% to $165 million, of which $21.7 million was revenue from Uklon, which was consolidated in the report for the first time.
Kyivstar Group Ltd announced on August 15 the completion of its listing on the Nasdaq stock exchange. The share of the parent company VEON after the merger with SPAC decreased from 100% to 89.6%, while the deal provided $178 million in proceeds.

Kyivstar serves nearly 23 million mobile subscribers and over 1.1 million home internet subscribers. Its digital services portfolio includes the Helsi medical platform, the Kyivstar TV movie and television platform, and Uklon, a leading ride-hailing and delivery company. Kyivstar is also a provider of solutions for corporate clients, offering cloud technology, cyber security, and artificial intelligence services. Through its Kyivstar.Tech division, the company is developing software development in Ukraine and is a partner for international technology companies such as Starlink.

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