Business news from Ukraine

PrivatBank increased its net profit by 2.7%

In January-June 2024, state-owned PrivatBank (Kyiv) earned UAH 30.6 billion in net profit, up 2.7%, or UAH 0.8 billion, compared to the same period last year, the financial institution said on Wednesday.
“At the same time, the bank’s financial result before tax amounted to UAH 40.7 billion, which is 11% more than in the first half of 2023,” the state bank said.
According to data published on Privat’s website, income tax for the six months amounted to UAH 10.1 billion, compared to UAH 6.9 billion for the same period in 2023, when the rate was 18%, compared to 25% this year.
The bank’s total assets for the first half of the year increased by 1.5% to UAH 692.5 billion.
It is noted that the net loan portfolio of individuals and legal entities of the bank exceeded UAH 102.7 billion, which is 34%, or UAH 26.2 billion, more than last year and 11.6% more than at the beginning of the year.
“Since the beginning of the year, we have been actively lending not only to individuals and micro, small and medium-sized businesses, but also developing loan programs for corporate clients and large businesses in all regions of the country. We pay special attention to enterprises in the frontline regions, as well as to financing households and businesses under alternative energy generation programs,” Gerhard Bösch, Chairman of the Board of PrivatBank, said in a release.
According to the press service, deposits and balances on customer accounts amounted to UAH 681.1 billion, up from UAH 550 billion at the beginning of the year, with growth of UAH 30 billion, or 8%, in hryvnia accounts.
As of the end of the first half of 2024, PrivatBank’s active customer base amounted to 18.3 million individuals and 880 thousand legal entities, which is 50 thousand and 5 thousand less than at the beginning of the year, respectively. The number of Privat24 users reached 13.5 million.
Privat’s network includes 1184 branches (1199 at the beginning of the year), 6854 ATMs (6880), 10,419 thousand terminals (10,473 thousand) and more than 308.6 thousand POS terminals, according to the release.
As reported, at the end of June, it became known that Boesch was dismissed from the post of PrivatBank’s CEO after three years of work. The Supervisory Board of the financial institution has already started the selection process for the vacant position.

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Oschadbank increased its net profit by 29%

State-owned Oschadbank (Kyiv) earned UAH 8.81 billion in net profit in January-June 2024, up 29%, or almost UAH 2 billion, compared to the same period last year, the financial institution said on Tuesday.
“Such dynamics testifies to the effectiveness of the implementation of the military strategy of Oschad,” the state bank commented on the results.
It is specified that in January-June, the bank received UAH 2.7 billion of net profit from the revaluation of financial instruments in the securities portfolio, and in June, the net profit of Oschad amounted to UAH 74 million.
The bank’s net interest income increased by almost 26% to UAH 10.96 billion for the half-year, while net non-interest income increased by about 13% to UAH 4.09 billion.
“This result was achieved, in particular, due to the increase in lending to businesses and households: the respective loan portfolios of large corporations, micro, small and medium-sized businesses and individuals increased during the first six months of the year,” Oschadbank explains.
According to the release, the financial institution’s operating profit for the first half of 2024 exceeded UAH 7 billion, which is a quarter better than the result for the same period last year.
It is noted that Oschad has sufficient liquidity and capital at its disposal. In particular, the bank’s regulatory capital adequacy ratio (RCR) as of July 1, 2024 amounted to 14.35%, while the NBU’s established standard is 10%.
“We are pleased with the results achieved due to the stable operation of Oschadbank and successful adaptation to the wartime conditions. One of our main tasks now is to ensure that these results are even more beneficial to the real sector of the economy to ensure a stable recovery and further development of the country,” said Oschadbank Chairman of the Board Serhiy Naumov.
According to him, the bank is currently paying special attention to providing clients with affordable financial resources to restore energy infrastructure and strengthen energy independence of businesses and citizens.
According to the NBU, the bank’s net profit last year amounted to UAH 6.84 billion. As of June 1, 2024, Oschad ranked second in terms of total assets (UAH 415.82 billion) among 63 operating banks.

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State-owned Ukreximbank earned UAH 4.4 bln net profit in January-June this year

State-owned Ukreximbank (Kiev) earned UAH 4.4 billion in net profit for January-June this year, which is 2.3 times higher than the result for the same period last year, the press service of the financial institution said on Friday.

“June net profit of UAH 188 million allowed Ukreximbank to complete the first half of 2024 with a profit of UAH 4.4 billion, which is almost equal to the bank’s pre-tax profit for the whole of 2023, which amounted to UAH 4.9 billion,” the report said.

Ukrexim specifies that for the six months of 2024 operating profit increased by UAH 1.9 billion compared to the result of last year – up to UAH 3.3 billion.

According to the National Bank, Ukreximbank earned UAH 1.9 billion in net profit for the first 6 months of 2023, and in total for last year it amounted to UAH 3.3 billion. As of June 1, 2024, the bank ranked third in total assets among 63 banks (UAH 293.9 billion).

 

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“Naftogaz” received almost UAH 11 bln in net profit in Q1

The net consolidated profit of the Naftogaz Group in January-March 2024 amounted to UAH 10.9 billion against a net loss of UAH 1.9 billion in the first quarter of last year, the press service said on Friday.

According to the press service, the group’s consolidated operating profit in the first quarter of 2024 amounted to UAH 12.4 billion, which is 3.6 times more than in January-March 2023 (UAH 3.4 billion).

At the same time, in January-March 2024, Naftogaz Group paid UAH 18.2 billion in taxes to the state budget, which is 6% of all payments controlled by the State Tax Service of Ukraine.

“Naftogaz remains Ukraine’s backbone in times of war. We are working together to improve our position by showing an increase in financial performance. In the first quarter of 2024, we also improved the financial result of the group’s parent company, NJSC Naftogaz of Ukraine. It earned a net profit of UAH 8.1 billion, which is UAH 0.4 billion more than in the same period of 2023,” said Oleksiy Chernyshev, CEO of Naftogaz.

He also recalled that at the end of March 2024, the group successfully completed the 2023/2024 heating season under PSO without receiving any additional funding from the state.

As reported, in 2023, the net consolidated profit of Naftogaz Group amounted to UAH 23.1 billion, compared to a loss of UAH 79.1 billion in 2022.

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“Ukrproduct” earned net profit of GBP0.39 mln in 2023

“Ukrproduct Group, a major Ukrainian producer of packaged butter and processed cheese, posted a net profit of GBP0.39 million in 2023, compared to a net loss of GBP0.80 million in 2022.

According to a report posted by the company on the London Stock Exchange, revenue decreased by 5.4% to GBP36.99 million, but increased by 19.5% in hryvnia terms.

“Ukrproduct’s consolidated revenue in FY2023 increased by 8% in UAH. The overall sales growth was driven by a focus on the development of key products, namely processed cheeses and processed cheese products, the development of new product categories, snacks and beverages, as well as the expansion of the group’s presence in retail chains,” the document says.

It is specified that in the processed cheese and processed cheese products category, sales amounted to GBP24.9 million, which reflects a 25.7% increase in revenue in hryvnia compared to the previous year, while in physical terms, sales increased by 12.4%. This was mainly due to an increase in exports to the Middle East, the focus of marketing campaigns on these product categories and the development of new positions, the report says.

According to the report, sales of butter in 2021 amounted to GBP3.1 million, reflecting a 3.4% increase in revenue in UAH terms, while sales in volume terms decreased by 4.3%. “A significant increase in the purchase price of raw milk and butter in Ukraine in the second half of 2023, rising logistics costs and increased competition in the market led to a decrease in the margin of butter sales,” Ukrproduct added.

Spreads sales decreased to GBP4.6 million in 2023 from GBP5.6 million in the previous year, down 6% in hryvnia terms and 12.9% in volume terms. The decline was mainly due to increased competition in the market, the company explained.

It is indicated that sales of skimmed milk powder fell by 52.1% in hryvnia, or to GBP1.1 million from GBP2.5 million a year earlier. In volume terms, skimmed milk powder sales decreased by 43.4%. Due to the significant decline in skimmed milk powder prices in 2023, the Group minimized the production of this product for sale in favor of using it as an ingredient in the production of processed cheeses.

Sales of kvass and beverages in FY2023 amounted to GBP1.8 million, up 90.2% in UAH terms and 42.8% in volume terms. The growth was driven by the resumption of a full sales period in fiscal 2023, while in 2022 the sales season in key kvass regions was postponed until June due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

It is noted that in 2023 Ukrproduct focused on trade marketing activities, in particular on providing discounts to customers and consumers, rather than on advertising campaigns, resulting in a 51.3% decrease in marketing expenses compared to 2022.

Other operating expenses in 2023 amounted to GBP1.1 million compared to GBP1.6 million in 2022, including impairment losses on inventories of products that the company was unable to export due to the blockade of Ukrainian Black Sea ports, as well as minor fines and some VAT losses.

According to the report, Ukrproduct’s EBITDA for 2023 amounted to GBP2.4 million, which is 32.8% higher than in 2022.

It is noted that financial expenses in 2023 increased by 67.6% to GBP0.78 million, mainly due to higher interest rates and recognized additional interest expense on the loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) for previous periods. It is specified that in June 2023, despite the difficult operating environment due to the war in Ukraine, the EBRD decided to exercise its right under the loan agreement and increased the interest rate on the loan retroactively from September 2021. At the same time, the company has not yet paid the EBRD a tranche of EUR 2.1 million, which was due in December 2022, and did not pay interest on the debt in the amount of about EUR 5.7 million from March 2022 to December 2023. Restructuring negotiations are ongoing.

Ukrproduct’s free cash flows at the end of 2023 amounted to GBP0.4 million, the same as a year earlier.

“In 2024, the group plans to focus on maintaining its existing production facilities, supporting sales volumes and continuously improving operational efficiency,” the document emphasizes.

It is also reported that as of June 19, 2024, Jack Rowell resigned from the Board of Directors after 19 years as its Chairman. Serhiy Yevlanchyk became the interim chairman of the board in addition to his role as Ukrproduct’s executive director.

As reported, the company earned GBP0.65 million in net profit in the first half of 2023, compared to a GBP0.20 million net loss in the same period of 2022. Its revenue in the first half of the year remained at the level of the first half of 2022 – GBP18.3 million, but increased by 19.5% in hryvnia.

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Northern GOK allocated UAH 580 mln of profit for dividends in Q1 2014

Pivdennyi GOK (Northern Mining and Processing Plant, Kryvyi Rih, Dnipro Oblast), a part of Metinvest Group, reported a net profit of UAH 866.090 million in 2023, compared to a net loss of UAH 2 billion 972.333 million in 2022.

According to the decision of the sole shareholder, Metinvest B.V. (Netherlands), which owns 100% of the shares in Pivnichnyi GOK, at its meeting on April 30, 2024, the profit for 2023 was left undistributed.

Another shareholder’s decision – at the meeting of May 14, 2024 – changed the company’s management structure to a one-tier one with the corresponding amendments to the charter. At the same time, after the registration of the updated charter, the supervisory board was liquidated and a four-member board of directors was created. It includes Metinvest CEO Yuriy Ryzhenkov, Metinvest CFO Yulia Dankova and Metinvest Legal Director Svetlana Romanova as non-executive directors for three years, as well as Igor Tonev as executive director, whose position as CEO is being eliminated.

Earlier, based on the shareholder’s decision of March 28, 2024, Andrey Skachkov’s powers as CEO were terminated by agreement of the parties, and Tonev was appointed CEO.

On May 24, 2024, the state registration of the new version of Northern GOK’s charter took place. On May 25 this year, at a meeting of the Board of Directors of Northern GOK, Metinvest’s CFO Yulia Dankova was elected Chairman of the Board of Directors for a term from May 25, 2024 to May 24, 2027 inclusive. Igor Tonev was elected Chief Executive Officer with a term of office from May 25, 2024 to April 2, 2025 inclusive. And it was determined that in accordance with clause 7.8 of the Charter of Northern GOK, the chief executive officer is referred to as the general director in the company’s activities in general, organizational structure, staffing and document flow.

By the decision of the shareholder of June 13, 2024, at its meeting, the net profit of UAH 580.409 million received in January-March of this year is allocated to pay dividends for 2024. At the same time, UAH 0.25 of dividends are paid per ordinary share.

The Board of Directors of the company (Minutes No. 3 dated June 14, 2024) decided to establish the date of compiling the list of persons entitled to receive dividends, the procedure and term for their payment. The start date of dividend payment is July 1, 2024, and the end date of dividend payment is December 13, 2024 inclusive.

As reported, for 9M2023, Northern Mining earned a net profit of UAH 681.867 million, while it ended the same period in 2022 with a net loss of UAH 2 billion 227.488 million. Retained earnings as of the end of September 2023 amounted to UAH 10 billion 727.921 million.

The company ended 2022 with a net loss of UAH 2 billion 972.333 million, while in 2021 it made a net profit of UAH 25 billion 293.042 million.

It was also reported that in April this year, Metinvest introduced a new model for the operation of Kryvyi Rih mining enterprises, uniting mining and processing plants in Kryvyi Rih under a single management. Central, Ingulets and Northern GOKs are managed by a single administrative and management center. For this purpose, a mining department was set up within the group’s operating directorate. The department is headed by Igor Tonev, who has also been appointed as the sole CEO of the three GOKs. Prior to this position, he was the head of Metinvest-SMC’s sales company since 2019 and has been with Metinvest since 2011.

The plant specializes in the extraction, processing and sale of iron ore.

Metinvest B.V. owns 100% of the shares in Northern GOK.

Northern GOK is part of Metinvest Group, whose major shareholders are System Capital Management (SCM, Donetsk) (71.24%) and Smart Holding Group (23.76%). Metinvest Holding LLC is the management company of Metinvest Group.

The authorized capital of Yenakiieve Mining is UAH 579.707 million.

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