Business news from Ukraine

Business news from Ukraine

Ferrexpo in 2022 cuts net profit by 75%

Mining company Ferrexpo with assets in Ukraine saw $219.997 million in net profit in 2022, and it was 75% lower than the same indicator in 2021 ($870.993 million).
According to the company’s annual report published on Wednesday, its revenue for the year fell by 50.4% to $1.248 billion.
At the same time, EBITDA fell by 46.8% to $765.113 million.
Ferrexpo’s capital investment in 2022 was $161 million compared to $361 million in 2021 (55.4% down).
Net cash flow from the company’s operating activities at the end of last year reached $301 million (2021 it was $1.094 billion). Net cash position at the end of the year was $106 million compared to $117 million at the end of the previous year.
Dividends paid during the 2022 calendar year decreased by 75% to 26.4 cents from 105.6 cents in 2021.
Non-executive Chair Lucio Genovese said that for Ferrexpo, the year 2022 was defined not only by the events since 24 February 2022, but also by the resilience and commitment of its workforce and communities across Ukraine throughout Russia’s invasion.
“Operationally, our assets have produced in line with accessible markets, with the closure of Ukraine’s access to the Black Sea placing a significant impediment in our ability to access seaborne markets. We did, however, continue to deliver throughout the year to our European customers. This is testament to the long-term, sustainable relationships that we have built with our customer base,” Genovese said.
At the same time, he noted positives in Ukraine’s potential as a supplier of high grade, high quality iron ore to the global steel industry, particularly in Europe, which is taking significant steps to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions footprint and embark on decarbonisation pathways.
As reported, in January-June 2022, Ferrexpo saw $82.070 million in net profit, which is 87.7% lower than the same indicator in 2021 ($661.417 million). Its revenue dropped by 30.8% to $935.874 million from $1.353 billion, and EBITDA by 44%, to $486.121 million from $868.364 million. Capital investments in the first half of 2022 totaled $102 million compared to $142 million in the first half of 2021 (28% down). Interim dividends were 19.8 cents per share (in the first half of 2021 they were 52.8 cents).
At the end of 2021, Ferrexpo increased its net profit by 37.1%, to $870.99 million, with revenue growth of 48.1%, to $2 billion 518.23 million.
Ferrexpo is an iron ore company with assets in Ukraine.
Ferrexpo owns 100% of Yeristovo Mining LLC and 99.9% of Belanovo Mining LLC. Prior to the court decision in September 2022, Ferrexpo also owned 100% of the shares of PJSC Poltava Mining.

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Krukiv Wagon Works got UAH 37.3 mln of net profit

PJSC Krukiv Wagon Works (KVSZ, Poltava oblast) finished 2022 with a net profit of UAH 37.25 mln, while in 2021 it posted a net loss of almost UAH 230 mln.
According to the company’s information for the April 11 general meeting of shareholders, published in the information disclosure system of the National Commission on Securities and Stock Market (NSCM), by January 1, 2023 the uncovered loss of KVSZ was 108.9 million UAH – a third less than a year earlier.
“At the end of the company for 2022, the profit is 37.353 million UAH. Taking into account income from revaluation of actuarial liabilities, according to calculation of an independent actuary in the amount of UAH 16.77 million, to approve total profit in the amount of UAH 53.53 million”, – is said in the draft decision of the meeting on the approval and distribution of profits.
According to the document, the profit of UAH 53.53 mln is planned to be used for repayment of losses of previous years.
According to the information of the enterprise, its current liabilities at the beginning of 2023 were UAH 1 billion 022.5 million – 29.7% less, long-term liabilities decreased slightly, amounting to UAH 216.94 million.
The assets of PJSC “KVSZ” amounted to 4 bln 476 mln UAH (7.2% less), including the total accounts receivable almost twice – to 1 bln 938 mln UAH, and the money and equivalents decreased 2.7 times to 559.27 mln UAH.
The equity capital of PJSC by the beginning of this year amounted to UAH 3 bln 2366 mln, including authorized capital – UAH 86.01 mln.
According to the NCCFM, as of the 4th quarter of 2022, Estonian AS Skinest Finants and Osauhing Delantina own 25% each, and Transbuilding Services Limited, registered in England, owns 20% each.
At the same time, as reported, 25% of PAO’s shares (worth over 21.5 million hryvnias) owned by Austrian OW Capital Management GmbH, which is under the control of Stanislav Gamzalov, head of the board of directors of the Russian railcar manufacturer Metalware Plant, were transferred to ARMA by a court decision of July 13, 2022.
In January of this year, the head of Ukrzaliznytsia, Oleksandr Kamyshyn, announced that UZ intended to participate in the ARMA tender for the selection of a manager of the seized stake in KVSZ.
Volodymyr Prikhodko, its president, names KVSZ as the main owner.
KVSZ, Ukraine’s largest railcar building company, produces passenger and freight cars, regional diesel trains, high-speed interregional trains of locomotive traction, and spare parts and bogies for freight cars.
By March of this year KVSZ had completed the delivery of 100 passenger cars to UZ for more than 3 billion UAH. The company did not disclose the number of freight cars produced in 2022.
In 2021, its net income decreased by 23.2% YoY to 2 bln 561 mln hryvnia, and its loss was 230 mln hryvnia against a net profit of 71.8 mln hryvnia.

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Lifecell increased its profit by 71.8% in fourth quarter of 2022

Ukrainian mobile operator lifecell in the fourth quarter of 2022 increased net profit by 71.8% compared to the same period last year – up to 408.8 million UAH, while in general it increased by 59.2% – to 972.3 million UAH.
According to the report of the parent company Turkcell on its website, the revenue of lifecell in the fourth quarter of 2022 increased by 8.3% – to 2.607 billion UAH, and for the whole of 2022 – by 11%, to 9.41 billion UAH.
EBITDA in the fourth quarter increased by 14.1% to UAH 1.505 bln, and for the year as a whole by 14.6%, to UAH 5.45 bln.
At the same time, the capital expenditures of the company in the fourth quarter decreased by 24.4% – to UAH 997.4 million, and for the year as a whole by 16.3%, to UAH 3 billion.
Base of active subscribers of lifecell in the fourth quarter increased from 8.2 million to 8.5 million, but this is less than a year ago, when there were 9.2 million people. At that ARPU (average revenue per user) among active users in 2022 increased by 10% – up to 91.5 UAH. At that if in the first half of the year ARPU was slightly decreasing then in the second half rose quickly enough – from 82.8 UAH to 95.4 UAH in the third quarter and to 104.5 UAH in the fourth quarter thanks to price adjustments and growth in data usage.
Due to the war, as of December 31, 2022, 23% or about 9 thousand of the company’s mobile communication stations in Ukraine were out of operation. The state of the stations in the occupied territories is unknown, the report said. At the same time, 92% of the company’s stores were working and returned to prewar levels in the fourth quarter. It is noted that the company’s operating systems worked steadily, as well as the banking system, including payments.
It is specified that as of December 31, 2022, the amount of write-downs of assets in the Russian-occupied territories recognized in the consolidated financial statements is 214.2 million Turkish liras (about $11.3 million).
As the risks that may affect the company’s activities, the ongoing military operations and changes in the hryvnia’s exchange rate due to the economic situation in the country are noted. The risk of loss of control or expropriation of the company’s assets in Ukraine due to the actions of the Russian Federation is also singled out.
The company plans to focus on ensuring the safety of its employees and providing quality service to Ukrainian consumers.
The activities of the parent company turkcell were seriously affected by the earthquake in Turkey, due to which the company had to adjust its financial results for 2023. The negative impact on income is estimated at about 1.5 billion Turkish liras (about $79 million). It is reported that on the first day of the disaster almost 3.3 thousand base stations in the region stopped working due to power outages and destruction. One mobile tower and 150 base stations were destroyed. 1,200 employees were sent to the affected regions to carry out repair work. 250 mobile communication stations were deployed and 1.4 thousand power generators were installed.
Lifecell is the third largest mobile operator in Ukraine. The company Turkcell (Turkey) is the owner of 100% of shares of Lifecell. The share of Ukraine, where its subsidiaries UkrTower, Global LLC and Paycell LLC also operate, accounts for 8.9% of Turkcell’s total revenue and 14% of its non-current assets.

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“Kernel” posted $208.7 mln in net profit

“Kernel, one of Ukraine’s largest agribusiness groups, earned $208.71 million in net income in the second quarter of fiscal year 2023 (FY, July-September 2022), down just 2.1% from the same period in the previous FY.
According to a financial report on the company’s Web site Friday evening, the agriholding’s revenue for the period fell 34.2 percent to $1 billion 235.28 million.
Gross profit was down 14.9 percent to $294.06 million, operating income was down 2.3 percent to $244.36 million and EBITDA was down 5.1 percent to $277.15 million.
These numbers are significantly better than the first quarter of this fiscal year.
The company attributed the 34% year-on-year decline in revenues to lower exports of grain, sunflower oil and meal.
The report notes that the net change in fair value of biological assets did not have a significant impact on the group’s results in the second quarter, with a profit of $0.3 million versus a profit of $27 million in the same period last year.
According to the document, shipping and handling costs accounted for 23% of cost of sales in October-December 2022, up 120% quarter-on-quarter and 64% quarter-on-quarter, reflecting sharply higher logistics costs in exporting goods from Ukraine. This caused a 15% decrease in gross profit.
“Kernel also recognized a $5 million gain from the reversal of previously recognized asset impairments, primarily related to inventories located in territories previously occupied by Russia, as the company was able to access and use such inventories in its operations.
General and administrative expenses in the second quarter of fiscal 2023 were $59 million, an increase of 33% over the first quarter of fiscal 2023, reflecting higher payroll-related accruals.
Regarding EBITDA, Kernel clarified that in the Oilseeds Processing segment, it increased 10% year-over-year to $66 million, mainly due to the second consecutive quarter of strong profitability for those players who were able to organize the logistics of sunflower oil exports from Ukraine.
“Despite improved profitability year-over-year in the reporting period for all businesses in the Infrastructure & Trading segment, a more than two-fold decline in export volumes led to a 46% year-over-year decline in segment EBITDA to $62 million,” the report said.
According to it, the Agriculture segment recorded a solid EBITDA of $204 million, up 45% from last year. This growth is largely due to the devaluation of the hryvnia, the document said.
Kernel added that its net profit from exchange rate differences in the reporting period amounted to $8 mln.
Kernel’s net debt, according to the report, decreased during the quarter by 30% – to $1.048 billion, and the ratio of net debt to EBITDA decreased from 13.5 to 11, but it is still much higher than a year ago, which was 1.9.
Overall, in the first half of 2023FG Kernel’s net profit decreased by 12.6% to $370.31 million compared to the same period last year, while revenues fell by 41.3% to $1 billion 889.78 million.
Gross profit was down 30.8% to $467.41 million, operating income was down 21.8% to $386.83 million and EBITDA was down 21.9% to $445.52 million.
As reported, Kernel ended FY 2022 with a net loss of $41 million versus $506 million in net income in the previous fiscal year on a 5% decline in revenue to $5.332 billion.

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Profit of Raiffeisen Bank increased by 62%

Raiffeisen Bank’s profit for January 2023 was UAH 742 million, up 62% from the same period in 2022 (UAH 457 million), the bank’s press service said Thursday.
According to the report, the bank’s income in January amounted to 1.8 billion UAH, which is 1.6 times more than in January 2022 (1.1 billion UAH).
Including net interest income amounted to 1.4 billion UAH, or 78% of the total income.
It is indicated that the fee and commission income increased by 28% up to UAH 270 billion, indicating the growth of client operations, including remote service channels.
The trade result grew by 30% year-on-year and made up UAH 124 mln.
Besides, in January the bank allocated UAH 380 mln. to provisions for possible credit and operational risks caused by war, that is 4.7 times more than a year before.
The share of NPLs in the loan portfolio of the bank by the end of January was 14.8%, while the loan portfolio decreased slightly to UAH 72 bn.
According to the message, funds of corporate clients in Raiffeisen Bank increased by 6 billion UAH to 61 billion UAH, and funds of individuals – by 1% to 6 billion UAH.
It is noted that half of the 300 operating branches of Raiffeisen Bank are equipped with generators and backup communication channels.

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Profit of Ukrainian banks in January amounted to 14.7 billion UAH

Ukrainian banks’ profits in January 2023 amounted to 14.694 billion UAH, which is 2.1 times more than during the same month in 2022 (7.145 billion UAH), the press service of the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) said Wednesday.
The regulator noted that banks’ revenues in January increased by 55% to UAH 38.65 billion, and expenses – by 35%, to UAH 23.956 billion.
At the same time, the fee and commission income rose by 4.6% – to UAH 8.3 billion.
At the same time the result of revaluation and from purchase and sale operations was positive and amounted to UAH 5.9 billion, while in the same period last year it was negative and amounted to UAH 42 million.
At the same time, deductions to the reserves rose by 58%, to 2.488 billion UAH, and the commission expenses increased by 31%, to 3.985 billion UAH,
As reported, the Ukrainian banks in 2022, net profit decreased by 3.1 times – to 24.716 billion UAH compared with 77.376 billion UAH in 2021.

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