The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) has increased from UAH 50,000 to UAH 100,000 (equivalent) the monthly limit on the purchase of non-cash foreign currency by citizens with subsequent placement on an irrevocable deposit for at least three months.
“Such changes will further reorient the demand of the population from foreign cash to non-cash, because transactions for the sale of non-cash currency by banks are carried out at a rate closer to the official than for the sale of cash, more convenient and safer,” the NBU website said on Friday.
As reported, with the outbreak of war on February 24, the National Bank banned the sale of non-cash currency to citizens, and on July 21 partially allowed it – up to UAH 50,000 per month on an irrevocable deposit of three months.
Demand for rental housing in the capital in August increased by 30-40% compared to the previous month, for the purchase of residential real estate by 45%, the press service of the Park Lane real estate agency reported.
“We are seeing a significant increase in demand, as pent-up demand has formed over the past six months, which is now being realized. Autumn has always been an active season, and this year, despite the circumstances, we see activity in the market,” explains Victoria Barabash, CEO of Park Lane Academy of Sciences, the words of which are given in the press release.
According to her, demand is affected by the return to the capital of those who previously temporarily left Kyiv due to Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine.
“The number of calls and transactions in the rental market has reached pre-war levels,” Barabash said.
Demand in the rental market is observed mainly for apartments in different districts of the capital costing 10-20 thousand UAH. The most popular are 1-3-room apartments with an area of 45-70 sq. m.
“Requests of tenants have not changed significantly compared to the pre-war period. The greatest interest is still in apartments in new buildings, most often with their own territory, parking. Also, a certain percentage of tenants are interested in apartments in early construction houses. However, the main selection criterion is high-quality repairs and comfort of living,” Barabash clarifies.
If we talk about buying a home, the most active demand is for 1-3-room renovated apartments. About 70%, as at the end of 2021, falls on housing in new buildings. Most buyers are interested in Pechersky, Solomensky, Shevchenkovsky, Goloseevsky, Darnitsky districts, according to a press release.
“We are seeing an increase in demand, an increase in the number of applications, starting from the beginning of August. Regarding the level of discounts, they are exclusively individual and depend on the situation of the owner and his willingness to discount,” Barabash states.
In her opinion, the dynamics of demand makes it possible to talk about optimistic forecasts for the market and the activity of the autumn season.
The Park Lane real estate agency was registered in Ukraine in 2006 and is part of the First Realty Group corporation.
More than 15 potential investors have shown interest in acquiring JSC First Kyiv Machine-Building Plant (formerly the Bilshovyk plant) at a privatization auction, the press service of the State Property Fund (SPF) of Ukraine has reported.
“As a result of high-quality preparation [of the enterprise for privatization], more than 15 potential investors have already shown interest in this asset, as evidenced by the non-disclosure agreements they signed to obtain detailed information on the enterprise,” the SPF said in a Friday press release.
The press service recalled that the SPF carried out “comprehensive work to stabilize this asset, defended the state interest in courts and returned the illegally alienated property, provided a deep audit of the enterprise and, despite all the obstacles, prepared the Bilshovyk plant for the privatization auction.”
The press service of the State Property Fund also declared attempts to impede the transparent privatization of the enterprise, and called them evidence of “the helplessness of the shadow employees separated from the large-scale state asset.”
“It is such a large-scale facility that the Bilshovyk plant is, which for decades was destroyed and was brought to a critical state: UAH 500 million in debt, seized property and destroyed production turned this facility into ruins – only for the illegal income of some individuals,” the press service said.
JSC Ukrzaliznytsia plans to announce an open international tender for the purchase of rolling stock for the City Express project at the end of September, acting chairman of the board Oleksandr Kamyshin said.
“In February, the president [Volodymyr Zelensky] announced the City Express project in Kyiv, Dnipro and Kharkiv. Ukrzaliznytsia has intensified work in this direction. Today we are designing stations, completing a feasibility study of the project and terms of reference for the purchase of rolling stock for the Kyiv hub. In the near future we will send terms of reference for all Ukrainian and international potential participants in the purchase of rolling stock. At the end of September, we plan to announce an open international tender, where we will be glad to see both Stadler and other ready-made suppliers of rolling stock,” he said during the presentation of a five-car electric train Stadler Flirt of the Swiss company Stadler.
Kamyshin said that Stadler Flirt has been tested in Ukraine for a week.
“It is important for us to understand how good the technical and service indicators of this train are. We will be testing it for several more weeks. I think Ukrainians deserve a train of this level,” he said.
According to Stadler Rail Group CEO Peter Spuhler, the company has already sold about 2,000 units of Stadler Flirt.
Stadler Flirt is a family of passenger electric and diesel trains manufactured by the Swiss company Stadler Rail AG. FLIRT is an abbreviation (Flinker Leichter Innovativer Regional-Triebzug – German, translated as a high-speed light innovative regional train). The first train was designed and delivered in 2004. The maximum train speed is 160-200 km/h.
Ukraine has refused to buy electricity from the Belarusian nuclear power plant (NPP), Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė said following talks with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal in Vilnius on Thursday.
At a joint press conference, she welcomed Ukraine’s withdrawal from dangerous suppliers and its desire to join the European ENTSO-E electricity market.
According to her, the “green” transition is also important.
On Wednesday, July 8, at 11.00, the press center of the Interfax-Ukraine News Agency will host a press conference entitled: “‘New Decree of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine: How does State Put New Obstacles for Ukrainian Citizens for Purchase of Cars?.” Participating will be Columb Trade Co-founder Volodymyr Kovel, Columb Trade Co-founder Pavlo Kazaryan, lawyer Roman Voloshyn (8/5a Reitarska Street).The broadcast will be available on the YouTube channel of Interfax-Ukraine. Admission requires press accreditation.
