The net profit of Ukrgasbank (Kyiv) in January-June 2020 amounted to UAH 437.18 million, which is 1.6 times more than in the same period of 2019 (UAH 275.99 million), according to the bank’s quarterly report posted on the bank’s website on Tuesday.
According to it, in the second quarter, Ukrgasbank’s net profit amounted to UAH 98.11 million, which is 2.3 times less than in April-June 2019 (UAH 221.71 million).
The bank’s net interest income for six months decreased 5.8% compared to the same indicator a year earlier, to UAH 1.44 billion, and net fee and commission income grew by 18.6%, to UAH 555.81 million, while the cost of creating reserves for expected credit losses decreased by 91.3%, to UAH 34.89 million.
Ukrgasbank’s assets in the first six months of 2020 increased 24.2%, to UAH 148 billion, including loans to customers and finance lease fell by 2.6%, to UAH 37.97 billion, and cash and cash equivalents decreased 9%, to UAH 42.24 billion.
At the same time, the bank’s investments, which are measured at fair value through other comprehensive income, increased 2.1 times over this period, to UAH 64.59 billion.
Liabilities of Ukrgasbank in January-June grew by 25%, to UAH 138.64 billion, including customer funds – by 27.4%, to UAH 131.63 billion.
The bank’s equity capital rose by 13.5% in the first six months of this year, to UAH 9.37 billion, while the charter capital remained at the level of UAH 13.84 billion.
JSB Ukrgasbank was established in 1993. The state, represented by the Ministry of Finance, owns 94.94% of the shares of the financial institution.
According to the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU), as of June 1, 2020, Ukrgasbank was ranked fourth in terms of total assets among 75 banks operating in the country.
The Finance Ministry, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Ukrgasbank have started assessing and structuring the financial took allowing IFC to enter the capital of this state-owned bank, the Finance Ministry reported.
“This is the most important stage in the implementation of the fundamentals of the strategic reform of the public banking sector… IFC’s entry into Ukrgasbank’s capital will be a powerful signal for international investors and will contribute to the further development of the banking system in general,” Finance Minister Oksana Markarova said.
The Finance Ministry said that the transition to this stage became possible as a result of the successful fulfillment of the terms of the tripartite memorandum of understanding signed in November 2017 to support the privatization (sale) of the bank by the ministry and Ukrgasbank.
According to the memorandum, IFC helped Ukrgasbank to strengthen corporate governance, ensure its operational independence, and further improve its stable banking model based on commercial viability.
Successful cooperation between the state-owned bank and IFC has already allowed for more than 145 projects in the field of clean energy using biofuels, hydropower, solar and wind energy with a total capacity of 866 MW, which is a quarter of all renewable energy facilities in Ukraine. Thanks to these projects, CO2 emission reduction has reached more than 1 million tonnes annually.
As reported, in November 2017, Ukraine’s Ministry of Finance agreed on cooperation with IFC in the process of privatization of Ukrgasbank. The memorandum of cooperation also envisaged a possibility of entering the capital of the bank by IFC to support its sale. The investment will depend on several factors, including the outcome of the due diligence of the bank.
Ukrgasbank was established in 1993 and the state represented by the Ministry of Finance owns 94.9% of its shares. Since 2015, the bank has been included in the list of state-owned facilities of strategic importance for the economy and national security.
