Business news from Ukraine

Business news from Ukraine

EIB allocates EUR46.2 mln to restore infrastructure in Ukrainian cities

The European Investment Bank (EIB) has allocated EUR46.2 million to support Ukrainian municipalities in restoring vital public infrastructure and providing essential services, backed by an EU guarantee under the European Commission’s investment program for Ukraine.

“This funding is directed where it is most needed: to restore and support essential public services for Ukrainian citizens. This support comes at a critical moment, as Russia intensifies its attacks on civilian infrastructure. The European Commission intends to continue its close cooperation with the European Investment Bank, using the Ukraine Assistance Program to provide vital support to Ukraine and its people,” said Valdis Dombrovskis, European Commissioner for Economy and Productivity, Implementation, and Simplification.

In particular, EUR 28 million has been allocated under Ukraine’s Urban Public Transport Projects I and II, which support the renewal of urban transport fleets with modern, energy-efficient vehicles. Thanks to this funding, Kyiv, Lviv, and Mykolaiv will receive new buses; Zaporizhzhia, Ternopil, and Kremenchuk will receive trolleybuses; Dnipro and Kamyanske will receive trams; and Uzhhorod will receive electric buses.

As part of Ukraine’s municipal infrastructure development program, the EIB has allocated EUR 13.3 million to modernize vital local services. The funding supports the reconstruction of public lighting systems in Dnipro and Kamyanske, the modernization of water supply and sewage systems in Lutsk, the improvement of energy efficiency in schools and kindergartens in Sumy, and the improvement of solid waste management in Lviv for the reclamation of the Hrybovychi landfill.

An additional EUR 4.9 million has been allocated under the Ukraine Public Buildings Energy Efficiency Program to support projects in the cities of Rivne, Korets, and Kovel. The sub-projects focus on the energy-efficient modernization of schools, kindergartens, and medical facilities, including insulation, window replacement, and heating system upgrades. This funding is complemented by an E5P investment grant for hospital buildings, such as the Kovel City District Territorial Medical Association, which helps improve energy efficiency, comfort, and quality of service in healthcare facilities.

The European Investment Bank has been operating in Ukraine since 2007. Following Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, the Bank stepped up its financial support to help strengthen the country’s resilience and rebuild its infrastructure. Since then, the EIB has provided EUR4 billion in financing to Ukraine.

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Bank Lviv attracts EUR 103 mln to support business

Bank Lviv (Lviv) has signed agreements with the European Investment Bank (EIB), the European Investment Fund (EIF), the Belgian Development Organization for Developing Countries (BIO) and the Bank of the Council of Europe (CoE) totaling EUR 103 million, which will allow it to expand financing to the private sector through credit lines, guarantees and support for micro-entrepreneurs.

“Within the framework of international partnerships, Lviv Bank has signed four strategic agreements with international financial institutions – for a total of more than EUR100 million to support Ukrainian private companies, SMEs and entrepreneurs!” Volodymyr Kuzio, deputy chairman of the bank’s board, said on Facebook on Tuesday.

He noted that Lviv Bank has attracted EUR 60 million from the EIB in the form of a multi-currency credit line, including local currency financing, to improve access to finance for the private sector.

Another EUR 35 million was provided by the EIF in the form of portfolio guarantees, which will reduce collateral requirements for Ukrainian private sector clients to 70% and at the same time strengthen the capital of Bank Lviv.

In addition, the bank will receive EUR 5 million from the Belgian development organization BIO, the first transaction in the institution’s history in Ukraine.

Another EUR 3 million is being provided by the Council of Europe Development Bank to support micro-entrepreneurs across the country.

According to the National Bank of Ukraine, as of April, Lviv Bank ranked 23rd in terms of total assets among 60 operating banks with UAH 14.8 billion, or 0.4% of the banking sector.

 

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EIB and Ukreximbank prepare EUR 100 mln to support SMEs and green projects

The European Investment Bank (EIB) and state-owned Ukreximbank (Kyiv) have signed a Letter of Intent to sign a financial agreement under the Economic Resilience Support Program II project for a total amount of EUR 100 million to finance small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), particularly in the energy efficiency and green technology sectors.

According to the bank’s website on Monday, the document was signed on July 10 at the International Conference on the Recovery of Ukraine (URC2025). The agreement is expected to give Ukrainian businesses access to long-term financing on favorable terms.

“Thanks to access to long-term financing, companies will be able to implement environmentally friendly projects, modernize production, and confidently integrate into the EU economic space,” said Viktor Ponomarenko, chairman of the board of Ukreximbank, as quoted in the statement.

According to the press release, the program aims to improve access for small and medium-sized businesses, as well as mid-cap companies, to sources of financing for investment projects and working capital needs. The initiative is expected to contribute to Ukraine’s sustainable economic development, its integration into the EU economy, and the entry of Ukrainian companies into international markets.

Within the framework of the EIB’s Green Initiative, Ukreximbank’s clients will be able to implement projects in the fields of renewable energy, energy efficiency, and the introduction of clean innovative technologies.

According to the NBU, as of April 2025, Ukreximbank ranked third in terms of total assets among 60 operating banks, with UAH 311.8 billion.

 

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EIB provides EUR 120 mln to Ukrgasbank to support business and energy independence of communities

The European Investment Bank (EIB) will provide two loans of EUR 50 million and EUR 70 million to state-owned Ukrgasbank (Kyiv) to finance energy independence projects for municipalities and support green growth of small and medium-sized businesses, as well as a new EU portfolio guarantee.

“Within the framework of the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC) in Rome, UGB (Ukrgasbank) and the European Investment Bank (EIB) announced the signing of a multi-component financial package,” the bank said on Thursday.

It is noted that this will allow attracting additional financing for small and medium-sized businesses worth tens of millions of euros and has become one of the first significant results of the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2025 in Rome.

As part of the package, Ukrgasbank will allocate EUR 50 million to strengthen the energy independence of Ukrainian municipalities. The funds will be used to modernize the district heating infrastructure, develop decentralized heat generation, integrate renewable energy sources and improve energy efficiency of public buildings. The EU grant component will make this funding available to frontline communities.

Another EUR 70 million will be allocated to support the sustainability and green growth of small and medium-sized businesses. These funds will help businesses maintain operations, modernize and implement environmental solutions.

“This financing is further strengthened by a portfolio guarantee from the EU provided by the EIB, which will significantly increase Ukrgasbank’s ability to lend and raise critical capital for the private sector in the amount of more than EUR 31.25 million, even in wartime,” the bank added.

According to the National Bank of Ukraine, in April 2025, Ukrgasbank ranked fifth in terms of total assets (UAH 220.0 billion or 5.9%) among 60 banks operating in the country.

As reported, the European Investment Bank Group and the European Commission announced a new EU financing package of EUR 600 million at the Ukraine Recovery Conference.

 

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EBRD, EIB, and European Commission will allocate EUR 30 mln to prepare public projects for Ukraine’s recovery

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Commission are launching the Ukraine Facility for Infrastructure Reconstruction (Ukraine FIRST) with EUR 30 million in funding to help prepare public investment projects for the reconstruction of infrastructure in Ukraine.

“The new program will cover the preparation of public investment projects in Ukraine, providing technical assistance, including feasibility studies, environmental assessments, cost estimates, and procurement plans,” the EBRD press release said.

It is noted that in addition to initial financing, additional funds are also planned to be provided by EU countries, in particular the Netherlands and Italy.

The program consists of two components. One, managed by the EBRD, will pool donor contributions and provide grants from international financial institutions to support project preparation.

The second, under the leadership of the EIB, will provide expert advisory services: feasibility studies, technical designs, and procurement plans. They will cooperate with the project preparation department of the Ukrainian government.

The pilot project of the program will be a EUR160 million loan to the state-owned Ukrnafta for the development of distributed generation and the installation of 250 MW of capacity.

Another project will be technical support from the EIB in partnership with the World Bank and, possibly, the EBRD, to prepare investments in the reconstruction and modernization of the M-15 Odessa-Remy highway, according to the statement.

The Ukraine FIRST program was presented by partners at the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2025 (URC) in Rome. It is part of the Framework for Project Preparation initiative developed by the Ukrainian government and international partners last year.

 

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European Investment Bank is considering financing construction of social housing in Ukraine for EUR 400 mln

The European Investment Bank (EIB) is considering providing EUR 400 million in financing for a pilot project to build social housing in Ukraine, the press service of the Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting (IER) reports.

“Negotiations are currently underway to provide EUR 400 million in funding, which will consist of a grant and a loan for the construction of public housing. This should be housing in normally built-up parts of the city, with access to technical and social infrastructure,” said Grzegorz Gajda, Senior Sector Economist at the EIB, as quoted in the press release.

He noted that the housing should be built using the best European practices, in accordance with energy-efficient standards and the principle of build-back-better.

The project envisages the construction of about 6-6.5 thousand apartments. The EIB will select areas for social housing construction based on the needs of the regions and their interest in cooperation.

Along with this, the conditions for renting housing are being discussed. In particular, it is proposed to allocate social housing to employed Ukrainians with a salary not lower than the average, as well as to give local authorities the opportunity to transfer 20-30% of apartments for rent to people selected according to their own criteria, taking into account the professionals needed in the region.

According to the expert, the project also envisages finding opportunities for the social housing sector to independently finance its operations and maintenance to avoid the need for state funding for housing maintenance.

As the IER points out, at the beginning of 2022, there were only 3 thousand social apartments in Ukraine, while the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) at the end of the year amounted to more than 5 million people. According to the International Organization for Migration, there are about 3.6 million internally displaced persons in Ukraine as of October 2024.

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