Business news from Ukraine

MTIBU’S VICTIM PROTECTION FUND DOUBLES IN 2018

The victim protection fund of the Motor (Transport) Insurance Bureau of Ukraine (MTIBU) almost doubled in 2018 compared with 2017, to UAH 1.204 billion, according to a report of the audit commission of the bureau. According to the report, the monthly contributions of MTIBU member insurance companies to the victim protection fund in 2018 increased 48.1%, to UAH 32.914 million, but the total basic guarantee fee decreased by 3.1%, to UAH 448.262 million.
According to the report of the audit commission, last year the additional guarantee fee DV1/DV2 increased 3.8 times, to UAH 308 million, the additional guarantee fee for the victim protection fund (10%) amounted to UAH 375.5 million.
The top 10 members of MTIBU account for 49% of contributions to the victim protection fund.
According to the report, in 2018, procedural insurance payments in claims in the amount of UAH 141.4 million were made from the victim protection fund, which is 25.2% more than a year earlier. At the same time, payments for bankrupt insurers fell by 45.7%, to UAH 3.765 million.
In addition, UAH 173.6 million was returned to the insurers which lost their membership in MTIBU, which is almost twice more than a year earlier. Costs for settling cases slightly increased and amounted to UAH 3.542 million, court costs came to UAH 7.13 million (a rise of 18.5%).

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ANDRZEJ RAJKIEWICZ FROM POLAND ELECTED HEAD OF SUPERVISORY BOARD OF ENERGY EFFICIENCY FUND

The supervisory board of the Energy Efficiency Fund has elected Andrzej Rajkiewicz its head, the press service of Deputy Prime Minister, Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Utilities Economy Minister of Ukraine Hennadiy Zubko has reported.
“Rajkiewicz was elected head of the supervisory board of the Energy Efficiency Fund – a person who has extensive experience in energy efficiency in Poland and other European countries. This decision was made at the first meeting of the fund’s supervisory board on December 17,” Zubko said.
According to him, the meeting also approved the rules of procedure for the meetings of the supervisory board, determined the procedure for selecting members of the directorate and the head of the internal audit unit, approved the action plan for 2018 and the first quarter of 2019. In addition, the announcement of the tender to select management is expected.
As reported, four members of the fund’s supervisory board have already been selected, the last one is expected to be defined – a representative from the European Union.
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine selected its representatives in the supervisory board of the Energy Efficiency Fund: Deputy Finance Minister Yuriy Heletei and Director of the life-support systems economy department of the Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Utilities Economy Ministry Natalia Khotsianovska.
Winners of the tender to select independent members of the supervisory board of the Energy Efficiency Fund are Andrzej Rajkiewicz Миралинкс (Poland) and Yulia Sabatiuk (Ukraine).
Two representatives from the government, one representative from international donors and two independent representatives will be members of the supervisory board of the Energy Efficiency Fund. They are elected for five years.

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UKRAINE’S FOCUS ESTATE FUND BUYS ONE MORE THIRD SHOPPING CENTER IN POLAND

Focus Estate Fund investment fund (headquartered in Kyiv) has closed a deal on the acquisition of the Galeria Awangarda shopping center with a total area of 7,500 square meters in Bartoszyce (Poland), the company’s press service has said.
“With this investment, the fund increased its portfolio in the medium-sized retail real estate sector in Poland and the Czech Republic to five facilities with a total lease area of more than 34,000 square meters,” Managing Partner of Focus Estate Fund Andriy Kozyn said.
According to the report, the Galeria Awangarda shopping center was opened in April 2016, among its largest tenants are the stores Biedronka, Jysk, KIK, Deichmann, and ABRA.
According to the company, at the time of the deal, the vacancy of premises in the object was about 3%.
The press service said the transaction broker was KYHOS Real Estate s.r.o., the property manager was JLL, while legal support was provided by Czabański Gałuszyński i Partnerzy.
The company plans within two or three years to invest about EUR50 million in the development of medium-sized commercial property projects in Eastern Europe.

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U.VENTURES FUND INVESTS $1.15 MLN IN THREE STARTUPS (YOUTEAM, 3DLOOK, PUFETTO)

U.Ventures investment fund, founded by Western NIS Enterprise Fund, has invested $1.15 million in Ukraine’s startups YouTeam, 3DLook and Pufetto, the fund has said. “Ukraine has prominent product companies and startups that make revolutionary products and are highly competitive on a global market, and YouTeam, 3DLook, and Pufetto are dazzling examples of this. We are very pleased to invest in these startups and are convinced that they have a great potential to become leaders in its segments not only in Ukraine but worldwide,” President and CEO of Western NIS Enterprise Fund Jaroslawa Z. Johnson said.
3DLook, founded by Vadym Rohovsky, a serial entrepreneur from Odesa (the co-founder of the Clickky startup), in 2016, is an innovative solution for apparel retail and e-commerce that uses proprietary body measuring technology to make a perfect size and fit recommendations to consumers.
YouTeam, founded in Lviv in 2014, is a marketplace for hiring tech talent from software development firms.
Pufetto is a Ukrainian furniture manufacturer and e-commerce player that enables customers to customize its furniture (sofas, armchairs, beds) through its online platform and have it delivered to door within three of four weeks. Pufetto sells furniture through the proprietary online platform, as well as via show rooms in Ukraine and Germany.
Attracted investments will help startups to improve their products, hire new people and expand to new markets.

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FOCUS ESTATE FUND FROM UKRAINE BUYS SHOPPING CENTER IN POLAND

Headquartered in Kyiv has acquired the Galeria Eden shopping center in Zgorzelec (Poland) with a gross area of 8,500 square meters from Poland’s DNB Assets Holdco, the press service of the Ukrainian fund reported on Wednesday. “During the year, Focus Estate Fund together with the Polish development partner Młyn Retail Park will carry out work to expand the retail area to 10,000 square meters and change the format of the shopping center to a retail park,” the fund said.
According to the fund, investments in the re-concept will amount to more than EUR 1.5 million. It will take about a year to complete the project.
According to the fund, the international company JLL became the managing company of the facility.
“Due to the successful location of the retail park directly on the border with Germany, we expect a significant increase in the flow of buyers from Germany. For this we invest in modern architectural solutions that will give a new life cycle to the facility, and through the increase in the retail area attract more tenants,” the fund said, quoting its managing partner Andriy Kozin.
According to the Focus Estate Fund, the facility is located in a large shopping cluster in the village directly on the border with Germany, next to the German city of Görlitz, a major cultural and industrial center of the country.
The anchor tenants of the shopping center are Jysk, Komfort, Abra Meble, Pepco and Takko Fashion.
As reported in October 2017, the Focus Estate Fund acquired Most Retail Park in Most (the Czech Republic) with a total area of 6,500 square meters. In 2016, the fund acquired Centro Ostrava Retail Park in the Czech Republic and Galeria Sandomierz in Poland. The company plans to invest about EUR 50 million within two or three years in the development of commercial medium-sized commercial property projects in Eastern Europe.

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GERMANY READY TO FINANCE ADDITIONAL EUR 14 MLN FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY FUND

Germany is ready to allocate EUR 10 million for projects of the Energy Efficiency Fund and EUR 4 million for the training of energy auditors and training of the Fund’s employees, Minister for Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Utilities Hennadiy Zubko has said. “The German government is ready to sign an agreement with IFC – International Finance Corporation – on adding additional EUR 10 million to the Multi-Donor Fund for co-financing the projects of the Energy Efficiency Fund of Ukraine,” Zubko wrote on his Facebook page.
He also said that the German government had agreed on the implementation of the project of technical assistance to Ukraine in the training of professional energy auditors and training of the Fund’s employees in the amount of EUR10 million.
As earlier reported, the Cabinet coordinated a joint program with the EU for financing the Energy Efficiency Fund in the amount of EUR 268 million. According to the Ministry of Regional Development’s press service, EU assistance in 2018 will be EUR 50 million, in 2019 – EUR 54 million. The press service also recalled that the financing of the Energy Efficiency Fund from the state budget will be UAH 1.6 billion in 2018.

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