The Ukrainian Embassy in Romania presented an international initiative to raise $1.2 million for the purchase of ten modern ambulances for Ukrainian medical facilities. The presentation took place during the international forum “Rebuilding Ukraine: Security, Opportunities, Investment,” held on October 22–23, 2026, in Bucharest.
According to the Ukrainian diplomatic mission, the initiative is being jointly implemented by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and the state fundraising platform UNITED24.
As part of the conference, with the support of the embassy and the Honorary Consul of Ukraine in Cluj-Napoca, a UNITED24 information booth was set up, where event participants could learn about the project and funding opportunities.
Ihor Prokopchuk, Ukraine’s Ambassador to Romania, appealed to representatives of international business, investors, and conference participants to support the purchase of specialized ambulances for Ukrainian medical professionals.
The funds are earmarked for the purchase of fully equipped ambulances capable of providing emergency medical care directly during patient transport.
Each vehicle will be equipped with a ventilator, a defibrillator-monitor, an oxygen system, and other medical equipment necessary to maintain vital functions.
Such vehicles are particularly needed in regions under attack by Russian missiles and drones, as they allow medical care to be provided to victims even before they arrive at the hospital.
According to the initiative’s initial terms, the estimated cost of a single fully equipped ambulance is $120,000.
The project is part of the broader UNITED24 campaign, supported by former NASA astronaut Scott Kelly, who has experience in the field of emergency medical care.
On August 10, 2026, the Ukrainian Ministry of Health announced the launch of a fundraising campaign for ten specialized vehicles. Ukrainian diplomatic missions in various countries joined the initiative.
Subsequently, the scope of the campaign was expanded. The official UNITED24 page now lists a total goal of $2.4 million to purchase 20 ambulances.
According to the platform, the vehicles are planned to be sent to medical facilities in the Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, and Kherson regions, as well as to the Ukrainian Scientific and Practical Center for Emergency Medical Care and Disaster Medicine.
The Ukrainian healthcare system’s need for such vehicles remains significant. According to UNITED24, medical teams responded to over 4.5 million calls in 2025, and since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion, 495 ambulances have been destroyed or damaged, including 46 in 2026.
The platform estimates Ukraine’s current need for Class C ambulances at 1,696 units, including 328 vehicles required directly by emergency medical centers.
The Ukrainian Embassy in Romania has called on Romanian companies, international partners, and representatives of the Ukrainian diaspora to help fund the project.
Donations are accepted through the official UNITED24 page: https://u24.gov.ua/uk/scott-kelly-fundraiser-for-ambulances
The international conference “Rebuilding Ukraine: Security, Opportunities, Investment” took place on October 22–23, 2026, at the ROMEXPO exhibition complex in Bucharest. It was organized by the Romanian think tank New Strategy Center in collaboration with the Romanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The academic partner was
the University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine in Bucharest.
The forum’s program included 31 thematic discussions focused on the recovery of the Ukrainian economy, attracting international investment, financing infrastructure projects, and the development of the energy sector, agriculture, the defense industry, transportation logistics, and cross-border cooperation.
Particular attention was paid to Romania’s role as a logistics and investment hub for Ukraine’s recovery. Investment opportunities in the Zakarpattia, Ivano-Frankivsk, Vinnytsia, Chernivtsi, Odesa, Mykolaiv, Kherson, and Kyiv regions were presented at the conference.
Representatives of Ukrainian and Romanian government agencies, international financial organizations, investors, and business associations took part in the discussions. Among the registered participants were representatives of the European Investment Bank, the German development bank KfW, Japan’s JBIC, Poland’s BGK, the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, UkraineInvest, and the Union of Ukrainian Entrepreneurs.
The forum continued a series of New Strategy Center events dedicated to Romania’s participation in Ukraine’s recovery, which were previously held in December 2023 and December 2025.
The Cyprus Property Developers Association (CPDA) has spoken out against proposed restrictions on real estate purchases by citizens of countries outside the European Union, stating that foreign buyers are not the main cause of rising housing prices on the island.
Developers consider the main problems in the market to be an insufficient supply of affordable housing, a shortage of construction workers, and high construction costs, according to a report by the Cypriot publication Philenews on October 27, 2026.
According to the association’s estimates, foreign buyers account for about 20% of housing sales in Cyprus, so it is unreasonable to place the primary blame for rising prices on them.
Representatives of the construction industry also pointed out the lack of reliable, unified statistics on housing that is actually available for sale. According to them, government agencies rely on data regarding issued building permits, which do not reflect the actual number of properties remaining on the market.
In particular, a significant portion of apartments may be sold while still in the design phase or while permit documentation is being obtained.
The association provides a hypothetical example: if permits have been issued for the construction of 10,000 properties, but 5,000 of them have already been sold, the actual supply available to new buyers is only half of the stated number.
As a result, using building permit statistics without accounting for pre-sales can create an inflated perception of the supply volume and lead to misguided decisions in housing policy.
An additional problem remains the shortage of construction workers. According to developers’ estimates, the labor shortage limits the industry’s potential and extends project completion times, even when all necessary permits have already been obtained.
The association has called on the authorities to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the existing housing stock, the actual supply, and the structure of demand before imposing additional restrictions on buyers from third countries.
At the same time, data from Cyprus’s Department of Lands and Surveys (DLS) indicate the significant role of foreign demand in the real estate market.
From January through September 2026, 14,969 real estate purchase agreements were registered in Cyprus, which is 13.6% more than during the same period in 2025.
Of this total, 6,267 agreements, or approximately 41.9%, were concluded by foreign buyers. Citizens of non-EU countries made 4,173 purchases, while buyers from EU countries concluded 2,094 contracts.
Thus, third-country nationals accounted for about 27.9% of all registered real estate purchase and sale contracts and approximately two-thirds of foreign purchases.
The discrepancy between developers’ estimates of 20% and the statistics on registered contracts is explained, in part, by the use of different metrics. A real estate purchase and sale contract may be registered before construction is completed, while the actual transfer of ownership occurs later.
According to DLS data for January–July 2026, 2,683 properties were transferred to foreign buyers, or about 20.9% of all properties for which the registration of the transfer of ownership was completed.
Therefore, the figures for contracts signed and transactions completed cannot be directly compared as identical statistical categories.
The highest concentration of foreign demand is observed in coastal areas. From January through September 2026, foreign buyers signed 2,117 contracts in Paphos, 1,814 in Limassol, and 1,543 in Larnaca.
At the same time, the share of foreign buyers in the total number of purchase and sale contracts in Paphos reached approximately 71%, in Larnaca—47%, while in Nicosia it stood at about 16%.
This indicates significant regional differences in the structure of demand and explains why a potential tightening of rules governing real estate purchases by foreigners could have a stronger impact on coastal markets.
The debate surrounding foreign demand has intensified following the introduction of legislative initiatives in the Cypriot Parliament aimed at restricting real estate purchases by citizens of non-EU countries and foreign-controlled companies.
In particular, representatives of the AKEL party proposed limiting such citizens to the purchase of no more than one residential property with an area of up to 200 square meters, as well as restricting the purchase of certain categories of commercial real estate.
Additional proposals call for stricter oversight of the ultimate beneficiaries of companies purchasing real estate and restrictions on the acquisition of properties near strategic infrastructure.
Supporters of the changes attribute the need for additional regulation to rising housing costs and declining affordability for the local population.
However, the developers’ association believes that the legislative proposals are not sufficiently supported by statistical research.
According to developers, there is no data confirming the mass purchase of more than two residential properties by a single foreign buyer. Therefore, limiting the number of purchases may have a limited impact on real estate prices.
At the same time, growing foreign demand is one of the factors influencing the market. The Central Bank of Cyprus has previously noted that the rise in housing prices is driven by a combination of stable demand—particularly from foreign buyers—and rising construction costs.
According to the regulator, in the first quarter of 2026, residential real estate prices rose by 7.5% year-over-year; specifically, apartment prices increased by 10.8%, while single-family home prices rose by 3%.
Foreign demand for real estate in Cyprus is traditionally driven by several large groups of buyers, including citizens of the United Kingdom, Russia, Greece, Israel, and Lebanon.
According to data from the Cypriot Ministry of the Interior presented to Parliament in January 2025, foreign buyers purchased more than 37,000 properties between 2021 and 2024. During the same period, Cypriot citizens purchased more than 200,000 properties.
British citizens accounted for the largest number of purchases by foreigners during this period. They were followed by large groups of buyers from Russia, Israel, Greece, and Lebanon.
According to previously published estimates by Open4Business based on data from the Cypriot Ministry of the Interior, British buyers were associated with approximately 11,800 properties, Russians with 4,900, Greek citizens with 4,700, Israeli citizens with 3,900, and Lebanese citizens with 2,100 properties.
At the same time, the structure of foreign demand varies significantly by region.
In Limassol, Russians led the way from 2021 to 2024, purchasing 2,561 properties, followed by British buyers with 1,840 properties and Israelis with 1,154.
In Paphos, the main foreign buyers were citizens of the United Kingdom with 4,483 properties, Russia with 1,563, and Israel with 1,291.
In Larnaca, the largest groups were British buyers with 2,743 properties, citizens of Lebanon with 1,744, and Israel with 1,406.
In Nicosia, Greek citizens ranked first among foreign buyers, purchasing 1,626 properties, followed by British citizens with 1,584 and Australians with 545.
The latest data from the Cypriot Ministry of the Interior for the period from September 2024 to September 2025 indicates growing interest among Israeli buyers in Larnaca and Paphos.
Specifically, during this period, Israelis purchased 850 properties in Larnaca and 683 in Paphos. In Limassol, Russians remained the largest group with 846 purchases, while in Paphos, British buyers led the way with 890 properties.
Ukrainian citizens are also among the notable participants in the Cypriot real estate market. In previously published rankings for 2021–2024, Ukraine appeared in the top ten countries of origin for foreign buyers, ranking ninth.
According to market participants, Ukrainian buyers are most interested in real estate in Limassol and Paphos, particularly apartments for permanent residence and investment properties.
At the same time, the latest DLS statistics for 2026 categorize foreign buyers primarily as EU citizens and third-country nationals, without providing a complete, publicly available breakdown by specific nationalities. Therefore, it is impossible to reliably determine the current number of purchases made by Russians, Ukrainians, or Israelis from January through September 2026 based on this data.
The Republic of Cyprus has been a member of the European Union since 2004. The main centers of the country’s residential real estate market remain Limassol, Paphos, Larnaca, and Nicosia. Foreign demand is particularly noticeable in coastal areas, where a significant portion of new construction is geared toward international buyers and investors.
CONSTRUCTION, CYPRUS, foreign buyer, INVESTMENTS, REAL ESTATE
According to Fixygen, the American investment firm BlackRock has filed an application with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to register a new exchange-traded fund, the iShares Bitcoin Managed Protection ETF, which will allow investors to profit from Bitcoin’s price appreciation while partially limiting the risk of losses.
According to the fund’s preliminary prospectus published on the SEC’s website, the new instrument is planned to be listed on the exchange under the ticker symbol PBIT. Its strategy involves participating in the appreciation of the iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF (IBIT)—BlackRock’s flagship Bitcoin fund—or other Bitcoin-related instruments, while simultaneously limiting potential losses.
Unlike a traditional spot Bitcoin ETF, which directly holds the cryptocurrency, the new fund will not purchase Bitcoin or shares of other cryptocurrency exchange-traded products. Instead, it intends to use a combination of options and fixed-income instruments.
The investment strategy will be based on call options, which generate returns when the underlying asset’s value rises. BlackRock plans to simultaneously buy and sell such options, creating what are known as option spreads.
This structure helps limit potential losses if the price of Bitcoin falls, but at the same time sets an upper limit on returns in the event of a significant rise in the cryptocurrency’s price.
According to preliminary documentation, BlackRock intends to create three overlapping option portfolios with different start dates. Typically, one of the portfolios will expire each month, and a new one will be formed to replace it.
For each such portfolio, an initial protection level is provided, under which potential losses from changes in the value of the underlying asset are approximately limited to 10% at the time of option purchase, excluding commissions and expenses.
At the same time, the company emphasizes that this does not constitute a guaranteed capital protection at the fund level. The level of potential losses may vary depending on market conditions, the timing of unit purchases, and the terms of the option contracts.
The fund plans to allocate the remaining portion of its assets to cash, money market instruments, short-term government bonds, and other investment-grade debt securities.
The interest income generated is expected to be used to partially cover the costs of option strategies and mitigate potential investment losses.
BlackRock warns that the new product is not designed to completely eliminate the risks associated with Bitcoin. Given the sharp volatility of the cryptocurrency market, investors may lose some or all of their invested capital.
A key difference between the new fund and a conventional Bitcoin ETF lies in the nature of its returns. Holders of spot funds receive returns directly linked to the cryptocurrency’s price movements, net of expenses. Investors in the iShares Bitcoin Managed Protection ETF will participate in the growth of the underlying asset only to the extent determined by the options strategy.
Thus, in the event of a significant rise in Bitcoin’s price, the new fund’s returns may turn out to be significantly lower than the cryptocurrency’s own performance. At the same time, the strategy is designed to mitigate the effects of a market downturn.
The proposed product will expand BlackRock’s lineup of cryptocurrency investment instruments, which in January 2024 launched the iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF, a spot fund, under the ticker IBIT.
In June 2026, the company also introduced the iShares Bitcoin Premium Income ETF, designed to generate income from option premiums.
The new strategy differs from both of these instruments in that it combines limited exposure to Bitcoin’s price appreciation with a mechanism that provides partial protection against price declines.
The development of such products reflects the expansion of the institutional cryptocurrency investment market. Asset management firms offer investors not only direct exposure to digital assets through exchange-traded funds but also instruments with various combinations of return and risk.
For institutional investors, investment advisors, and holders of diversified portfolios, such products may be of interest as an alternative to direct ownership of cryptocurrency.
At the same time, protection mechanisms entail additional costs and limitations on returns, so their economic efficiency depends on market conditions.
According to the registration documents, BlackRock expects the application to take effect 75 days after its submission. However, the preliminary prospectus contains blank fields, particularly regarding the fund’s management fee.
Registration does not yet constitute approval to sell shares. The SEC has not approved the new investment product, and the final launch date has not yet been announced.
BlackRock is one of the world’s largest asset management companies. Through its iShares platform, the group offers a wide range of exchange-traded funds, including products based on stocks, bonds, commodities, and digital assets.
According to Fixygen, the global cryptocurrency market ended the week of October 19–25, 2026, with most major digital assets trading lower. Bitcoin fell to $80,000, Ethereum lost nearly 4% over seven days, and the total market capitalization stood at approximately $2.8 trillion.
The main factors driving these trends were volatile capital flows into U.S. cryptocurrency ETFs, heightened geopolitical uncertainty, and anticipation of the next U.S. Federal Reserve meeting.
According to CoinPaprika, as of October 25 at 10:00 UTC, Bitcoin (BTC) was trading at around $80,250, down 2.1% over the past seven days. Ethereum (ETH) was trading at $2,326 thousand, down 3.8%, while Solana (SOL) was trading at around $100.9, down 2.9% for the week.
Among other major cryptocurrencies, BNB rose by approximately 2% to $736.9, while XRP fell by 0.3% to $1.294. Dogecoin dropped by 3.6% to $0.0765, and Chainlink fell by 5.7% to $11.32.
The total market capitalization of the cryptocurrency market, according to CoinPaprika’s methodology, stood at approximately $2.81 trillion as of Sunday morning. Trading volume over the previous 24 hours reached $79.4 billion, and Bitcoin’s share of the total market value was estimated at 57.5%.
Meanwhile, the Fear & Greed Index stood at 54 points out of 100, indicating a neutral market sentiment. This figure suggests that neither optimistic nor pessimistic sentiment is clearly dominant, despite the decline in prices.
Bitcoin started the week near the $82,000 mark and, during the first trading days, attempted to recover from the decline that occurred in mid-October amid higher-than-expected U.S. inflation figures.
On October 21, BTC prices approached $85,000 but failed to break through that level. A subsequent correction pushed the cryptocurrency back to around $82,000, and the decline continued through the weekend.
On October 24, Bitcoin fell to approximately $80,400, after which the market attempted to stabilize.
As a result, by October 25, the leading cryptocurrency was once again near the psychologically significant $80,000 level. After two weeks of volatile price action, investors continue to assess the prospects for a recovery in institutional demand.
Ethereum showed weaker weekly performance compared to Bitcoin. The decline in ETH was accompanied by an outflow of funds from specialized exchange-traded funds, while investors in Bitcoin ETFs maintained a positive investment balance at the end of the trading week.
Solana also fell in price, despite the implementation of one of the most significant network upgrades in recent years.
One of the most important indicators of the week was the performance of U.S. spot exchange-traded funds investing in cryptocurrencies. According to data from Farside Investors, over the five trading days from October 19 to 23, net inflows into spot Bitcoin ETFs totaled approximately $301.2 million.
By comparison, during the previous week, October 12–16, investors withdrew approximately $228 million from these funds.
However, significant fluctuations were observed during the reporting period.
On October 19, net inflows into Bitcoin ETFs totaled $526.7 million; on October 20, $23.2 million; and on October 21, $524.8 million.
Over the next two days, the direction of the flows reversed. On October 22, investors withdrew $635.6 million, and on October 23, another approximately $137.9 million.
Thus, the positive weekly result was driven primarily by large inflows on Monday and Wednesday, which offset significant outflows in the second half of the week.
From October 19–23, approximately $220.7 million was withdrawn from U.S. spot Ethereum ETFs. Negative results were recorded on four out of five trading days, with the largest outflow occurring on October 22, when investors withdrew $110.6 million.
According to Fixygen, the global cryptocurrency market ended the week of October 19–25, 2026, with most major digital assets trading lower. Bitcoin fell to $80,000, Ethereum lost nearly 4% over seven days, and the total market capitalization stood at approximately $2.8 trillion. The main factors driving these trends were volatile capital flows into U.S. cryptocurrency ETFs, heightened geopolitical uncertainty, and anticipation of the next meeting of the U.S. Federal Reserve.
According to CoinPaprika, as of October 25 at 10:00 UTC, Bitcoin (BTC) was trading at around $80,250, down 2.1% over the past seven days. Ethereum (ETH) was trading at $2,326 thousand, down 3.8%, while Solana (SOL) was trading at around $100.9, down 2.9% for the week.
Among other major cryptocurrencies, BNB rose by approximately 2% to $736.9, while XRP fell by 0.3% to $1.294. Dogecoin dropped by 3.6% to $0.0765, and Chainlink fell by 5.7% to $11.32.
The total market capitalization of the cryptocurrency market, according to CoinPaprika’s methodology, stood at approximately $2.81 trillion as of Sunday morning. Trading volume over the previous 24 hours reached $79.4 billion, and Bitcoin’s share of the total market value was estimated at 57.5%.
Meanwhile, the Fear & Greed Index stood at 54 points out of 100, indicating a neutral market sentiment. This figure suggests that neither optimistic nor pessimistic sentiment is clearly dominant, despite the decline in prices.
Bitcoin started the week near the $82,000 mark and, during the first trading days, attempted to recover from the decline that occurred in mid-October amid higher-than-expected U.S. inflation figures.
On October 21, BTC prices approached $85,000 but failed to break through that level. A subsequent correction brought the cryptocurrency back down to around $82,000, and the decline continued through the weekend.
On October 24, Bitcoin fell to approximately $80,400, after which the market attempted to stabilize.
As a result, by October 25, the leading cryptocurrency was once again near the psychologically significant $80,000 level. After two weeks of volatile price action, investors continue to assess the prospects for a recovery in institutional demand.
Ethereum showed weaker weekly performance compared to Bitcoin. The decline in ETH was accompanied by outflows from specialized exchange-traded funds, while investors in Bitcoin ETFs maintained a positive investment balance at the end of the trading week.
Solana also fell in price, despite the implementation of one of the most significant network upgrades in recent years.
One of the most important indicators of the week was the performance of U.S. spot exchange-traded funds investing in cryptocurrencies. According to data from Farside Investors, over the five trading days from October 19 to 23, net inflows into spot Bitcoin ETFs totaled approximately $301.2 million.
By comparison, during the previous week, October 12–16, investors withdrew approximately $228 million from these funds.
However, significant fluctuations were observed during the reporting period.
On October 19, net inflows into Bitcoin ETFs totaled $526.7 million; on October 20, $23.2 million; and on October 21, $524.8 million.
Over the next two days, the direction of the flows reversed. On October 22, investors withdrew $635.6 million, and on October 23, another approximately $137.9 million.
Thus, the positive weekly result was driven primarily by large inflows on Monday and Wednesday, which offset significant outflows in the second half of the week.
From October 19–23, approximately $220.7 million was withdrawn from U.S. spot Ethereum ETFs. Negative results were recorded on four out of five trading days, with the largest outflow occurring on October 22, when investors withdrew $110.6 million.
More than 16 billion hryvnias have already been spent on improving the capital’s resilience since the beginning of 2026, compared to 2 billion hryvnias last year, and another 4.5–5 billion hryvnias are planned to be spent by the end of this year, said Oleksandr Kharchenko, director of the Center for Energy Research.
“This is effectively a tenfold increase in investment, and these investments are specifically in security measures. This includes protecting high-voltage substations, providing backup power for essential sewer systems, and providing backup power for heating systems,” he said during a discussion titled “Ukraine on the Threshold of Winter: Energy, Defense, and the New Diplomatic Reality” at the Interfax-Ukraine news agency on Friday.
At the same time, according to the expert, the city needs an additional approximately EUR1.5 billion to carry out the necessary work to improve resilience.
As he noted, this year’s preparations for the heating season in Kyiv were funded primarily by the local budget, while the central budget’s share amounted to only about 10%.
“The national budget is not in very good shape right now, and payments in treasury accounts were frozen for over a month, which dealt a severe blow to all local authorities and to winter preparations as well,” explained the director of the Center for Economic Development.
As a result, some of the equipment that the city had planned to install by November or December will have to be put into operation later due to the four-week delay.
As Kharchenko recalled, in January 2026, all of Kyiv’s local power generation capacity was destroyed. In other words, Kyiv—with consumption of approximately 2 GW at a temperature of -10°C, and consumption of 1.2 GW under the current weather conditions in Ukraine—had 1.3 GW of domestic generating capacity until January 2026.
“In January 2026, these facilities were physically destroyed. What does this lead to? It leads precisely to the effects that are currently causing great distress among Kyiv residents,” explained Kharchenko.
In the absence of power generation in the city, the metro shuts down and switches to backup power, and the water utility’s pumping stations also shut down and switch to backup power—which, under such operating conditions, cannot provide full service.
However, according to the expert, despite this, the city has currently secured its key systems against man-made accidents and strategic technological issues.
“But it’s one thing to maintain water pressure in the water mains—which allows water to circulate through the pipes, fill reservoirs, and support basic infrastructure—and quite another to deliver pressure, say, to Pechersk or certain other districts located on hills,” he added.
This cannot be achieved without the operation of the main power supply lines at the water utility’s facilities.
“Therefore, certain inconveniences this winter are almost inevitable,” the expert concluded.
According to Kharchenko, in most cities it is impossible—due to engineering and regulatory factors—to implement technical projects aimed at improving energy resilience in a single season lasting seven to eight months; this would take two to three years.
“First, you spend seven to eight months on paperwork—even if you have the money—and then you start building something. This applies to everything: installing backup power supplies, backup generators, decentralized cogeneration plants—absolutely everything,” he explained.
According to the director of the Center for Energy Efficiency (CEE), Kyiv, in particular, needs approximately another EUR1.5 billion to do everything necessary to ensure the city’s resilience. Nationwide, the need could amount to 250–300 billion UAH per year for at least the next two years.
energy resilience, HEATING SEASON, INVESTMENTS, Kharchenko, KYIV, POWER GENERATION
