If the Cabinet of Ministers gives priority in rail transport to oil and fuel, then metal products should be given the same priority, said Oleksandr Kalenkov, president of the Ukrmetallurgprom Public Organization, in a post on the organization’s website.
According to him, the government is drafting a resolution that will give priority on railways, in ports, and at the border to two types of cargo: fuel and vegetable oil.
“There are no issues with fuel. Without it, businesses cannot operate, and the country will not survive the winter. But the fact that vegetable oil ended up second on the list—and metallurgy isn’t even on it—surprised me, to be honest,” Kalenkov wrote.
He added that the draft’s authors explain their choice by citing high added value and foreign exchange earnings. “I agree with that. But based on precisely these criteria, the metallurgical industry should have been among the first on the list. In 2025, our industry accounted for about 5.5% of GDP, 150 billion hryvnias in taxes, and $6 billion in foreign exchange earnings,” stated the head of “Ukrmetallurgprom.”
Kalenkov emphasized that today, steelworkers are operating under constant shelling and are on the brink of survival. Since July, seaports have been effectively closed. Now, the railway crossings on the western border and the Danube are our only route to customers. The cost of transporting raw materials has risen from $30 to $68 per metric ton of product.
“Europe needs Ukrainian steel. Our main advantage over Asian competitors lies in speed: we deliver in days or weeks, not months. Therefore, every day spent waiting in line at the border translates into lost revenue for the state. On behalf of the industry, we have officially appealed to the Prime Minister to include metal products in this pilot program under the same conditions as fuel and oil. If the state sets priorities based on added value and foreign exchange, the steel industry must be on that list,” concluded the president of the “Ukrmetallurgprom” Association.
The number of successful electronic user identifications via the National Bank of Ukraine’s (NBU) BankID system rose to 33.2 million in the third quarter of 2026, a 19.9% increase compared to the same period last year, when there were 27.7 million, the regulator reported.
According to the National Bank, compared to the second quarter of 2026, the number of identifications increased by 1%, and on average, approximately 360,000 identifications were carried out through the system per day.
In the third quarter, the “Army+” mobile app was directly integrated with BankID, simplifying the authorization process for military personnel. The “112 Ukraine” app for contacting emergency services, the “My Passport Service” app for passport services, and Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute (KPI) for access to the university’s internal services have also joined the system.
In addition, three microcredit providers have joined BankID: “Terra Credit” Financial Company LLC, “Credit to You” LLC, and “Mega Credit” Financial Company LLC, which will use the system for remote identification when issuing online loans.
Currently, the NBU’s BankID system comprises 37 subscriber-identifiers and 120 subscriber-service providers.
In the first nine months of 2026, Ukraine connected 1.9 GW of new power capacity, which represents more than 80% of the annual target, according to Viktor Mykyta, deputy head of the Office of the President of Ukraine.
“As of now, we have reached 1.9 GW of connected capacity. This is more than 80% of the annual target,” Mykyta wrote on his Telegram channel following a meeting with the heads of regional military administrations.
According to him, the meeting focused primarily on local efforts to increase connected capacity and strengthen the regions’ energy resilience. Communities are working to develop a decentralized power generation system with the participation of businesses and investors.
Specifically, during the period in question, more than 620 MW of wind power capacity, more than 520 MW of cogeneration capacity, as well as more than 460 MW of solar power capacity and more than 270 MW of solar power capacity from private households were connected to the grid.
“People continue to install off-grid power systems for their homes, and this trend remains strong. We thank the heads of regional state administrations, communities, businesses, and others for their work in each individual region, which is so important for the country,” the Deputy Head of the Presidential Office stated on Friday.
DECENTRALIZATION, ENERGY, POWER GENERATION, RENEWABLE ENERGY, UKRAINE
In Ukraine, 1,293 personal bankruptcy cases were filed from January through September 2026, which is 37% more than during the same period in 2025. The highest number of such cases was recorded in Kyiv, Kyiv Oblast, and Lviv Oblast, according to data from the Supreme Court published on October 19 by “OpenDataBot,” a service that monitors state registries.
According to the study, the number of personal bankruptcy cases has been rising for the fourth consecutive year following a decline in 2022. In 2021, 496 cases were filed; in 2022, 374; in 2023, 576; in 2024, 927; and in 2025, 1,348.
Thus, in just the first nine months of 2026, the number of cases already exceeded the total for all of 2024 by 39.5% and accounted for nearly 96% of the total for all of 2025.
In total, 5,014 cases of individual insolvency have been recorded in Ukraine since the beginning of 2021.
The largest share of citizens who initiated bankruptcy proceedings in 2026 consists of people aged 25 to 45. This category accounts for 876 cases, or 67.7% of the total.
Another 304 cases, or 23.5%, involve individuals over 45 years of age, while 113 cases, or 8.7%, were filed by citizens under 25 years of age. The youngest applicant is 20 years old, and the oldest is 77.
In terms of gender distribution, 2026 marked the first time that women outnumbered men among the parties to such proceedings: 685 women versus 608 men. Women accounted for 53%, whereas in 2025, men accounted for 51%.
Regionally, the courts in Kyiv handled the largest number of insolvency cases involving individuals—228 proceedings. Compared to the first nine months of 2025, this number increased by 57.2% from 145 cases.
The Kyiv region ranked second with 130 proceedings, and the Lviv region ranked third with 109. These three regions account for 467 cases, or 36.1% of the national total.
In the Kyiv region, the number of cases rose by 85.7%, from 70 to 130, and in the Lviv region, by 43.4%, from 76 to 109.
Among the regions with a notable increase in the number of cases are also the Kirovohrad region, where the figure rose by 115%, from 20 to 43 cases; the Ternopil region—by 64.3%, from 28 to 46; and the Kharkiv region—by 59.4%, from 32 to 51.
At the same time, some regions saw a decrease in the number of cases. Specifically, in Vinnytsia Oblast, the figure fell by 18.2%, from 77 to 63 cases; in Odesa Oblast, by 5.9%, from 68 to 64; and in Mykolaiv Oblast, by 31.3%, from 16 to 11.
The increase in the number of insolvency cases may indicate both a rise in the debt burden on individual households and more active use by citizens of the debt settlement procedure provided for by law. At the same time, these statistics alone do not allow for determining the causes of bankruptcy for each applicant.
Individuals in Ukraine gained the ability to initiate bankruptcy proceedings in October 2019, following the entry into force of the Code of Ukraine on Bankruptcy Procedures.
Unlike corporate bankruptcy, insolvency proceedings against an individual can be initiated only upon the individual’s own petition. Creditors do not have the right to initiate such proceedings against an individual on their own.
However, the opening of proceedings does not automatically mean that the person is declared bankrupt or that all their debts are discharged. The court proceedings may involve debt restructuring, the satisfaction of creditors’ claims through the sale of assets, and subsequent discharge from certain obligations in cases provided for by law.
Certain types of debt, such as child support obligations, are not subject to discharge as a result of bankruptcy proceedings.
In addition, for five years after being declared bankrupt, the individual is required to disclose their status before entering into loan, credit, surety, or pledge agreements. Reopening an insolvency case during this period is also restricted by law.
You can check information about an individual’s bankruptcy through the “OpenDataBot” service using their tax ID number.
“OpenDataBot” is a Ukrainian service that monitors public registries, providing information on companies, entrepreneurs, court decisions, debt obligations, and other legally significant data. The service regularly publishes analytical reports based on government statistics and open data.
Source: “OpenDataBot”
On October 28, the 6th All-Ukrainian Sports Marketing Conference, SBC Summit Ukraine 2026 Lviv, will take place. For the first time, the event is moving outside the capital, reaffirming its status as the premier sports marketing event of the year, relevant to the entire country. Barvy Event Hall will host over 600 participants and more than 40 speakers, who will take the stage on two platforms.
SBC Summit Ukraine is the flagship conference of the Sport&Business Club community, held twice a year, and in 2024 it serves as the primary platform for dialogue between sports, business, and media in Ukraine. The event brings together key industry players—representatives of sports clubs, leagues, and federations, as well as media and business entities involved in sports. The conference program will cover the industry’s most pressing topics—from brand strategies and sponsorship to sports development, digital communications, and media in wartime conditions.
Among the speakers already announced are:
You can purchase tickets for SBC Summit Ukraine 2026 Lviv via this link: WayForPay. A SPORT-category ticket includes conference attendance and networking with industry professionals, access to the Sport&Business Club community, a participant’s kit, and a photo/video recap of the conference.
The BUSINESS ticket category additionally includes access to the business lounge and speakers’ area, exclusive networking with key representatives from sports, business, and media, a hospitality area provided by partners, priority entry to the event via the fast line, seats in rows 1–4 of the auditorium, access to speakers’ presentations, a video recording of the event, and a free, guaranteed parking space.
Open4Business is the information partner of the 6th All-Ukrainian Conference.
The newly adopted law (No. 16051-1) abolishing the value-added tax exemption for international postal shipments valued at up to EUR150 will negatively impact the operations of Ukrainian retailers, importers, and manufacturers, according to Volodymyr Poperechnyuk, co-founder of Ukraine’s largest postal and logistics operator, Nova Poshta.
“People won’t stop importing; they’ll just spend more money. Among other things, they’ll spend money on import brokerage services, which ‘Nova Poshta’ will provide. But there will be less money for retail,” Poperesnyuk said during the event “Business and New Challenges: Dialogues with NV” in Kyiv on Friday.
In his view, there is virtually no alternative to imports, since 99% of goods are produced globally, while Ukraine accounts for only 0.2% of the world’s population.
On Facebook, Poperechnyuk emphasized that instead of raising taxes, Ukraine needs to lower them, as well as pursue deregulation and privatization.
“Our defense capability, development, and true independence directly depend on the business environment,” Poperechnyuk noted.
As previously reported, on October 15, on its third attempt, the Verkhovna Rada adopted in the second reading and as a whole Bill No. 16051-1 on amendments to the Tax Code regarding VAT on e-commerce transactions, which repeals the tax exemption for international postal shipments valued at up to EUR150.
The implementation of the law’s provisions, in conjunction with amendments to the Customs Code (Bill No. 15460) is a condition for Ukraine to receive the next tranche under the program with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) of approximately $0.7 billion and the second tranche of macro-financial assistance from the European Union of EUR3.7 billion as part of the EUR90 billion Loan to Support Ukraine. Under the updated memorandum with the IMF, Ukraine was required to adopt this law by July 2026, and under the initial version—by the end of March, along with other tax regulations—but this structural milestone was not met.
The law provides for the introduction of special VAT rules for distance sales of goods (excluding excise goods) imported via international postal and express shipments to individuals, valued at up to EUR150, where e-commerce platforms or their intermediaries are designated as responsible for calculating and paying the tax.
At the same time, the VAT exemption remains in place for small, non-commercial shipments valued at up to EUR45 sent from individuals to individuals free of charge, as well as for goods in unaccompanied baggage valued at up to EUR150 and goods for security and defense (energy equipment and goods for the defense forces).
Prior to the first reading, during the presentation of the bill, Ukrainian Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko noted that the implementation of these provisions would generate approximately 10 billion UAH in additional revenue for the state budget annually.
