Business week: rising gas prices, reboot of Ukrbud and Kyivmiskbud

The Verkhovna Rada has passed a law on public-private partnerships. It is expected to bring up to $1 billion in investments in the reconstruction of state and municipal facilities.

Other topics discussed this week included: ukrbud's purchase by a Georgian holding, ways for Kyivmiskbud to overcome the crisis, an increase in the number of systemically important banks, investment market problems, de-shadowing of bus transportation, and record payments under the National Cashback program.

What else was memorable about the business week – in a new review from LIGA.net.

The number of systemically important banks has increased

on June 17, the National Bank of Ukraine updated the list of systemically important banks. Compared to the previous year, it has increased by one position – bought by Sergey Tigipko, Idea Bank, according to of the NBU website .

Systemically important banks of Ukraine in 2025 include 16 financial institutions: A-Bank, Idea Bank, Credit Agricole Bank, Kredobank, OTP Bank, Oschadbank, Pivdenny, PrivatBank, FUIB, Raiffeisen Bank, Sens Bank, TAScombank.

A systemically important bank is a bank whose operations affect the stability of the entire banking system. The NBU may apply stricter requirements to systemically important banks to reduce the likelihood of their failure, including increased capital ratios.

Read also: NBU updates the list of systemically important banks: their number has increased

The main problems of the investment market are identified

Despite the interest of citizens, the investment market in Ukraine remains fragmented, underdeveloped and vulnerable to external and internal challenges.

Key barriers include the lack of a funded pension system, chronic investor insecurity, and the absence of an effective market infrastructure and government policy to attract small capital. This is compounded by law enforcement pressure, a weak judicial system, and regulatory inconsistency .

"As long as these factors exist, no increase in capital investment will change the general distrust of foreign business in the Ukrainian market..

Natalia Morozova, attorney at law at Ario Law Firm, told this in a comment to LIGA.net

Morozova sees systemic reforms as the way out. This should be a real, not declarative, fight against corruption, cleansing law enforcement agencies of abuses, and reform of the judicial system. Without this, Ukraine will remain a difficult territory for investors – even though it has great potential for growth.

See also: What's wrong with the investment market in Ukraine. Analyzing the main problems

Ukrbud gets a new owner

on June 18, a large-scale privatization auction for the state-owned Ukrbud was held. The offer included a state-owned stake of 100% of the authorized capital. The nominal value of the corporate rights is UAH 193.1 million. The starting price of the lot was UAH 262.6 million. As a result, Ukrbud was sold for UAH 805 million and a thousand .

The auction was won by Petro Oil & Chemicals LLC, which offered a price of 805 million and one thousand hryvnias.

Petro Oil & Chemicals LLC was founded in 2019. The company's core business is the production of refined products. It represents the interests of Georgian Industrial Group, the largest coal company in Georgia, in Ukraine. The beneficiary is David Bezhuashvili through the Georgian company Chemeksim International Ltd, a businessman and founder of GIG.

According to LIGA360, Petroleum & Chemicals' net profit in 2024 decreased by 63% to UAH 18.1 million.

According to LIGA.net, the company is currently going through all the necessary procedures and will be ready to talk about the future of Ukrbud in 2 weeks.

Read also: The Battle for Ukrbud. How a Georgian Holding bypassed Suprunenko and what it means for Kyiv

The main tasks of Kyivmiskbud are named

The main task of Kyivmiskbud is to find financing, complete the recapitalization procedure and ensure that the company receives funds. It is also important to resume the suspended construction.

Svitlana Samsonova, the new head of Kyiv City Construction, told this in an interview with LIGA.net .

The situation in the company is called difficult due to serious financial difficulties. But there are also some achievements.

"First of all, we are actively working on additional capitalization. We have conducted a mandatory audit for 2023-2024, which was not available before – it was performed by Crowe Ukraine. In addition, we have developed many necessary and important documents and decisions. We are confidently moving towards the company receiving additional funding this year. Without this, further development is impossible," said Samsonova .

The company is now activating all its resources, updating information on its website, and launching the sale of the remaining real estate on its balance sheet.

Read also: This year, Kyivmiskbud will receive UAH 2.6 billion in additional capitalization. Interview with the new head of the company

De-shadowing of bus transportation

The Ministry of Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine has started cooperation with Mastercard in the field of bus transportation reform. The partnership is aimed at de-shadowing the market, developing digital services and analyzing passenger flows, informs press service of the Ministry.

"Our goal is to give passengers the opportunity to choose only legal transportation, and for the carrier to conveniently manage routes and develop business. Together with Mastercard, we will work on modern solutions for this area," said Deputy Minister Sergiy Derkach.

According to the Ministry of Development, more than 25% of passengers buy tickets through social media and pay for them with direct card transfers, which indicates a significant amount of illegal market share.

Derkach also presented the Transport Data Hub project, a platform for collecting and analyzing transport data that should become the basis for shaping state policy in the field of mobility and logistics.

Read also: 25% of tickets are in the shadows: Mastercard to join bus transportation reform in Ukraine

Losses of wheat harvest

More than 20 leading agricultural associations have appealed to the government to intervene in the critical situation in agriculture, which has developed due to abnormal drought, spring frosts, and EU restrictions on Ukrainian agricultural exports. This was reported to by in the UAC.

According to the data provided in the appeal, the greatest damage was done to agricultural farms in the southern and eastern regions, in particular Kherson and Dnipro regions.

"According to a survey conducted by the All-Ukrainian Agrarian Council among farmers in Kherson region, more than 55,000 hectares of crops have been lost in the region. In large areas, the loss of wheat, a key crop for food security, ranges from 50% to 100%," the statement reads.

According to USDA forecasts, wheat production in 2025 will be about 23 million tons, which is almost 10 million tons less than in 2021.

Read also: Wheat harvest losses in Ukraine reach up to 100%. Farmers turned to Shmyhal for help

Mandatory statistical reporting is coming back

The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has adopted amendments to the legislation that re-introduce the obligation to submit statistical and financial reports by enterprises, institutions and organizations operating in the government-controlled territory. Amendments were made to paragraph 1 of the Law of Ukraine "On Protection of Interests of Subjects of Submission of Reports and Other Documents during Martial Law or State of War", informs State Statistics Service.

The State Statistics Service explains that full-fledged official statistics are needed to make informed government decisions and to fulfill obligations to Eurostat.

Thus :

• The mandatory submission of reports, including statistical.
• Resumes conducting sample surveys of the population on employment, living conditions, income, etc..
• Provides for a transition period of 3 months, during which companies can submit reports for the period when they did not report.

Read also: Mandatory statistical reporting has been restored in Ukraine

Gas price increase

on June 18, natural gas prices on the Ukrainian market rose sharply to UAH 31,500 per 1000 cubic meters including VAT, reaching their highest level since November 2022. This was reported by ExPro.

Gas was traded in the range of UAH 31,200 to UAH 31,900 per 1000 cubic meters including VAT, and at the end of the day it was already at UAH 32,000 and more.

Excluding VAT, the cost of gas was $626-640 per 1000 cubic meters or 51-52 euros per megawatt-hour.

One of the reasons for the rise in price was the rise in prices at European hubs, which on June 18 exceeded 40 euros per megawatt-hour for the first time since the beginning of April 2025.

Gas prices in Ukraine started to rise in May 2025. Since then, prices have risen by 60%, and by 26% since the beginning of June.

Read also: Gas prices in Ukraine soared by 60% in a month to the highest level since November 2022

Record payments on National Cashback

The government has paid UAH 445 million in cashback to more than 3.4 million citizens for April purchases of Ukrainian goods. This is stated in the message of the Ministry of Economy.

This amount is the largest since the program began. In September 2024, it was UAH 37.2 million. The funds were received by those who activated the National Cashback card in the Diia app and accumulated more than UAH 2.

Since the start of the program in September 2024, the state has already paid more than UAH 2.4 billion in cashback.

The money can be spent by the end of 2025 on utilities, medicines, books, or donated to charity, military bonds, or the Armed Forces .

Read also: Ukrainians were paid a record UAH 445 million of National Cashback in April

A mechanism for public-private partnerships has emerged

On June 19, the Verkhovna Rada adopted in the second reading and in general the draft law No. 7508 on improving the mechanism of public-private partnership. This will allow attracting private investments and grants to restore state and municipal facilities.

The first reading of the draft law was held in parliament in October 2022.

"Thanks to the amendments to the legislation, we expect that the mechanism will finally work and bring us up to $1 billion in investments in specific projects in the coming years. First of all, it can be in the following areas: ports, hospitals, municipal facilities," commented Minister of Economy Yulia Svyrydenko .

on the adoption of the law

According to Dmytro Natalukha, head of the Rada's Committee on Economic Development , , the law provides for simplified procedures for raising funds for small projects worth up to EUR 5.5 million. It harmonizes Ukrainian legislation on public-private partnerships with European standards and provides for the possibility of using external donor support.

"This is not just an investment reform – it is a tool to quickly launch reconstruction where it is needed most. That is why its adoption is an important signal to international partners," emphasized Natalukha .

Read also: Rada passes law that will bring up to $1 billion in investment in reconstruction