Business Week: a new tranche from the EU, millions of debts of individual entrepreneurs, and the creation of a crypto reserve

Last week's business news in Ukraine was intense and diverse: the euro updated its historic high, exceeding UAH 48, and Ukraine received another billion-dollar tranche from the EU, funds that should support the state budget at a critical time.

At the same time, the Verkhovna Rada registered a draft law that allows the creation of a crypto reserve in Ukraine. This may be the first step toward the digital transformation of the country's reserve policy.

It also became known that the number of debtors among individual entrepreneurs has increased: more than 1.2 million entrepreneurs have accumulated tax debts worth UAH 13 billion. Meanwhile, oil prices soared after Israel's attack on Iranian facilities, and the US is once again talking about the risk of default. Read more about these and other news in the digest from LIGA.net.

Euro exchange rate in Ukraine exceeds UAH 48 for the first time

This week, the official euro exchange rate in Ukraine for the first time exceeded the UAH 48 mark.

According to the official exchange rate of the National Bank of Ukraine as of June 13, the hryvnia depreciated by 62 kopecks against the euro to 48.08 UAH/€.

The 47 UAH mark in Ukraine was crossed by back in April this year.

Ukraine is talking about creating a crypto reserve

on June 10, a group of MPs led by Yaroslav Zheleznyak registered draft law No. 13356, which allows for the creation of a crypto reserve in Ukraine.

In general, the draft law authorizes the National Bank to include virtual assets in Ukraine's reserves. Moreover, how, when, and how much is a decision of the regulator itself.

"First, we give this opportunity to the National Bank. Secondly, we do not say what part – 5%, 10%, 15%, 20% – of our international reserves the National Bank as a regulator should transfer into virtual assets. It is their choice. We give them this opportunity. We do not force them to transfer money to any particular cryptocurrency right away. There is a great choice here," says Zheleznyak .

Will Ukraine really be able to create its own crypto reserve? How long will it take? And does Ukraine need a crypto reserve? Read the article: More than 46,000 bitcoins are already available. Will a full-fledged crypto reserve appear in Ukraine

Ukraine receives fifth tranche from the EU

on June 13, Ukraine received the fifth tranche of the G7 Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration for Ukraine (ERA) initiative from the European Union. The amount is 1 billion euros. This was reported by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal. The funds are secured by income from assets linked to Russia.

"The funds raised will be used for key expenditures of the state budget," Shmyhal said in a statement .

In 2025, the European Union has already provided Ukraine with €10.5 billion in direct budget support, the largest contribution among all international partners.

Ukrainian gas stations choose foreign bioethanol

According to the law "On Alternative Fuels," on May 1, Ukraine introduced a requirement for a minimum share of biocomponents in gasoline of about 5% (according to the European codification – E5).

According to Yaroslav Starovoitenko, president of the Ukrainian Oil and Gas Association (UOGA), the cost of such a fuel mixture in Europe is slightly higher than regular gasoline. However, after the introduction of the rule, the final price of A-95 on the shelves of Ukrainian gas stations has not changed much. As of June 11, a liter of 95 cost an average of UAH 54.97, which is only 15 kopecks more expensive than on April 30, according to the A-95 Consulting Group.

One of the explanations is that key operators of gas stations in the Ukrainian market have started importing gasoline with the standard share of bio-components since April 2025, preparing for the new requirement.

Read more about why Ukrainian gas stations choose foreign bioethanol in the article: Betrayal, marketing or forced circumstances. Why Ukrainian gas stations choose foreign bioethanol .

Annual inflation in Ukraine exceeded the discount rate

Ukraine's annualized inflation rate has once again accelerated, according to the State Statistics Service. Annual inflation in May was 15.9% (compared to May 2024) after 15.1% in April. The last time it was higher was two years ago, in June 2023 .

Monthly inflation (compared to April 2025) in May accelerated to 1.3% after 0.7% in the previous month.

In May, fruit prices rose the most – by 17.6% and meat prices – by 5.4%.Eggs fell significantly – by 8.7%.

One million individual entrepreneurs have a tax debt

According to the State Tax Service, every second individual entrepreneur has a tax debt. The number of individual entrepreneurs with debts increased sharply after the start of the full-scale war and reached a maximum of 1.3 million in 2025. Over the past five months, this number has remained almost unchanged and as of May 1, it amounts to 1,289,423 debtors.

The amount of their debt reaches UAH 13 billion. Most new debtors (+31%) appeared in the first year of the full-scale war. In 2024, the situation deteriorated again, and the number of individual entrepreneurs with tax debt began to grow rapidly (+16%).

The coffee market in Ukraine continues to grow

According to data from, an American marketing agency Strategy Helix, the coffee market in Ukraine will grow at a moderate pace and reach USD 1,292.0 million by 2030. While in 2024, it amounted to 860.9 million dollars. This will result in a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7%.

According to the Specialty Coffee Association of Ukraine, there are more than 150 roasters in Ukraine – small and large enterprises that roast coffee. However, this is the official figure, and there are also businesses that operate unofficially. Their number is about the same .

"Coffee consumption has grown by 15%-19%, despite the smaller number of people who have stayed in Ukraine. The amount of Arabica consumption is increasing every year. Stress, nights without sleep subconsciously provoke dependence on caffeine, vigor and just the habit of drinking coffee in the morning to wake up," says Khrystyna Havrych, National Coordinator of Specialty Coffee in Ukraine.

Read more about what's happening to the domestic coffee market and why Ukrainian coffee is the best in the world in the article: Ukraine has created one of the most developed coffee markets in the world: is there room for everyone.

Oil prices rise as a result of Israel's strike on Iran

The Israeli army attacked Iran's nuclear program facilities and military targets. It is noted that dozens of Israeli Air Force aircraft have completed the first stage, which included strikes on military targets, including nuclear ones, in various parts of Iran.

As a result, on June 13, the price of Brent oil jumped by 13% (the most since March 2022 after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine), reaching $78 per barrel. As of 9:15 a.m., prices had slightly pulled back to around $74 per barrel.

The US faces a default in August

The United States may face a default on its national debt in the second half of the summer. This was stated by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent at a hearing in the House of Representatives Committee.

Asked when the US will run out of money to pay the bills on its $36.9 trillion national debt, Bessent said he expects it to happen in mid- to late summer.

According to the US Treasury Secretary, the estimated default date is a "moving target" that may be inaccurate.

Bessent also noted that if the tax bill of US President Donald Trump is not passed, America could face the biggest financial crisis since 2008.

EU opens market for Ukrainian seeds

The Council of the European Union recognized the equivalence of Ukrainian standards for the production of beet, sunflower, rapeseed and soybean seeds to European requirements.

This means that Ukrainian seeds of these crops have gained full access to the EU market without additional checks, as Ukrainian quality control standards are recognized as equivalent to European ones.

Ukraine has had equivalence for grain crops since 2020, and now the list has been expanded to include four more crops.