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The Polish ASEE Group, part of the Asseco Group, acquired Ukrainian company Askep.net, a leading provider of healthcare software. This is the first M&A deal with a Ukrainian SaaS company since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, highlighting renewed investor interest in the Ukrainian market. The merger will allow ASEE to expand SaaS activities beyond the traditional areas of banking and utilities, developing in the medical technology direction. In turn, Askep.net, whose software solutions are used by 500 medical institutions

The EU’s recent decision to allocate $440M to Ukraine to support its defense industry indicates a sharp turnaround in the bloc’s approach to Russia’s war. One of the EU diplomats noted: “Europe realizes that it cannot produce the weapons that Ukraine needs, and the easiest way to fill the deficit is for the Ukrainians to do it themselves.” The German Marshall Fund believes investment in the Ukrainian military industry “ensures greater flexibility” and “provides greater potential in the short term.”

EU High Representative Josep Borrell noted that Russia’s aggressive war is seen as an existential threat to the EU. Therefore, the determination of joint borrowing to finance Ukrainian military support should be carried out quickly while simultaneously strengthening Europe’s competitiveness in critical sectors of the defense industry. Borrell states that the EU spends €14.4B annually on research and development in the military sphere, while the US allots €130B. European investments are fragmented and distributed among countries, with only 18% of

The IMF, one of Ukraine’s key donors, has made an important decision that will reduce public debt payments for developing countries, including Ukraine. From November, the IMF will reduce its commissions, affecting costs for countries with IMF financing programs. “In difficult global conditions and a period of high interest rates, our member states have reached a consensus on a comprehensive set of measures that significantly reduce the cost of borrowing,” IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva commented on the decision. With the

The Leader of the Opposition and a candidate for Chancellor of Germany, Friedrich Merz, expressed his readiness to support the provision of long-range Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine. “If the bombing does not stop, the first step should be to remove the range restrictions, and the second is the delivery of the Taurus. Then Putin himself will decide how far he wants to go in this war,” he said. Merz also criticized the current German government under Olaf Scholz’ leadership,

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is threatening to block aid to Ukraine to assist Donald Trump in the US presidential race by scuttling the $50B loan proposed by Ukraine’s allies. This would allow Trump to tell voters that he “will not give Ukraine a cent if elected.” Hungary threatens to block a rule change regarding the extension of the period between reviews of sanctions that have immobilized Russian assets in Europe, which the US insists on before committing to its

According to KSE analyses, Moscow has increased the volume of its shadow fleet of oil tankers by almost 70% despite restrictions targeting insurers and shipping companies. The volume of Russian oil transported by these poorly maintained and uninsured tankers increased from 2.4 million barrels per day in June 2023 to 4.1 million in June 2024. The increase comes despite the fact that the US, Canada, Japan, and European allies are increasingly targeting global insurers and shipowners. They also added companies

According to the NBU, from June to September the majority of borrowed funds were for the purchase and installation of gas-piston cogeneration plants (96 MW), the purchase of diesel and gasoline generators (51 MW), and the construction of SPPs (49 MW). In September, Ukrainians were granted 1,100 loans with a total volume of ₴133M, contributing to a ₴204M gross loan portfolio related to household energy needs. Since June, banks have received 2,484 business applications for ₴54.8B ($1.3B) in energy infrastructure

According to VR Capital Group, Ukraine must ensure regulatory predictability and stability in order for foreign investors to implement fast construction of new green energy capacities. “We would like to see more predictability from the state’s point of view, a clear and understandable regulatory framework that will not change often. We would also like to see a solution to the problems associated with the Guaranteed Buyer. This is slowing us down,” the top management of the US investment company said.

According to the director of the USAID mission in Ukraine, Theodora Dell, human resources can be gathered from the country’s own potential. “Currently, the employment rate in Ukraine is 52%, while in Europe, this figure is 76%. If these figures are at least equalized, an additional 4.8 million workers will appear on the Ukrainian market,” she says. An additional increase can also be achieved by women mastering traditionally male professions. “Not so long ago, we opened a training center for

Considering that in 2025 the expected inflation rate will be almost 10%, and the dollar exchange rate will reach ₴45/$1, the cost of new construction next year may increase by at least 10-15% in hryvnia terms. At the same time, these figures do not consider the increase in the price of building materials and construction and installation operations. Therefore, the actual cost of a square meter may increase by an average of 20-25%, as forecasted by one construction company. It

At the end of last week, Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin. The president presented Ukraine’s Victory Plan to Scholz and discussed its key aspects. “This plan is a bridge to a successful Peace Summit, which will truly end the war,” Zelenskyy emphasized. In Rome, the Ukrainian President met with the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, and discussed in detail all aspects of the Victory Plan. “The main thing is to strengthen Ukraine’s position and relations

The creation of the Financial Intermediation Fund (FIF) to assist Ukraine was supported on October 10 by all members of the international financial organization, with the exception of Russia. The fund’s donors will be the US, Canada, and Japan. The size of the individual contributions has not yet been determined, but they will be financed with income from frozen Russian sovereign assets. This financial assistance, in the total amount of $50B, was supposed to be delivered by the end of

The speaker of the US House of Representatives, Republican Mike Johnson, hopes that Donald Trump will win the presidential election, ending the war in Ukraine and eliminating the need for the approval of further aid. Johnson said he has no desire to continue funding Ukraine and hopes it would not be required. “If Trump wins the election, I believe he will be able to end this conflict. But if Kamala Harris wins, the war in Ukraine will not end, which

The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, did not congratulate Russian dictator Vladimir Putin on his birthday on October 7, instead taking part in the Ukraine-Southeast Europe summit on October 9, where he signed a declaration condemning the Russian attack on Ukraine. In late August, Vucic admitted that he had not had any contact with Putin since the beginning of the invasion. In June, Serbia was among the countries that signed the final communiqué of the Ukrainian Peace Summit. In early

Strikes by Ukrainian forces against targets on Russian territory may affect Russia’s entire offensive operations in Ukraine, the ISW noted, after recent strikes on a warehouse containing Shahed drones in the Krasnodar region and in the Republic of Adygea. “Russian forces rely on Shahed drones to strike both front-line and rear-line Ukrainian settlements and cities and expend about 10,000 artillery shells per day on front-line Ukrainian positions,” the summary says. In September and October, the Ukrainian army attacked ammunition and

Because of the retrospective increase in taxes from October 1, businesses are transferring their workers to the shadow employment sector. This will increase the shadow economy by 10 percentage points, which currently sits at 35%, Andriy Dligach, the founder of the Advanter Group, said. Currently, more than a third of salaries in Ukraine are unofficially provided. Given the tax changes, it has become profitable for most companies to reduce staff or return to the practice of “salaries in envelopes.” Dligach

Consumer inflation accelerated to 8.6% year-on-year in September against 7.5% in August. “The actual pace of price growth was higher than the forecast published in the Inflation Report for July 2024. At the same time, core inflationary pressures also increased more strongly than forecast. Thus, the core inflation indicator rose to 7.3% in September from 6.5% in August”, the National Bank commented on the inflation rate in September 2024. The regulator explained that the deviation from the forecast is due

Denmark plans to create an investment fund to develop the Ukrainian defense industry and accelerate weapons production. Investors will receive an ownership share, access to information, and the opportunity to create joint ventures with Ukrainian manufacturers. In turn, Slovakia will expand its military equipment repair operations on the border with Ukraine, which began operating last year. The facility, located in Slovakia, near the city of Michalovce, repairs damaged German military equipment used by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The German

The cost of insurance for ships passing through the Ukrainian Black Sea export corridor has increased significantly during the last week due to increased Russian attacks. The insurance price exceeds 1% of the value of the vessel, which is 0.75% more than the previous week. For a ship worth $50M, insurance will cost $125,000 per voyage. Despite the intensification of Russian attacks on Ukrainian ports, traffic through Ukraine’s maritime export corridor remains stable. However, the continuation of the Russian Federation’s