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In February 2025, Ukrainian banks issued 516 mortgage loans totaling ₴926M, which is 7% higher than the mortgage lending volume in January. However, this amount is a third less than in February of last year, according to NBU data. As before, most loans for purchasing real estate were provided through the state affordable housing lending program, eOselya. The decline in mortgage issuance was influenced by changes to the program introduced last fall. These modifications prohibit most categories of borrowers from

According to industry experts, prices for retail real estate have begun to rise across Ukraine. The primary trend as of March 2025 shows a price increase and a decline in supply. In terms of demand, most cities experienced a decline, with the capital seeing the only increase over the year. Kyiv is anticipated to lead in the median purchase price of retail space at ₴8.3M (+14% by March 2024). Prices in other cities with populations over one million also predominantly

Large businesses with revenues of over ₴1B ($24M) increased the number of full-time employees by 22,200 in 2024, according to the results of a labor market study. It is noted that these enterprises employ a total of 1.6 million workers. The number of jobs is growing most actively in the following industries: trade, IT, the food industry, mechanical engineering, pharmaceutical production, and construction. The emergence of new full-time employees is partly due to a change in the structure of employer-employee

According to President Zelenskyy, it was a “symbolic meeting” that could become historic if it results in joint efforts that lead to peace. Afterward, the US president stated that Vladimir Putin likely does not wish to end the conflict. Trump criticized Putin for his recent attacks on Ukraine, noting that the Russian president had no justification for them. “It makes me think that maybe he does not want to end the war but is merely leading me by the nose,

Russian President Vladimir Putin, during a meeting with the US President’s Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, expressed his willingness to negotiate with Ukraine without preconditions. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, in turn, indicated that Russia is prepared to finalize an agreement on Ukraine after “refining” certain details. President Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine is open to dialogue in any format but expects a genuine signal that Russia is ready to end the war, which would involve a complete and unconditional ceasefire. US

The US will insist that Russia acknowledge Ukraine’s right to develop maintain an adequately equipped military and defense industry as part of any peace agreement, rejecting Russia’s insistence on a significant demilitarization for the Ukraine as a condition for ending the conflict. This indicates that the Trump administration is seeking certain concessions from both the Kremlin and Ukraine to conclude the war. Allowing Kyiv to maintain its armed forces would mean forcing Putin to abandon his stated objective of “demilitarizing”

The US and Ukraine, along with their European allies, are suggesting a complete ceasefire, and Kyiv insists on the release of all prisoners. The US draft contains vague language stating that Ukraine will receive “reliable security guarantees” from European countries and interested non-European states. It also suggests that Ukraiune abandon its NATO membership ambitions, but not EU membership. Ukraine seeks security guarantees, particularly from the US, akin to NATO’s Article 5, although there is no consensus on Ukraine joining the

Britain might change its previously discussed plans to deploy thousands of troops to Ukraine, as such an action is regarded as too risky if a potential peace agreement with Russia were to be disrupted. Instead, Britain and France are considering the option of sending military instructors to Ukraine, who will operate in the western part of the country far from the frontlines. It is anticipated that Ukraine’s security will primarily be bolstered from the air and sea, with contributions from

In Kyiv, officials hope that the new restrictions will target key sectors of the Russian economy and serve as a crucial tool in applying pressure on Russia to achieve peace. US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham noted that if Russia continues to reject a “decent and just” peace that aligns with Ukraine’s interests, senators are prepared to support a bipartisan bill to enhance sanctions. The new measures would include imposing secondary duties on countries that purchase Russian oil, gas, uranium, or

Poland has introduced a state preferential lending program aimed at assisting Polish businesses in the reconstruction of Ukraine, allocating approximately €58.25M. The maximum loan amount for a single company is PLN 10M (€2.33M) at an interest rate of 2% per annum, with a repayment period of 12 years. These loans can be used to finance investment, as working capital, and in import-export development, as well as collaborative projects between Polish and Ukrainian enterprises. The funds will also be directed toward

The Bila Tserkva Industrial Park will not revise its strategic development plan, which aims to draw 30 resident companies and $250M in investment by 2030 while creating up to 4,000 jobs, said Andriy Ropytskyy, director of the industrial site. According to him, in addition to Finnish Peikko’s already-constructed building materials plant, a production facility for Unilever, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of everyday goods, and the second phase of Virastar’s plant, which manufactures high-altitude construction equipment, are also in

The State Property Fund (SPFU) has announced the second auction for the sale of a single property complex belonging to the Zarubynskyi Distillery state enterprise in the Ternopil region with a starting price for the facility of ₴162.18M ($3.8M). The plant specializes in producing alcoholic beverages and other organic chemical substances, including those used as fuel or fuel components (bioethanol). In the first quarter, the SPFU successfully conducted 130 privatization auctions for small facilities, which is 13.8% more than in

During an investment conference in Warsaw, Ukraine highlighted key aspects of the concession project for the port of Chornomorsk in the Odesa region. These include the terminal’s potential, specific competition conditions and measures implemented by the government and its partners to guarantee transparency, and investment appeal. This is a long-term concession lasting 40 years and covering two terminals: a container terminal and a universal terminal, with a capacity of up to 760,000 twenty-foot containers and over five million tons of

The introduction of the Ukrainian Black Sea Corridor in 2023 significantly impacted the geographical structure of goods exports. It enabled the resumption of deliveries to traditional destinations in Asia and Africa, where transport by other means was either challenging or impossible. Simultaneously, Ukrainian exporters have expanded into new and exotic markets. For example, last year saw recorded exports to Dominica, Laos, Malawi, Eswatini, East Timor, among others. In 2024, the physical volume of goods imports rose by 7.8%, while sea

In January 2025, exports of IT services dropped to $489M, down $19M compared to the same period in 2024. This marks the worst start to a year since the onset of the full-scale war. While the Ukrainian IT sector experienced annual growth of 14.7% from 2017 to 2019, it has recently seen slowdowns due to the pandemic, the full-scale invasion, and economic instability. The number of companies in the sector fell by 25% in 2022 and has yet to return

On the night of April 24, Russian forces attacked Ukrainian cities with 70 missiles and 145 UAVs. Powerful explosions echoed through Kyiv and Kharkiv. At least 12 people were killed in the capital, with another 90 injured. In Kharkiv, the attack damaged a manufacturer of commercial equipment – UBC Promo. Railway infrastructure was also impacted in Kyiv and the Kharkiv region. This marks the fourth major shelling of Ukraine in the first four months of the year, with the most

The US aims to finalize a peace agreement within the first 100 days of Trump’s presidency. US President Donald Trump stated that he does not regard the specifics of the upcoming peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia as crucial, provided it brings an end to the conflict. Trump emphasized that he is willing to endorse any solution that satisfies both parties. “I just want the war to end. I don’t care. If both Zelenskyy and Putin are content, they can

US President Donald Trump remarked: “I believe we have an agreement with Russia. We should finalize an agreement with Zelenskyy. I thought he would be easier to negotiate with.” Dmitry Peskov, press secretary to the Russian President, told Le Point that the war in Ukraine would end immediately if Kyiv agrees to withdraw troops from the four regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia, and Kherson. Concurrently, France asserted that European countries believe any peace deal must respect Ukraine’s territorial integrity. However, Polish President

On April 24, Ukraine announced that it was not able to negotiate an agreement with debt holders regarding the $2.6B connected with GDP warrants. Nevertheless, the Finance Ministry intends to continue discussions. If Kyiv fails to achieve a timely restructuring, it will have to default on a payment of nearly $600M that is due in late May and linked to Ukraine’s economic performance in 2023. The GDP warrants originated from a previous restructuring of Ukrainian debt in 2015. They have

As of April 1 2025, the total amount of consumer deposits, including those from individual entrepreneurs (FOPs), in Ukrainian banks surpassed ₴1.392T, which is ₴1.7B ($40M) more than at the beginning of March. According to the Deposit Guarantee Fund, out of the total consumer deposits, those in hryvnia account for ₴892.8B (-₴4.8B), while deposits in foreign currency total ₴500B (+₴6.5B). FOPs represent 3.2% of all depositors and 11.2% of the total deposited amount, with their account totals reaching ₴156.6B. Most