Business news, entrepreneurship and startups in Kyiv region
Ukraine and Germany have agreed to launch the JobConnect programme with €10 million in funding to modernize employment services, strengthen institutions and help people return to the labour market. The project will be implemented by GIZ, with financing starting in 2026.
After December 16, Volkswagen will suspend vehicle production at its Dresden plant — the first time this has happened in 88 years. The facility will be converted into a research campus for AI, robotics and semiconductors, with investments of €50 million.
An independent Chinese refinery bought a shipment of Russian ESPO crude at a discount of $7–8 per barrel. Demand fell after U.S. sanctions against Rosneft and Lukoil, which affected purchase volumes.
A major overhaul of 2.3 km of Ozerna Street in Volia-Homuletska is underway at a cost of UAH 53.3 million using the German mixture NovoCrete; the work is being carried out by the company Onur, and the project was partly funded by German partners.
Lukoil is reportedly favoring the sale of its international assets to the bank Xtellus Partners, which has proposed a cashless deal involving an exchange of securities. Negotiations are being led by vice president Pavlo Zhdanov; the transaction requires disclosure of owners and may need approval from the Kremlin.
The National Bank assesses that power shortages are pushing inflation up, but a decline in consumer demand due to worsening security is partially offsetting that pressure; final conclusions will be drawn in January.
The European Commission will propose a rule under which extensions of the freeze on Russian assets will be decided by qualified majority rather than by consensus; the decision will be separated from the debate over using the funds to aid Ukraine.
The FDA has granted authorization for Flow Neuroscience's FL-100 device to be used for at‑home brain stimulation in adults with moderate to severe major depressive disorder; a U.S. launch is planned for 2026.
Ukrzaliznytsia has initiated the transfer of the Odesa Railway Hospital into municipal ownership, including the land, buildings, equipment, and medical apparatus. The facility is to continue serving railway workers and expand medical services for local residents.
Kyivshlyakhbud was the sole bidder in the tender for the major overhaul of a section of Lobanovskyi Avenue in the Solomyanskyi district; the company offered about UAH 785 million. The last major overhaul there took place more than 20 years ago.
James Quincey will leave his role as CEO of Coca‑Cola in March 2026; he will be succeeded by Chief Operating Officer Enrique Brown. After stepping down, Quincey will become executive chairman; during his tenure the company's shares rose 62%.
Vitaliy Petruk was appointed the 13th deputy minister of the Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture. The mega-ministry was created in July 2025 by merging three agencies and has a staff of about 1,500 employees.
The sole buyer of the claims on Ukrlandfarming’s loans was Fintonik LLC. The sale was conducted by Dutch auction: the starting price was UAH 5.04 billion, the final price UAH 1.14 billion. The collateral comprised production assets and guarantees.
OFAC extended General License No. 131A until January 17, 2026, allowing negotiations and the signing of agreements concerning Lukoil International GmbH and related companies; separately, the authorization for transactions with fuel station networks was extended until April 29, 2026.
After more than eleven years of court proceedings in Austria, the U.S. request to extradite a businessman was definitively rejected; the case was complicated by a procedural error and a missed appeal deadline.
Fintech company Lyzi, built on the Tezos blockchain, has introduced cryptocurrency payments at the Porsche Centre Montpellier and Lamborghini Bordeaux dealerships, allowing customers to buy cars with BTC, XTZ, stablecoins and more than 80 other cryptocurrencies.
Head of the DBR’s investigative department Dmytro Mirkovets told a meeting of a temporary commission that the Bureau does not consider it proven that NABU correctly matched the pseudonyms to DBR employees. The investigation into Energoatom is ongoing, and there is no evidence so far.
The bank has opened a credit line of up to €100 million for affordable housing projects under the "Steps to Prosperity" platform. The first tranche — €7.1 million — will finance 182 apartments in Kyiv Oblast, with plans to scale to about 1,800 units by 2029.
In 2025 rental prices in Ukraine rose almost everywhere. The highest rates for one-bedroom apartments were in Uzhhorod, Lviv and Kyiv; Kropyvnytskyi recorded the largest year-on-year increase — +33%. Several other cities also saw substantial rises.
After the introduction of a congestion charge for entering central New York, traffic fell by about 11%; PM2.5 in Manhattan declined by 22% in the first six months. Projected net revenue is about $500 million in 2025.
The largest building of the "Temp" factory has received permission to be redeveloped into a multifunctional shopping center with two above-ground floors and one underground level.
Paramount has offered $74.4 billion for Warner Bros. Discovery — $30 per share in cash — and is urging shareholders to reject the Netflix deal. The company says its bid includes the cable assets and reduces regulatory and financial risks.
The State Property Fund has scheduled an auction for December 10 with a starting price of UAH 207.6 million for the property complex "Slavutskyi Budfarfor Combine," which occupies more than 80,000 sq. m and comprises 38 buildings.
Ukraine will update a 1:500,000-scale metallogenic map and complete the "Derzhgeolkarta-200" program in cooperation with the British Geological Survey; the sides also agreed on specialist training and the creation of a working group on critical minerals.
The Recovery Agency announced plans to prepare design documentation for a road through Polianytsia to Bukovel. Construction and financing of major works have been postponed until the end of the war; tenders and design work are currently underway.
Neqsol, which in 2024 acquired OGHK for almost UAH 4 billion, plans to invest in the company far more than the amounts stipulated by the privatization terms and to develop deep processing of raw materials.
Dario Vitale is leaving Versace eight months after his appointment. The announcement coincided with the completion of the €1.375 billion acquisition of the Prada brand; Vitale will leave the company on December 12, and the creative team will be temporarily led by the CEO.
Former EU High Representative Federica Mogherini has stepped down as rector of the College of Europe after allegations of fraud and the launch of an investigation by the EU prosecutor into a contract to establish an academy.
The Environmental Prosecutor’s Office is demanding the restoration of the water-protection status of a cascade of ponds on the Nyvka River, re-registered in 2022 for residential development; the court has prohibited construction on 14.5 hectares while the case is being considered.
Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said Turkey has extended its agreements with Gazprom for a year. BOTAS has signed long-term LNG contracts with a large share of deliveries from the United States, and Ankara plans to invest in U.S. gas infrastructure.