Economy
The government plans to allocate 637.9 million hryvnias to the “Yedyni Novyny” telethon
The Cabinet of Ministers is preparing a decision to allocate 637,964,266 hryvnias to the state-owned enterprise “Multimedia Platform for International Broadcasting of Ukraine” for the production and broadcast of content for the “Yedyni Novyny” telethon. The draft government order was published by MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak.
A $27 billion project for a new city has been unveiled in Egypt
An Egyptian property developer has announced plans to build a large-scale city near Cairo. The project involves the construction of dozens of residential and commercial towers.
The global economy has lost $50 billion due to an oil shortage caused by the war in Iran
Following the outbreak of hostilities in the Middle East in late February 2026, the global market faced a shortfall of over 500 million barrels of oil and condensate.
Half of Ukraine’s coffee market operates in the grey economy, and the annual loss to the budget amounts to $7 billion – Getmantsev
Danylo Getmantsev, chair of the parliamentary committee, stated that around 50 per cent of Ukraine’s coffee market operates outside the official economy. According to him, this results in the state budget losing billions of dollars every year.
Banks report a decline in funding and a rise in its cost – NBU survey
In the first quarter of 2026, banks recorded a decline in the volume of funding alongside a simultaneous rise in its cost, primarily due to funds from the public. At the same time, financial institutions expect a return to growth in both the volume of funds raised and their cost as early as the second quarter.
The IMF will not insist on VAT for sole traders at this stage – Svyrydenko
Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko stated that, following consultations in Washington, the International Monetary Fund has agreed that introducing VAT for sole traders is not a constructive idea at this stage. At the same time, the matter does not appear to be definitively closed, as the current IMF programme documents previously envisaged an expansion of the VAT base from 2027, and there is already talk in parliament of possibly postponing this discussion until the summer.
‘Break the chain of interests’: Pope Leo XIV condemned the exploitation of Africa in Luanda
Pope Leo XIV, the head of the Roman Catholic Church, has launched a scathing attack on the world’s elites. During a speech in Luanda, the capital of Angola, the pontiff called for an end to the treatment of African resources as mere commodities
Seasonal surplus: potato prices are falling sharply in Ukraine
The market is oversaturated with produce, as the storage season is drawing to a close and warehouses are still full of last year’s harvest. The situation is further exacerbated by the fact that planting of the new crop has already begun in the south of the country, forcing farmers to sell off their remaining stock more quickly
The military contract of the century: Australia is purchasing Japanese Mogami-class frigates
On Saturday, 18 April 2026, Defence Ministers Richard Marles and Shinjirō Koizumi signed a memorandum of understanding and contracts marking the start of a major project to supply modern warships to the Royal Australian Navy
A new way to buy train tickets: Ukrainian Railways is introducing dynamic pricing for first-class carriages
Rail transport in Ukraine is switching to a new pricing model for the premium segment. The relevant order has undergone public consultation and is coming into force
European water standards: the EU4GRE pilot project has been launched in Ukraine
Ukraine is beginning to implement modern European approaches to wastewater management as part of the EU4Green Recovery East (EU4GRE) international programme
“Corruption thrives where there is manual control” — a stark statement by Kirill Budanov
Eliminating subjective interference in state processes and transitioning to transparent rules is a strategic prerequisite for Ukraine’s survival and its accession to the EU. This was emphasised by Kirill Budanov, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, during the conference ‘Operation “European Integration”: Reforms in the Field of Justice’
