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A number of business associations have criticized all four draft laws submitted to the Verkhovna Rada regarding amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code and the law "On the Prosecutor's Office" (No. 12367 and three alternative versions). These proposals aim to repeal the so-called "Lazovyi amendments," which limit the statute of limitations for criminal cases. The associations are calling for a halt to the consideration of these bills until consultations with the business community are conducted.

Business associations urge the parliament to refrain from canceling the "Lozovoy amendments" until after consulting with the business community.

The United Nations (UN) aims to raise over $2.6 billion to assist Ukrainians in 2025. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal discussed with representatives of this international organization the key areas for these funds, including access to drinking water, demining efforts, and alternative sources of heat and energy.

Shmyhal: The UN aims to raise over $2.6 billion by 2025 to assist Ukrainians, including $492 million specifically for the heating season.

For the fourth consecutive month, entrepreneurs have identified the shortage of labor as one of the top three challenges in running a business. In December 2024, this issue once again topped the list, according to data from the monthly survey conducted by the Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting (IERPC).

Staff shortages, safety concerns, and electricity supply issues emerged as the main challenges for businesses in December 2024, according to IEI.

The Verkhovna Rada has adopted the draft law No. 12230, which outlines the specifics of privatizing state and communal property that has been leased. This legislation removes the tenant's right to purchase the property through non-competitive means.

The Duma approved a bill that removes the tenant's right to acquire property through non-competitive means.

Providing the opportunity to acquire a new, in-demand profession, retrain, or enhance professional skills could help attract hundreds of thousands of economically inactive Ukrainians to the labor market, said Tatiana Berezhnaya, Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine, during the business forum "Training Specialists in Vocational Education Centers of the State Employment Service: Educating Ukrainians for Business Needs" in Kharkiv on Wednesday.

Hundreds of thousands of economically inactive Ukrainians could be reintroduced to the labor market through retraining initiatives.

In 2025, JSC "Ukrzaliznytsia" (UZ) plans to implement two pilot projects in the railway sector: the routing of freight transportation and the parking of railcars at railway stations, announced Valery Tkachev, the deputy director of the commercial operations department.

In 2025, "UZ" will implement two pilot projects: freight transportation routing and train car parking at railway stations.

The total amount of accumulated funds by participants of the "National Cashback" program has reached 1 billion UAH, the Ministry of Economy confirmed in a Telegram channel on Thursday.

The total amount of "National Cashback" accumulated by Ukrainians has reached 1 billion UAH.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) reported that it provided Ukraine with nearly EUR 2.4 billion last year, compared to EUR 2.1 billion in 2023, marking a record high in the history of its cooperation with the country, according to a press release from the bank on Thursday.

In 2024, the EBRD granted Ukraine a record funding of nearly €2.4 billion.

In the "Diia" app, 10 million Ukrainians have already submitted applications for benefits under the "Winter eSupport" program. Among them, nearly 2.5 million applications are for child support payments, reported Ukraine's First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy, Yulia Svyrydenko, on Thursday.

Over 10 million Ukrainians have applied for payments through "Diia" under the "Winter eSupport" program.

The Prime Minister of Moldova, Dorin Recean, is counting on support from external partners to overcome the energy crisis.

Moldova seeks support from international partners to overcome the energy crisis, stated Prime Minister Rechan.

The price index for electric energy during the base load period on Ukraine's "day-ahead" market (RСВ) for 2024 reached 4,522.27 UAH/MW*hour, marking a 34.1% increase compared to 2023 (+1,148.75 UAH/MW*hour). This information is drawn from the analytical report by the State Enterprise "Market Operator" regarding the performance of the electricity spot market over the past year.

In 2024, the price index for base load electricity (BASE) in Ukraine rose by 34.1%.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) will grant a loan of EUR 25 million to the home appliance and electronics retailer Comfy (LLC "Comfy Trade") to support the expansion of its network.

The EBRD will grant Comfy a €25 million loan to expand its network.

All companies within the Naftogaz Group are operating as usual, despite the latest strike by Russia on Ukraine's gas infrastructure early Wednesday morning, reported Roman Chumak, acting chairman of the board of Naftogaz of Ukraine.

The Naftogaz group is operating normally following this morning's attack by Russia.

The Asset Recovery and Management Agency (ARMA) has selected the state-owned Sense Bank (Kyiv) through a competitive selection process for the further placement of seized funds, as stated in a press release on the Agency's website.

ARMA will deposit seized funds in Sens Bank.

According to a survey conducted by the information agency "Interfax-Ukraine," the prices for compulsory third-party liability insurance policies for owners of land vehicles ("auto liability," OSAGO) are set to increase by an average of 70% to 100% following the implementation of a new law on January 1, 2025.

As of January 1, 2025, car insurance prices in Ukraine have increased by an average of 70% to 100%, according to a survey by the insurance company.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has added Keremet Bank, based in Kyrgyzstan, to its sanctions list, according to an agency statement.

The U.S. added a bank based in Kyrgyzstan to the SDN List for its involvement in schemes to evade sanctions against Russia.

On Wednesday, January 15, the U.S. Department of the Treasury expanded its list of individuals and entities subject to sanctions, which now includes, among others, the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant located in territory occupied by Russian forces.

The U.S. has expanded its list to combat Russia's sanctions evasion schemes.

Business associations have drafted legislative proposals to amend the Customs and Tax Codes regarding the taxation of imported parcels. Specifically, it is suggested to impose VAT on all packages from international marketplaces, as reported by Daniil Getmantsev, the head of the parliamentary committee on financial, tax, and customs policy.

Business associations propose imposing VAT on all parcels from foreign marketplaces, according to Hetmantsev.

The growth of Ukraine's real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is projected to be 3.6% in 2024, according to First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Yulia Svyrydenko, who made the announcement during a parliamentary economic committee meeting on Wednesday.

The Ministry of Economy projects Ukraine's GDP growth to reach 3.6% in 2024.

In January, the official exchange rate of the hryvnia against the dollar continued to decline, primarily due to seasonal factors. However, the depreciation of the hryvnia has not been rapid. In recent days, there has been a gradual increase in currency supply, and the National Bank of Ukraine maintains full control over the situation, stated Vladimir Lepushinsky, the director of the Department of Monetary Policy and Economic Analysis.

The National Bank has ample tools and resources to respond to the seasonal increase in currency demand, according to the head of the NBU department.

The League of Insurance Organizations of Ukraine (LIOU) and the National Association of Insurers of Ukraine (NAIU) have signed a Memorandum of Cooperation and Partnership.

The LCOU and NASU have reached an agreement to establish the Federation of Insurance Associations of Ukraine.

The decision to construct new nuclear power generation facilities in Ukraine should be made solely by its authorities, as the European Union has not expressed any official stance on this matter, stated the EU ambassador to Ukraine, Kateryna Matersonova.

The EU has no stance for or against the completion of the Khmelnytsky Nuclear Power Plant; the decision rests solely with Ukraine, says Ambassador Maternova.

G7 ambassadors have urged the Prime Minister of Ukraine to expedite the functioning of the supervisory board of the National Atomic Energy Company "Energoatom," as stated by the EU Ambassador to Ukraine, Katarina Mathernova.

G7 ambassadors urged Ukraine's Prime Minister to promptly ensure the operation of the Energoatom Nuclear Power Plant, according to Matervon.

The mining and metallurgical group "Metinvest" announced the suspension of operations at the Pokrovsk Coal Group due to changes in the situation along the front line, a shortage of electricity, and deteriorating safety conditions, as stated in the company's stock market announcement on Tuesday.

Metinvest halts operations at Pokrovskugol for safety reasons and will switch to coking coal sourced from the United States.

Most employees are considering their next career move without feeling motivated to enhance their skills. Instead, they prefer to prioritize maintaining a balance between work and personal life, as reported by the global brokerage group Aon.

This year, 60% of employees plan to change jobs.

In 2024, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense accumulated a record amount of approximately 680 billion UAH to meet the army's needs. For the funding of the Ukrainian defense industry in 2025, over €1 billion is expected to be allocated solely through the "Danish model," announced Deputy Minister of Defense Dmitry Klimenko during a televised marathon.

In 2024, the Ministry of Defense allocated approximately 680 billion UAH to meet the army's needs.

Under the chairmanship of Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, the first meeting of the Donor Platform Management Committee for 2025 was held.

Shmyhal held the first meeting of the year for the Donor Platform's Governing Committee in Ukraine.

The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) has authorized the company tasked with special obligations for the formation of natural gas resources (NAK "Naftogaz of Ukraine" – IF-U) to conduct cross-border currency transfers to fulfill its obligations under foreign arbitration court rulings.

The NBU has permitted Naftogaz to conduct foreign currency transactions abroad to fulfill arbitration rulings.