KIEV, March 1 – International financial institutions are to issue funds to Ukraine in 2011 to upgrade the Ukrainian gas transport system, Ukrainian Energy and Coal Industry Minister Yuriy Boyko said on Tuesday during the Ukrainian energy forum organized by the Adam Smith Institute.

KIEV, March 2 - Group DF Chairman Dmytro Firtash has bought Cherkasy-based OJSC Azot from businessman Oleksandr Yaroslavsky.

"The joining of the plant to the group of assets that are under control of Firtash will optimize the production and sales policy and help introduce unified standards for the company's management," reads a report of Firtash's press service.

MOSCOW, March 2 – Following the agency’s downgrade of parent Commerzbank, Moody's Investors Service has changed the outlook on the Ba1 long-term global scale local currency deposit rating of Forum Bank (FB) to negative from stable.

KIEV, March 3 – Russia's Sberbank is in talks on the issue of a three-year $1 billion loan to National Nuclear Generating Company EnergoAtom to prepare for the construction of reactors three and four of Khmelnytsky nuclear power plant, the head of the corporate business development department at public JSC Subsidiary Bank Sberbank of Russia (Kiev), Volodymyr Dodonov, told Interfax-Ukraine.

KIEV, March 3 – Ukrainian nongovernmental analytical centers have upgraded their forecast for Ukraine's GDP growth in 2010 to 4%, up from 3.5%.

The changes were based on calculations for March made by 13 organizations that participated in a consensus forecast conducted under the aegis of the Expert business magazine.

KIEV, March 3 – The settling of the problem of the untimely reimbursement of VAT is one of the important tasks that the new authorities of Ukraine face, according to the European Business Association.

KIEV, March 3 – The index for the production of goods and services in key types of economic activities in Ukraine in fell by 33.2% in January, according to a monthly macroeconomic survey drawn up by the Economy Ministry.

KIEV, March 2 - Naftogaz Ukrayiny expects revenue from all sources to total almost UAH 92.5 billion in 2009, the national oil and gas company said in its draft financial plan submitted to the Cabinet, the text of which was acquired by the Dzerkalo Tyzhnia weekly.

KIEV, March 2 - Standard & Poor's Ratings Services has lowered its long-term issuer credit rating on Ukraine-based Nadra Bank to 'SD' from 'CC', indicating a selective default, and removed all ratings from CreditWatch with negative implications, where they were placed on Feb. 13.

KIEV, March 2 – A 15-30% fall in insurance premium collection is expected in 2009, according to the director for sales at ASKA Ukrainian insurance company, Olha Vershyna, and deputy vice president for sales, Elena Bakina.