KYIV, Feb 1 – Sweden’s IKEA, the world’s largest furniture retailer, on Monday opened its first store in Ukraine after nearly 20 years of talks as the company seeks to expand in one of the largest countries in Eastern Europe.

KYIV, Jan 30 – The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) improved its forecast for forex reserves of the country by the end of 2020 from $24 billion to $29.3 billion, and to $31.6 billion by the end of 2021 thanks to the significant improvement of the estimate of the surplus of the consolidated balance of payment.

KYIV, Jan 30 - The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) has improved its inflation forecast for 2020 from 5% to 4.8% and announces plans to lower the refinancing rate at the end of this year to 7% per annum instead of the previously announced estimate of 9% per annum.

KYIV, Jan 31 – The concessionaire of Olvia Maritime Merchant Port, QTerminals (Qatar), plans to create an export grain hub based on the port, QTerminals spokesman Neville Bissett said during the presentation of the winners of the first concession tenders in Ukrainian ports in Kyiv.

KYIV, Jan 31 – Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman said that Parliament should adopt 35 bills to create conditions for improving the business climate and economic growth in the country.

KIEV, Jan. 31 - Oil transit through Ukraine to Europe declined to 13.822 million tons in 2016, 8.8% or 1.331 million tons less than in the same period last year, Ukraine's Energy and Coal Industry Ministry reported.

KIEV, Jan. 31 – Mariupol Illich Steel Works (Donetsk region), part of Metinvest Group, has halted two blast furnaces over a lack of coke earlier supplied from Avdiyivka Coking Plant and two furnaces have been switched to minimum loading.

KIEV, Feb. 1 – The state-controlled Ukrgasbank (Kiev) and the German-Ukrainian Fund (GUF) signed on Wednesday a memorandum on strategic partnership and cooperation.

KIEV, Feb. 2 – State-run Ukroboronprom Concern plans to open representative offices in Turkey and Poland, Ukroboronprom Deputy Chairman Denys Hurak announced at the 6th international conference on security governance, held by the Razumkov Center jointly with DCAF, Kiev on Wednesday.

KIEV, Feb. 2 – Dnipro-based PrivatBank plans to boost profit by 42% in 2017, the bank said in a press release.

At the same time, the bank did not disclose figures for 2016.

As was earlier reported, PrivatBank's profit in January-September 2016 soared by 6.5 times, or UAH 91 million, year-over-year, to UAH 592 million.