KIEV, Sept. 24 – The National Bank of Ukraine, following its application of sanctions against the banks that provoked a fall of the hryvnia on the interbank market in early September, plans to punish banks for misusing their power on the cash market, according to NBU Governor Serhiy Arbuzov.

GENEVA, Sept. 24 - Ukraine has reportedly told its trading partners it wants to raise maximum tariffs on hundreds of imported goods, a move that could unleash protectionist forces and may even pose a threat to the $18 trillion global trade system.

LONDON/MOSCOW, Sept. 24 - Fitch Ratings has downgraded Ukraine-based OJSC Naftogaz's Long-term foreign and local currency Issuer Default ratings to 'C' from 'CC.’

Both ratings remain on Rating Watch Negative (RWN). Fitch has simultaneously downgraded the senior unsecured rating on Naftogaz's USD500m eurobond to 'C' from 'CC' and removed it from RWN. The Recovery Rating (RR) on the eurobond is 'RR4'.

KIEV, Sept. 24 - Naftogaz Ukrayiny, the state oil and gas company, on Thursday tried to persuade international holders of its $500 million eurobond to reschedule the debt for five years through October 2014.

KIEV, Sept. 24 – The hryvnia gained slightly against the U.S. dollar on Thursday after the National Bank of Ukraine released data showing the country’s current account deficit in August had narrowed from July.

KIEV, Sept. 23 – The large rise in excise rates is leading to a doubling in the prices of excised products and leads to a rise in demand for smuggled alcohol and cigarettes, President of the Ukrainian Commercial and Industrial Confederation (UCIC), Volodymyr Demchak, said at a roundtable on the increase in tax pressure via a rise in excise rates on consumer goods in conditions of a fall in buying power of the public, which was held in Kiev on Monday.

KIEV, Sept. 23 – State-owned Ukragroleasing has signed a contract with Canada's SNC-Lavalin International Inc. on the supply of elevators and milk tankers worth up to $600 million using funds of a state-secured credit of the Export Development Canada (EDC).

KIEV, Sept. 24 – National Nuclear Generating Company EnergoAtom and Russia's AtomStroyExport are discussing a full financing of the completion of construction of reactor three and reactor four of Khmelnytsky nuclear power plant by Russia.

IVANO-FRANKIVSK, Sept. 24 - Antonio Merloni (Italy) is intending to invest EUR40 million in the construction of a refrigerator plant in Ivano-Frankivsk, according to Halyna Rymaruk, the director of Ukrainian Home Appliances Ltd. (Ukrainska Pobutova Tekhnika) a 100% Italian-owned company.

KIEV, Sept. 24 – UkrNafta, Ukraine’s largest oil producer, and SOCAR, Azerbaijan’s state oil company, may create a joint venture to refine Caspian Sea crude oil at two oil refineries in Ukraine, a top official said Wednesday.