LONDON, Sept. 23 - The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development will provide 150 million euro for the development of Raiffeisen International's subsidiary banks in Ukraine, Russia and Romania, a source in banking circles told Interfax.

The source said that the bank's board of directors approved this decision on Tuesday.

KIEV, Sept. 22 – The mortgage crisis in the United States will not affect Ukrainian banks, according to the chairman of Dnipropetrovsk-based PrivatBank, Oleksandr Dubilet.

"Ukrainian banks will not feel the impact of the U.S. mortgage crisis, as the resource base of our banks mainly consists of funds taken from the public and companies, and the liquidity of the largest banks is in line with the toughest requirements of the banking surveillance [system]," said Dubilet.

KIEV, Sept. 23 – The disconnection of the Kalush pumped-storage power plant, the only supplier of heat for Ivano-Frankivsk region industrial consumers Karpatnaftokhim Ltd. and Lukor, has caused these companies to have to suspend operations.

KIEV, Sept. 23 – The situation on the Ukrainian stock market now has no economic grounds and is based only on speculation, according to Economy Minister Bohdan Danylyshyn.

"The Ukrainian stock market today is overrun with institutions that do not always correlate with each other and are characterized by efforts to receive super-profits, using legal loopholes," said Danylyshyn.

KIEV, Sept. 23 – The National Bank of Ukraine is drawing up rules aimed at the the regulation of risk management work at Ukrainian banks, according to the deputy NBU head, Volodymyr Krotiuk.

KIEV, Sept. 23 – Inflation in Ukraine will not exceed 20% in 2008 and 17% in 2009, according to Ukrgazbank economist Oleksandr Okhrymenko.

"Real inflation in 2009 will be around 15-17%, this year it will be closer to 20%, but it won't exceed 20%," he said.

Okhrymenko said inflation is positive for business development.

KIEV, Sept. 23 - In two weeks, the Russian Economy Ministry and its Ukrainian counterpart will hold talks on changing regulations that protect the Russian market from what the Russians see as the negative consequences of Ukraine's joining the World Trade Organization, Russian Economy Ministry Trade Department Director Maksim Medvedko said.

KIEV, Sept. 20 – U.S. company Star Energy and its subsidiary, Anglo-Ukra Energy (Kiev), have announced the opening of their central office in the Leonardo business center in Kiev.

KIEV, Sept. 20 – Kiev-based Oschadbank, a wholly state owned Ukrainian retail bank, plans to offer a debut eurobond issue of $100 million to $150 million in the first quarter of 2008, CEO Anatoliy Hulei told Interfax-Ukraine.

KIEV, Sept. 21 – Krasnodonvuhillia has commissioned this month a new coalface at the Molodohvardiyska mine with about 1 million tons of coking coal, the company announced.