KYIV, Aug 21 - The share of cashless payments using cards decreased from 38.4% as of late March to 38.1% as of late June, the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) has reported on its website.

KIEV, Aug. 19 – Ukraine's Finance Ministry following the Economic Development and Trade Ministry has proposed to increase minimum prices of alcohol to the medium level seen on the market of legal producers, wholesale and retail companies.

KIEV, Aug. 20 – Ukraine, with the participation of Deutsche Bank at a primary auction on August 15, placed 2.5-year hryvnia-pegged government domestic loan bonds worth over UAH 2 billion among nonresidents, Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk told reporters.

KIEV, Aug. 20 – The National Bank of Ukraine, effective August 21, 2014, has upped the ceiling limit to 100% from 50% for the mandatory sale of receipts of companies and private entrepreneurs in foreign currency on the Ukrainian interbank forex market.

KIEV, Aug. 21 - Prominent representatives of international business community have called on the Ukrainian and Russian governments to find a compromise and a peaceful solution of settling the current conflict.

KIEV, Aug. 21 – Shell has postponed the start of work to drill a first wildcat on the Yuzivske field (Kharkiv and Donetsk regions) due to the force majeure situation on the field, the Ukrainian representative office of the company has told Interfax-Ukraine.

ASTANA, Aug. 20 - Kazakhstan has temporarily banned poultry imports from Ukraine's Myronivska Poultry Farm, the Kazakh Agriculture Ministry said.

"Veterinary permits issued earlier to the Myronivska Poultry Farm were suspended on August 1 pending an inquiry," the ministry said in a statement.

KIEV, Aug. 20 – The total losses of Ukrainian budgets of all levels from the ban on the supply of Roshen Corporation's confectionery to Russia may exceed UAH 1 billion by the end of the year (around $123 million at the current rate), Roshen Director for Development Yevhen Vovchanovsky said.

KIEV, Aug. 22 – The Cabinet of Ministers has approved plans to privatize Simferopol combined heat power plant, Kamysh-Burunska combined heat power plant and Saksky steam-gas power plant, which are part of Crimea Generating Systems (Simferopol, Crimea), State Property Fund chairman Oleksandr Riabchenko said.

KIEV, Aug. 22 – The Energy and Coal Industry said it expects in Q4 to sign a credit agreement with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and European Investment Bank on financing the construction of the Kaniv pump storage, Energy and Coal Industry Minister Eduard Stavytsky said.