KIEV, Aug. 21 ??“ The National Bank of Ukraine has purchased excess supply of foreign currency worth $330 million on the interbank forex market this month, up from $315 million in July, Valeriy Lytvytsky, the head of the advisors group in the bank, told Interfax-Ukraine.

KIEV, Aug. 18 ??“ The Antimonopoly Committee has given the thumbs-up to Moscow-based ZAO Bank Russian Standard to acquire over 50% of Kiev-based AIS-Bank Ltd, the Committee reported on Friday.

WARSAW, Aug. 18. - Ukraine has not changed its official position to support the extension of the Odessa-Brody oil pipeline to Poland - and recent comments by the Ukrainian government to study the pipeline's future should be seen in the context of gas price negotiations with Russia, Marcin Jastrzebski, the general director of Sarmatia, the company in charge of the Polish extension, told Interfax Friday.

LONDON, Aug. 21 - Fitch Ratings announced it has downgraded Ukraine-based Stirol's Issuer Default rating (IDR) to 'B-' (B minus) from 'B.??™

KIEV, Aug. 21 ??“ Owners of large filling station chains in Ukraine within a week adjusted the price of A-95 gasoline with the level approved by the Fuel and Energy Ministry.

KIEV, Aug. 21 - Russian and Ukrainian oil companies will seek to boost supplies of crude to Ukraine in order to increase production and exports of gasoline, according to an agreement signed with the government Monday.

KIEV, Aug. 20 - Privat, the diversified business group that owns Privatbank, Ukraine's largest commercial bank, will spend $100 million to buy a 40% stake in Studio 1+1, the country's second most popular television network, the group's co-owner said.

KIEV, Aug. 19 ??“ Mobile communications operators UMC will overtake rival Kyivstar to become the official sponsor of Ukraine??™s National Olympics Committee, NOC President Serhiy Bubka announced, according to Interfax-Ukraine.

KIEV, Aug. 21 - Raiffeisen International Bank Holding AG, Austria's largest bank, acquired a 93.5% stake in Aval, Ukraine's second largest commercial bank, completing several months of talks, the bank said in a statement released Sunday.

KIEV, Aug. 18 - The Industrial Union of Donbas' key producers - Alchevsk steel mill (Luhansk region) and Dzerzhynsky steel mill (Dnipropetrovsk region)- borrowed $250 million from a syndicate of
foreign banks for three years at 3.65%.