KIEV, May 17 - The number of unprofitable banks in Ukraine fell to nine in Q1, or to 5.1% of the total number of operating credit and financial institutions in the country, the National Bank of Ukraine reported.

KIEV, May 17 – The building of a new oxygen-converter plant will make Zaporizhstal one of the most modern steel mills in Eastern Europe, according to Rinat Akhmetov, the owner of SCM, which via Metinvest Holding indirectly owns the largest stake in Zaporizhstal.

KIEV, May 17 - Ukraine will receive the first shipment of liquefied natural gas in the fourth quarter of 2014, a top official handling construction of LNG terminal said Friday, citing an optimistic scenario.

KIEV, May 17 – First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economic Development and Trade of Andriy Kliuyev said that the government intends to pay special attention to economic aspects of foreign policy and has already significantly increased the number of contacts with its major economic partners.

LONDON, May 17 - Outdated equipment and growth in demand for electricity will require about $110 billion in investment to be made in the Ukrainian energy sector over the next 20 years, according to Sergey Korovin, the director of Energy Business Development of System Capital Management.

LONDON, May 17 – The State Property Fund intends to exclude 700 enterprises from the list of state-run companies that are not subject to privatization, mostly from those sectors which have never been offered for sale, State Property Fund Chairman Oleksandr Riabchenko said.

KIEV, May 18 - Honda Ukraine, the official distributor of Honda cars, motorcycles and power equipment in Ukraine, has reduced its estimate of car sales in the country by 27% due to the cut in production at Japanese plants hit by March's earthquake and tsunami.

KIEV, May 19 – The assets of Ukraine's banks rose by 2.2% in April. to UAH 1.021 trillion, while their total assets (including reserves and inter-branch turnover) were up by 2.3%, to UAH 1.176 trillion, according to the National Bank of Ukraine.

KIEV, May 19 – The amendments to the legislation on public procurement adopted by Parliament lay down transparent rules for tender procedures that comply with international standards, Regions Party MP Oleksiy Plotnikov said.

KIEV, May 18, - The Board of Directors of the World Bank has approved a $200 million loan to finance Ukraine’s energy efficiency projects across the economy.