KIEV, Dec. 17 - The volume of initial public offerings and private placements in shares of Ukrainian companies in 2008 may amount to $2 billion-$3 billion, up from $1.5 billion-$2 billion in 2007, said Dmitry Gavrilenko, investment banking services manager at Concorde Capital.

"We have $1 billion in our portfolio," Gavrilenko told Interfax on Monday. A significant number of IPOs are scheduled for late 2008-early 2009, he said.