KIEV, Sept. 23 – The World Bank expects that the Ukrainian banking system will consolidate to 100 banks in 2016, according to its report on the Second Programmatic Financial Sector Development Policy Loan for Ukraine.

The borrower and the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) have introduced additional criteria for the timely identification of problem banks to improve stability and efficiency of the banking system under the First Programmatic Financial Sector Development Policy Loan. Under the Second Programmatic Financial Sector Development Policy Loan being implemented the World Bank and the NBU have strengthened requirements for identifying and reporting related-party lending.