Dragon Capital Holds 10th Annual Ukraine Investor Conference

04.04.2014
Western investors are supportive of the actions of the new Ukrainian government, which suggests improving prospects for the sovereign and corporates to return to international markets and attract foreign capital via privatizations or IPOs of state owned companies and foreign direct investment

Dragon Capital held its 10th Annual Ukraine Investor Conference on April 2-3 in Kyiv. More than 120 international investors from the EU, U.S. and Russia, as well as more than 100 local investors and Ukrainian companies attended the anniversary event to learn more about the economic and political situation in Ukraine and the newly appointed government’s reform agenda.

Dragon Capital has held its annual investor conference for 10 years now, regardless of the domestic political situation, and it has come to be valued by investors for the opportunity to communicate directly with government officials, representatives of international financial institutions and top managers of the country’s largest companies in order to make informed decisions about investing in Ukraine.

Sharing their vision of Ukraine’s economic development with investors this year were Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, NBU Governor Stepan Kubiv, presidential candidate and lawmaker Petro Poroshenko as well as government ministers Ostap Semerak, Pavlo Sheremeta, Ihor Bilous, Vitaliy Naumenko, Vitaliy Lisovenko, Andriy Dykun. Officials from the IMF, the EU Delegation and the U.S. Embassy as well as Ukrainian political analysts, academics and journalists also attended the event. Representatives of Ukrainian banks as well as companies from the agricultural sector, energy, metallurgy, real estate, transport and engineering held meetings with foreign investors.

Tomas Fiala, CEO of Dragon Capital, addressed the Prime Minister in his opening remarks: “All investors I have spoken with are very supportive of your actions and plan to invest billions of U.S. dollars of private capital as long as they will be treated in accordance with law. Ukraine and your Government have the opportunity to build a clean track record by standing up to its obligations in what everybody understands is a very difficult period and as a result be rewarded by the ability to return to international markets to fund the public and private sector, privatize or IPO state owned companies and attract FDI already this year.”

This year the conference was attended by over 300 people — representatives of western and local investors, policy makers, government officials, and CEOs of leading Ukrainian companies. Over 30 public companies such as MHP, Avangard, Mriya Agro Holding, Kernel, Motor Sich, DTEK, Metinvest, Interpipe, Privat, Ukrzaliznytsya, Ukreximbank and others shared their results and plans for the future during one-on-one meetings with investors.

Tomas Fiala, CEO of Dragon Capital: “All investors I have spoken with… plan to invest billions of U.S. dollars of private capital as long as they will be treated in accordance with law”.

The government is “ready to implement real reforms”, yet, considering the dire state of the economy, it had to start with applying “painkillers … to rehabilitate the economy and prevent the country dying”. After these initial steps have been taken, comprehensive reforms would be launched across the board despite the approaching presidential elections, said Arseniy Yatsenyuk, Prime Minister of Ukraine

Panel Discussion: After Months of Upheaval, Where and What Next for Ukraine? Moderator: Neil Buckley Eastern Europe Editor, Financial Times. Speakers: Petro Poroshenko, Member of Parliament; Valeriy Chalyy, Deputy General Director, Razumkov Center; Katya Gorchinskaya, Deputy Chief Editor, Kyiv Post; Olexiy Haran, Professor of Comparative Politics, University of Kyiv‑Mohyla Academy; Hlib Vyshlinsky, Deputy Managing Director, GfK Ukraine

Petro Poroshenko, Member of Parliament: “The top priority economy-wise is to revive the investment climate by pursuing a policy of zero tolerance for corruption and by completing a full “reloading” of the government”.

Networking between conference morning sessions

Stepan Kubiv, Governor, National Bank of Ukraine: “The Ukrainian financial system is going through very challenging times due to recent and ongoing events in the country, and the NBU’s immediate priority is to restore the confidence of private customers in order to stop deposit outflows. The ultimate goal is to ensure long-term confidence in the banking system”.

Panel Discussion: Dealing With Macroeconomic Challenges. Moderator: Olena Bilan, Chief Economist, Dragon Capital. Special Address Speaker: Stepan Kubiv, Governor, National Bank of Ukraine; Jerome Vacher, Resident Representative in Ukraine, IMF; Jose Roman LEON LORA, First Counsellor, Head of Section for Economic Cooperation and Regional Development, EU Delegation to Ukraine; David Meale, Counselor for Economic Affairs, Embassy of the United States of America; Volodymyr Lavrenchuk, Chairman of the Board, Raiffeisen Bank Aval

Round Table: Meet the New Ukrainian Cabinet. Moderator: Tomas Fiala, Chief Executive Officer, Dragon Capital. Speakers: Ostap Semerak, Cabinet Minister; Igor Bilous, First Deputy Minister, Ministry of Revenue and Duties; Vitaliy Naumenko, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Revenue and Duties

Meeting with Vitaliy Lisovenko, Deputy Finance Minister of Ukraine

Agricultural workshop. Moderator: Tamara Levchenko, Senior Analyst, Dragon Capital. Speakers: Viktoria Kapelyushnaya, MHP; Alex Lissitsa, President, Ukrainian Club of Agro Business; Simon Cherniavsky, Harveast Agricultural Group; Yuriy Kovalchuk, Kernel; Leonid Kozachenko, Ukrainian Agrarian Confederation; Mykola Kovalsky, Astarta Holding

For more information please contact us at [email protected].

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