“Now is the Best Time for Businesses to Attract Financing,” Maksym Tsymbal, First Deputy Chairman of the Management Board of Pivdenny Bank

Despite the ongoing war, Ukrainian businesses are demonstrating strong development dynamics, and banks remain open to financing new projects. This was stated by Maksym Tsymbal, First Deputy Chairman of the Management Board of Pivdenny Bank, during the panel discussion “Investing Despite the War” at the conference “Dialogues with NV: Business and the New Reality”.

“Today is probably the best time for businesses to attract financing from the banks. Most financial institutions are open to cooperation, and the conditions for growth are as favorable as they can be,” said Maksym Tsymbal.

According to him, the growth of business lending in Ukraine is currently record-breaking. In just the first eight months of 2025, the corporate loan portfolio increased by UAH 114 billion – twice as much as last year. Pivdenny Bank maintains strong dynamics, demonstrating more than 30% annual growth in its loan portfolio.

“We have decided that we will not wait for better times. We continue working actively even under wartime conditions. This year, we expect to grow our corporate portfolio by about UAH 9 billion – roughly 35%,” he added.

Around 30% of the projects handled by the bank are investment ones – modernization of fixed assets, expansion of production, and new development areas. The most active sectors remain agriculture, logistics, energy, and manufacturing. At the same time, more than 70 % of business investment is financed with companies’ own funds – businesses are accumulating liquidity and reinvesting it into growth.

Maksym Tsymbal also highlighted the military-tech sector, which is becoming one of the most dynamic in Ukraine:

“The defense industry is one of the most important for the country. It is developing at the fastest pace, with budgets exceeding one trillion hryvnias per year. According to recent data, around 600 private companies are already operating in this field. For banks, this means new opportunities – lending, payments, currency operations”.

Pivdenny Bank is already working with companies in this sector and is taking all necessary steps to expand cooperation with enterprises contributing to strengthening Ukraine’s defense capacity.

“We see strong potential in the development of this industry and plan to be an active partner for clients in the military-tech sector,” added Maksym Tsymbal.