The Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) has expressed its readiness to support large-scale investment projects in Ukraine, focusing on the sectors of green energy, industry, and logistics. Last week, Minister of Economy Oleksii Sobolev met with JBIC leadership, where key areas for expanding bilateral cooperation were identified.
This is reported by Business • Media
New Investment Opportunities and Support for Reforms
- Energy: JBIC is considering the establishment of a special credit line with enhanced risk insurance for financing energy projects. This includes the supply of Japanese equipment and the transfer of technology for organizing production in Ukraine.
- Attracting Investments: Targeted technical assistance for the reform of privatization and public-private partnerships was discussed separately. This is expected to facilitate more active involvement of Japanese private capital in large Ukrainian projects.
- Agricultural Sector: Ukraine and JBIC plan joint financing of projects for the construction of modern logistics and processing centers, as well as cold storage facilities for the agricultural sector. The selection of potential projects will be conducted together with the UkraineInvest agency.
Facilitating Recovery and Expanding Business Contacts
During the negotiations, the parties focused on developing financial mechanisms for humanitarian demining of agricultural lands, investing in critical minerals in cooperation with DFC, and expanding war risk insurance programs.
“Ukraine has also initiated the expansion of the Ukrainian-Japanese emergency recovery program to three more affected regions: Sumy, Chernihiv, and Zaporizhzhia. Currently, the Ministry of Development is coordinating four phases of the emergency recovery program from JICA, with a total support amount of $700 million.”
Additionally, Ukraine has proposed to the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) to develop a joint action plan to activate cooperation with Japanese companies. In November, a business mission from Japan will visit Lviv, consisting of eight companies operating in the fields of IT, cybersecurity, logistics, and construction materials production. The purpose of the visit is to familiarize Japanese entrepreneurs with the needs of the Ukrainian market and to explore promising areas for joint work. The Japanese side has confirmed its readiness to participate in the industrial recovery of Ukrainian enterprises under the “Industrial Ramstein” initiative.