State-owned Oschadbank has signed a series of loan agreements with companies within the Kernel agroholding group totaling $77 million. According to the bank, this represents the largest volume of lending to a private business by Ukrainian banks in 2025. The deal was announced on December 17 by Yurii Katsion, Deputy Chairman of the Management Board of Oschadbank.
He noted that nearly half of the structured loan portfolio may be allocated to investment purposes. In particular, this includes non-revolving credit lines amounting to $36.7 million with a seven-year maturity. The funds are expected to be used to renew the fleet of agricultural machinery and equipment required for uninterrupted land cultivation, as well as to finance and refinance capital expenditures related to the reconstruction of the Transbalkterminal grain terminal in Chornomorsk, which was damaged by a Russian missile strike in 2023.
One of the key features of the loan agreements is the borrower’s ability, throughout their entire term, to utilize the full $77 million credit limit for working capital needs, while simultaneously reducing the share allocated to investment projects. These working capital resources may be used to purchase grain, fertilizers, crop protection products, fuel, as well as other goods, works, and services required for the agroholding’s day-to-day operations.
Before the war, Kernel was the world’s largest producer of sunflower oil, accounting for around 7% of global production and approximately 12% of global exports. The company is also among Ukraine’s largest producers and sellers of bottled oil and is actively engaged in the cultivation and sale of other agricultural products.
For the 2025 financial year (July 2024 – June 2025), Kernel reported net profit of $238 million, up 42% year-on-year. Consolidated revenue reached $4.115 billion, representing a 15% increase compared to the previous year. Total debt as of the end of September stood at $726 million, of which $104.5 million related to bank credit lines, compared with $146.7 million at the beginning of the year.
Oschadbank itself has also recorded growth in corporate lending. According to the bank, in October 2025 the corporate loan portfolio increased by 2.6%, or UAH 26.9 billion, reaching UAH 970.1 billion. UAH-denominated business loans rose by 1.7% to UAH 689.7 billion, while foreign-currency loans increased by 4.2% to $6.68 billion.
According to the National Bank of Ukraine, as of early November 2025 Oschadbank ranked second among 60 operating banks in Ukraine, with total assets of UAH 456.23 billion.
