EFI Group (“Effective Investments”) intends to establish a corporate investment fund by the end of the current year, focused on attracting capital for industrial projects. This was announced by the Group’s CEO, Olha Batova.
Speaking on January 27 in Kyiv at the Export Credit Forum organized by the Export Credit Agency of Ukraine (ECA), Batova noted that one of the key challenges of the Ukrainian market is the extremely limited range of investment instruments. According to her, most Ukrainians currently invest primarily in real estate, as there are virtually no alternative, clear, and accessible investment mechanisms available in the country.
As Batova emphasized, EFI Group has a substantial portfolio of industrial projects and the expertise needed to launch new production facilities quickly and efficiently. The Group requires investment capital and is ready to offer Ukrainian investors a model that allows them both to earn returns and to contribute to the development of Ukraine’s economy through investments in industry.
In a comment to Interfax-Ukraine, Batova clarified that the fund would include assets in the form of 10% stakes in both existing EFI Group projects and those currently under implementation or planned for launch in the future. According to her, this structure will enable risk diversification and provide a transparent participation model for investors.
At the same time, Batova stressed that the successful operation of such instruments critically depends on the development of Ukraine’s capital markets, particularly the stock market, without which scaling industrial investments remains challenging.
Among other serious challenges for EFI Group’s business, she highlighted intense competition from Chinese manufacturers, which, due to extensive state support and sales below cost, exert significant price pressure on global markets, including on European producers.
Speaking about exports, Batova noted that entering foreign markets requires substantial resources, time, and high operational efficiency. In this context, she advised Ukrainian companies not to avoid partnerships with more experienced players that can accelerate international expansion.
EFI Group was founded in 2007 and implements business projects in Ukraine. The Group’s main investment areas include healthcare and medtech, the paper, food, and woodworking industries, as well as agricultural supply.
EFI Group’s portfolio includes, among others, animal fats and feed additives producer Feednova, the Beehive honey production plant, the Medical Star healthcare network, Zhytomyr Cardboard Mill, cardboard packaging manufacturer Sem Ecopak, timber processing company Forest Technology, agricultural supplier EFI Agro, medical online hub Doc.ua, and a number of other assets.
