The Federation of Employers of Ukraine (FEU) welcomes the decision of the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) to increase from June 15, 2026 the maximum period for the return of foreign exchange earnings for exporters of tubular products and railway transport components from 180 to 270 days and intends to seek the adoption of similar decisions regarding other commodity items.
"The FEU welcomes the NBU decision(...) At the same time, the FEU will work to ensure further implementation of Cabinet of Ministers directive No. 573-r and the adoption of similar decisions on other commodity items, primarily complex industrial equipment and machine tools, for which the issue of increasing the terms of foreign exchange settlements remains relevant. We continue to work on removing barriers for Ukrainian exports and strengthening the competitive positions of the domestic processing industry in global markets," a press release says.
It is noted that this is already the second decision of the NBU in recent months to increase the terms of foreign exchange settlements for exporters of high value-added products. In February 2026, similar changes were introduced for manufacturers of agricultural machinery and specialized equipment.
However, it is pointed out that for a long time the NBU did not implement this part of the government’s recommendations. Despite numerous appeals and justifications from the FEU, the issue actually remained without movement. At the beginning of 2026, the FEU brought it to the consideration of the Interagency Working Group on Deregulation and Entrepreneurship Development. Following the meeting and further consultations with the participation of the Ministry of Economy and the NBU, work on the implementation of the government order was resumed.
In particular, on March 3, 2026, the FEU submitted additional justifications regarding the need to increase the terms of foreign exchange settlements specifically for products under UKT ZED codes (classification numbers used for the Ukrainian Classification of Goods for Foreign Economic Activity)7304, 7305, 7306, and 8607.
The artificial limitation of the terms for the return of foreign exchange earnings at the level of 180 days significantly complicated the entry of Ukrainian manufacturers into remote markets and created additional difficulties for the execution of long-term export contracts. For enterprises of the tube industry and manufacturers of components for railway transport, long production cycles, complex logistics, and significant delivery times are characteristic. Under wartime conditions, these challenges have only intensified.
"The effective development of exports of processing industry products is impossible under excessively strict currency restrictions. That is why the FEU consistently advocates for the adaptation of currency regulation to the real conditions of international trade and the needs of Ukrainian manufacturers," the press release emphasizes.
As reported, the NBU increased from 180 to 270 days the maximum settlement periods for certain operations on the export of tubes and components for railway transport carried out from June 15, 2026, in accordance with the proposals received from the government. The corresponding order of the Cabinet of Ministers No. 573-r was adopted on June 21, 2024.
It was also reported that from March 1, 2026, the NBU increased from 180 to 270 days the maximum settlement periods for operations on the export of certain agricultural and specialized machinery. This decision was also adopted in accordance with the government’s proposals provided for by the order of the Cabinet of Ministers of June 21, 2024, No. 573-r.
