In 2021-2022, First Ukrainian International Bank actively implemented projects aimed at developing the business environment and supporting businesses. 

Payment of taxes

In 2021, FUIB paid over UAH 2.1 billion in taxes to the state budget.  Despite the losses incurred during the war, FUIB still paid all taxes on time. In 2022, the bank transferred over UAH 1.6 billion to the state budget. Of this amount, in April and March, FUIB paid UAH 299 million in advance to support the Ukrainian economy so that the state could address urgent issues in the most difficult period.

Business continuity plan

FUIB has had a business continuity plan since 2011, when the bank created the Business Continuity Management System. Business continuity plans (BCP) are reviewed annually, being adapted to new realities and threats. The bank was preparing for a large-scale war and developed various response plans at the end of 2021. Lviv was designated as a reserve city. In January 2022, 8 teams were already working on BCP in different areas (credit risks, liquidity, critical personnel, client communications, property evacuation, valuables evacuation, documents evacuation, branch closure). Our plans were worked out in detail, and on the morning of February 24, they were already in place. We immediately switched from business as usual to crisis management. The situation in the country required quick and balanced decisions, information collection and analysis. The Anti-Crisis Committee held meetings twice a day to stabilize the bank's operations and monitor the effectiveness of the measures taken. FUIB maintained continuity of operations and ensured the safety of employees and clients.

Support of businesses 

FUIB constantly monitors the course of events in the country and analyzes the situation of its clients in order to provide timely support to Ukrainian business under any circumstances. For example, in 2021, when the COVID-19 epidemic was still ongoing, the bank started providing electronic trust services for the formation, verification and validation of a qualified certificate of electronic signature or seal. This allowed clients to switch to new standards of remote banking free of charge (the entire document flow is available in a remote channel), as well as to achieve electronic signature security. In 2021, more than 17,000 customers, and in 2022, more than 21,000 customers rated the convenience of QES services provided by the qualified provider of electronic services of FUIB.

In 2021, the bank also started lending to entrepreneurs, providing microloans to individual entrepreneurs without collateral, packages of documents, or visits to the bank. A microloan is issued in Digital Business online banking within several minutes. In addition, FUIB has created a mobile application for businesses that allows them to manage their finances via smartphone. At the end of the year, 5,000 clients became users of the convenient application.

Since the first days of the war in 2022, FUIB has made a number of important decisions to support its clients. It introduced loan repayment holidays for corporate clients for several months. These were not only loan body repayment vacations, but also interest vacations. At that time, no one understood the scale of the war, so we first gave business clients the opportunity to pay taxes and salaries to their employees and make critical payments. Later, we adapted these vacations, leaving the interest, but individually working with each client to transfer or restructure the loan body. It all depended on the specific business sector, its location, and business model. In addition, there were clients who remained in the occupied territories and in regions close to the front line, and those who lost their business. We chose individual solutions for each of them to find the best option for loan repayment.

As for payment services, FUIB canceled the fixed acquiring fee for six months and significantly reduced the level of the fee charged on the daily and monthly turnover of clients. The bank did not charge a single penny from clients who had suspended or lost their business, even if they had conducted transactions.

The bank continued to lend to businesses during the war. If in 2021 the bank financed agricultural producers in the amount of 3.2 billion, then in the year of the full-scale invasion, the amount of credit support increased and amounted to 7.8 billion UAH. The bank's credit support helped Ukrainian agricultural enterprises to carry out field work on schedule. In 2022, the total volume of FUIB loans for all business segments amounted to UAH 19.1 billion, exceeding the indicators of the peaceful year of 2021 by UAH 1.2 billion (UAH 17.9 billion), which only confirms the strength of the bank's support for Ukrainian entrepreneurs even in wartime conditions.

We have also created the Everything will be Ukraine new tariff package for internally displaced businesses, the terms of which take into account all the urgent needs of relocated businesses and facilitate the speedy resumption of small and medium-sized businesses in a safe area. We have introduced a product called SMART OP!LATA, which makes it possible to make payments by scanning a QR code even during a power outage. It is fast and convenient - with just a mobile phone.

At the end of 2021, the number of small, medium and large corporate business clients served by FUIB amounted to more than 89,100. The increase in small business compared to the previous year amounted to 19,900 customers, or 19.6%. At the end of 2022, almost 100,900 corporate clients trusted the bank. Since the beginning of the year, more than 18,100 business clients have become FUIB's clients. Among them are more than 16,500 small business clients, their growth over the year amounted to +15%.

In 2021, FUIB was recognized as the leader in the SME Support nomination of the Financial Oscar rating compiled by the Business magazine for its achievements in lending and servicing small and medium-sized businesses. The bank was also ranked second in the Agrarian Bank nomination for its high results and significant activity in supporting and financing agricultural projects. Serhiy Mahdych, FUIB's Deputy Chairman of the Board for Corporate Business, became one of the best SME bankers, taking second place in the rating of the Small Financial Oscar 2021 by the Business magazine. In 2022, FUIB was once again recognized as the best bank for SMEs according to the FinAwards 2022 reward. Serhiy Mahdych was recognized in the Best Corporate Banker nomination of the annual Financial Club Awards 2022.

Educational projects 

​In 2021 and 2022, FUIB remained a strategic partner of the Kyiv School of Economics (KSE), which is one of the best schools in Central and Eastern Europe. The bank has strengthened its support for KSE by providing a grant of USD 1 million for its development over 10 years. The grant has 2 key areas - asset development and institutional support. The first direction involves the arrangement of 3 educational and recreational areas: floor of business education, as well as 2 study and recreation areas for students and teachers in the new building of the Kyiv School of Economics. A social and publicistic project will be implemented on the floor of business education: annual semi-annual exhibition of business trends, which codifies the synergy of academic approach and market knowledge. Institutional support includes the allocation of funds to cover discounts on tuition at the bachelor's programs of the Kyiv School of Economics.  Thus, in 2022, despite the war, the bank invested UAH 4 million in quality higher education. FUIB's support made it possible to continue the scholarship program and provide tuition discounts to students with exceptional abilities and high academic achievements. KSE continues to train professionals who are able to implement qualitative changes and rebuild Ukraine after the victory. 

«The tuition discount is the result of daily work. Yes, it requires a lot of effort, but the result is worth it and is an incentive to go beyond your own capabilities. The discount helped reduce the financial burden on my parents. They have always supported me, including in choosing a university, and now I have the opportunity to thank them," said Sofiia Mazepa, a first-year student at the Kyiv School of Economics.

In 2021, for the sixth year in a row, FUIB supported My Career in Ukraine career guidance project of the Center for CSR Development and Career Hub. It was aimed at showing the young generation a possible way of career development and inspiring them to choose a future profession consciously. More than 4,000 students from grades 9-10 participated in the My Future in Ukraine all-Ukrainian national lesson. Over 1,500 high school students registered for the sixth My Career in Ukraine project. The 300 most motivated teenagers met successful people in career meetings in medical, creative, media, services, industry fields, as well as in business, economics and IT fields. 30 most active teenagers made it to the finals of the project to spend a day with their idols and learn more about the profession that interests them. The project involved 20 FUIB volunteers, experts in various professional fields. 

"During the project, researching different professions and industries, I realized that the media field I was thinking about earlier was not for me. Now I have become interested in cybersecurity, because I attended a meeting with the head of FUIB's security, saw what the work looks like from the inside and heard a lot of useful and new information", -  said Olena Naumenko, from Makhnivka, Vinnytsia region, participant of the sixth My Career in Ukraine project.

On August 27-29, 2021, a free audio performance called "Wheel of Stories", initiated by FUIB, took place on the Ferris wheel in Kyiv's Podil district on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of Ukraine's independence. Each of the 30 booths of the Ferris wheel is dedicated to a separate year in the country's history. Each year is reflected in an audio play through real-life scenes. Once inside the Ferris wheel booth, the visitor activates the audio play via a QR code. The page of the audio player with performances was visited by 5,000 Ukrainians and guests of the capital. The main goal of the Wheel of Stories is to make Ukrainians proud of the path they have traveled and inspire them to new achievements. One can also listen to 11 episodes of the audio play on the NV edition website.

Financial literacy

Since the level of financial literacy in Ukraine is still low among the countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, FUIB pays attention to educational communications in social networks, mass media, and corporate publications. 

The bank is about support and willingness to share knowledge and help clients save money. The Segodnya newspaper together with FUIB created a short guide to help Ukrainians protect their finances from online fraudsters. ​ https://www.segodnya.ua/longread/finansove-strahuvannya/index.html. Almost 54,000 readers have read the useful material. 

Financial literacy is about the ability to plan your budget and choose the most profitable banking products. In the fall of 2021, FUIB launched a series of educational publications on deposit products and profitable management of own funds. The project reached more than 2 million Ukrainians. 

In 2021, FUIB continued to publish The People's Banker financial literacy magazine, which was available in print in branches and online on the bank's website. The magazine reached about 50,000 readers. 

In 2021, the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine in partnership with the National Bank of Ukraine and FUIB created an educational series called Financial Sensei. You can watch the educational series for free on the Diya.Digital Education platfotm.  

It consists of 8 episodes lasting 5-10 minutes. Financial Sensei considers important real life situations: how to plan a budget and accumulate, save money and gather for the dream thing, how to use the credit limit and not to pay interest, how to save own money from cyber fraudsters and manage own money online anywhere in the world and many other interesting banking insights. In 2021, 1200 students took the course.

In addition, in 2021, FUIB and the well-known online learning platform Prometheus created the Just About Money course for those who still think that banks close from time to time, so they are unreliable; bank is complicated and incomprehensible; keeping money in a bank is unprofitable and dangerous; credit is a debt pit due to hidden fees and unclear terms, etc.

This is a free basic course on financial literacy, in which FUIB experts explain using clear examples how conveniently, safely and profitably to use banking products and services, and to manage own finances. Course lecturers: Dmytro Dudnyk, Director of Retail Products Department; Anastasia Rancheva, Head of Passive Retail Products Department; Oleksandra Chepurina, Head of Credit Card Department. The Just About Money course is available on the Prometheus platform at the link. At the end of 2021, the course had 6,700 students.

Blogger Lilya Savchyn about the course: "Money gives us opportunities.It is important to be able to manage it properly.
If you want to understand the basic issues of finance in general and the benefits of various banking services, learn more about financial security, the Just About Money course will definitely be useful to you. It really contains useful information, for example, how to choose a reliable bank, how to borrow money, how to make payments quickly, and even how to protect yourself from fraudsters. I recommend it to everyone for their general development, especially since it's free".

FUIB Bank's play station is open for children in the Kidlandia city of professions in the Blockbuster shopping center in Kyiv. Here one can work as a bank manager, cashier and cash collector. In a simple form with the help of cartoon characters, children will find out why a bank is needed and what are its main advantages and products. Each child can open a playing account in the bank, to earn local currency and - after saving funds - to open a deposit. FUIB in Kidlandia is exciting and informative. These are investments in financial literacy and career guidance for children. The station stopped working during the war.

In 2022, due to the war, all of the bank's educational activities to improve financial literacy were conducted on the bank's official Facebook page. Here, we provided up-to-date information on changes in the financial system of Ukraine and consultations on financial issues, and taught the safe use of mobile banking. We tried to transfer clients to remote service channels as much as possible for their safety.
 

Help for the wounded

Ukrainian soldiers are in constant need of hemostatic agents for tactical medicine and blood components in hot spots. In addition, the economy is bleeding during the war. Therefore, FUIB initiated the We Are of the Same Blood social project to support Ukrainian small businesses and art, promote donor initiatives, and help the wounded. This is the large-scale partnership project of the bank, the logistics company, 6 Ukrainian manufacturers and 5 illustrators, and 2 public organizations. FUIB transfers half of the cost of each order of patriotic merchandise created by Ukrainian manufacturers to the DonorUA and Blood Agents charitable foundations. The funds raised are used to meet the needs for donated blood, deliver blood components to hot spots, and purchase tactical medicine for Ukrainian soldiers. Ukrainians support the project not only by ordering patriotic clothing, accessories, and replaceable chevron stickers, but also by donating blood at donor centers. 

In 6 months of 2022, the We Are of One Blood initiative raised UAH 2.5 million. The funds were used to purchase 350 tourniquets, 253 occlusive stickers, 240 hemostatic bandages, 210 compression bandages, 2 low-temperature freezers for blood plasma storage in Kherson, and 31 deliveries of blood components to hot spots, and each delivery means thousands of lives saved. More than 550 Ukrainians have become donors, which means hope for recovery for more than 1650 people. The project involved 5,000 Ukrainians, and more than 10 million people learned about the bank's project. Ukrainian business and art were supported for UAH 6 million. Project pages in social networks www.facebook.com/lifesavingmerch and https://www.instagram.com/lifesavingmerch. https://lifesavingmerch.com.ua/ website.

FUIB, together with its clients, friends and partners, raised 6 million for surgical equipment for the frontline operating room. The website of the initiative is www.pumbdonation.com.ua.

Emergency medical care is provided in one of the hospitals closest to the combat zone in the frontline area of the operational command "South". The initiative's partner is the Serhii Prytula Charitable Foundation. With the help of the Foundation's team, all the funds raised were used to purchase complete equipment for four operating rooms. According to doctors' estimates, they can save up to 900 lives every month. The main physician of the frontline medical facility thanked all those who cared and emphasized that "the surgical equipment received from the first days of transfer to the hospital helps serious patients with polytrauma and combat wounds, when the time of emergency care counts for minutes, and actually brings them back to life."

Partnership development

Partnership with banks and the NBU

The all-Ukrainian Coins for Children charity event initiated by the National Bank of Ukraine and the Tabletochki Foundation proves that there is no place for competition in sustainable development. From September to October 2021, the participants of the campaign raised UAH 3 million to help children with cancer using 25 kopiika coins, which ceased to be legal tender a year ago. FUIB was one of the 6 partner banks of the campaign, which accepted coins from the campaign participants and transferred the funds raised to the account of the Tabletochki Charitable Foundation. In total, 2,371 bank branches from all over Ukraine took part in the campaign. The driving force behind the campaign was children - preschoolers, schoolchildren and students. 173 FUIB branches took part in the campaign. They transferred more than UAH 200,000 to the Tabletochki Foundation. 

In 2022, during the war, the NBU, together with banks, united to support the Armed Forces. FUIB became a partner of the NBU's Brave Hryvnia charity campaign. From August 1 to October 31, coins in denominations of 10, 50 kopiika and 1, 2, 5 and 10 hryvnias were collected throughout Ukraine to be mobilized to the front. It was also possible to bring non-payment coins of 1, 2, 5, 25 kopiika to FUIB branches. Over the three months of the Brave Hryvnia campaign, Ukrainians raised almost UAH 5 million. Almost UAH 1 million was transferred in coins through FUIB branches and transferred to the NBU special account to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Entrepreneur Oleksii Nosivets, who donated more than UAH 3,000 in coins through FUIB, commented: "We have been collecting coins at home for more than a year. I brought 5 kilograms of coins to the branch. Little strokes fell great oaks. If everyone contributes a little bit, we will definitely win. The war has shown that our strength is in our unity."

In the fall and winter of 2022, Russia stepped up attacks on the country's critical infrastructure, threatening a total blackout. At the initiative of the National Bank of Ukraine, all systemically important banks, including FUIB, have united to create POWER BANKING. This is a joint network of bank branches throughout Ukraine that operate and provide banking services to clients even in a critical situation during a blackout. The branches of the joint network are provided with alternative energy sources and backup communication channels, have enhanced cash collection and additional staff. In addition, ATM national roaming has been introduced in the branches of the POWER BANKING network. Projects website: https://power.bank.gov.ua .

As a primary dealer in 2022, FUIB launched a service for the sale of military government bonds, the issue of which was initiated by the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine to support the budget of Ukraine through investment. As of the end of 2022, the total amount of investments in military bonds from 1,085 bank clients, individuals and legal entities, amounted to more than UAH 562 million, USD 17.74 million, and EUR 3.52 million.

Partnership with Charitable Foundations and NGOs for the sake of victory

FUIB supports Ukrainian defenders. In 2022, FUIB allocated more than UAH 81 million to support the Armed Forces, the Territorial Defense, the State Emergency Service, the National Police, the National Guard, the Defence Intelligence and the Security Service of Ukraine. These funds were used to purchase bulletproof vests and helmets, radios and thermal imaging devices, tactical backpacks, clothing and footwear, copters and cars, medicines and fuel. We have processed over 110 applications from various military units and special forces. 

45 of our armored collection vehicles donated to the Armed Forces of Ukraine evacuated seriously wounded soldiers from the front line, delivered ammunition to the front line, participated in intercepting saboteurs and delivering food to city residents in the hottest spots. The armored vehicles saved dozens of lives.

The bank promptly responds to the needs of the defenders: while helmets and bulletproof vests were needed at first, later on it was thermal imaging devices and quadcopters, warm military clothing and footwear, stoves for heating and cooking, and hand and foot warmers. There is also an urgent need for high-precision weapons for our Armed Forces. That is why FUIB joined the nationwide fundraising for kamikaze drones and armored vehicles organized by the Serhii Prytula Foundation and donated UAH 2 million.  

FUIB's partners in supporting the Armed Forces of Ukraine include well-known charitable foundations, such as KSE Foundation and Serhii Prytula Foundation, as well as small volunteer organizations, and together we are doing one big important thing. 

Kyiv School of Economics Charitable Foundation: "FUIB was the first business to provide financial support to the Foundation during the war, transferring UAH 20 million for bulletproof vests for the Territorial Defense forces. Recently, the bank has allocated another UAH 2.7 million to provide the necessary means for military scouts. This is a contribution to strengthening Ukraine's defense capabilities and saving lives."

Ukrainians together NGO: "With the support provided by the bank, we have purchased a thermal imaging device, which has received high marks from the defenders and is already being used in the Kherson region. Thank you for your concern and involvement in our common future victory!"

Our clients have been constantly helping FUIB to bring the victory closer. Since the beginning of the war, FUIB has organized the possibility of quick transfer of any amount without a commission to support our army through all bank channels. Ukrainians through FUIB transferred almost UAH 345 million for the needs of the Armed Forces and humanitarian support over the year.

Partnership with government agencies

FUIB supported the exhibition dedicated to the 35th anniversary of the Chornobyl disaster, which was on display at the capital's VDNH since April 26, 2021. Chornobyl. The Journey multimedia exhibition consisted of seven semantic blocks - from the world context of the turbulent 1986 to the story of the accident itself, from the stories of people whose destinies are inextricably linked to the events of April 26, 1986, to the dialog about the future of Chornobyl and its future. The project was initiated by the Office of the President and created by the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine together with State Agency of Ukraine on Exclusion Zone Management with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy. The exhibition included 70 events and featured more than 100 exhibits from Ukraine and around the world. Over 38 thousand guests visited the exhibition in a few months. More than 10 million people learned about the project.

On September 3, 2021, a fire in St. Nicholas Church in Kyiv damaged the building's interior and organ. Upon learning about this, the bank's team did not hesitate to allocate UAH 1 million for the restoration of the architectural monument built in 1899-1909 in the Neo-Gothic style by Kyiv architect Vladyslav Horodetskyi. St. Nicholas Church is one of the symbols of the Ukrainian capital and is also known for its unique organ. The church houses the National House of Organ and Chamber Music. Ukrainian business has united to restore an architectural monument of national importance and preserve cultural heritage for future generations.

On October 26, 2021, 11 businesses, including FUIB, joined the Without Barriers initiative of the First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska. The Without Barriers initiative is designed to create a society without obstacles, which provides equal rights and opportunities for all people in self-realization, employment, movement, services, education, communication, leisure, and development. The bank employs many people who at some point in their lives become mobility impaired - during the birth of a child and caring for it or a long illness, immediately after graduation or reaching a senior age. The bank creates comfortable and flexible conditions for work, communication, study and career growth for everyone. We are opening more and more bank branches that are accessible to people with disabilities, we are developing new service standards for them. The branches are equipped with ramps, electric lifts, tactile tiles, staff call buttons, Braille signs, etc.

In 2022, due to the war, almost no work was done to build inclusive branches. We managed to create conditions for unimpeded access to the premises for people with limited mobility at three existing branches. As of the beginning of 2023, 171 branches (the work at 14 of which is currently suspended) have completed work on the accessibility of entrance groups for people with reduced mobility, out of 206 operating branches.