The 12th KIEF will be held in Kyiv on October 26: the focus is on how business and the economy can survive in new conditions

In the fifth year of a full-scale war, the pressure on the Ukrainian economy is increasing. Under attack are manufacturing, energy, ports, railways, logistics centers, and other infrastructure critical to business. According to the Ministry of Economy, direct losses from the destruction could reach about $10 billion annually, and together with the blockade of seaports, they have already cost Ukraine about 1.5 percentage points of GDP in 2026. According to the World Bank's October forecast, Ukraine's economic growth will slow to 1.2% in 2026 and will be 1.5% in 2027 if active hostilities continue. In previous forecasts for 2027, the bank predicted 4%, provided they are completed by the end of 2026.

"If earlier the focus of the discussion was on the issue of Ukraine's recovery, today the focus has shifted to how to ensure the sustainability of the economy now. Businesses need solutions that will help protect assets, maintain production, and continue to invest even in war conditions," notes Vasyl Khmelnytsky, initiator of KIEF, founder of UFuture holding .

Participant registration

The KIEF 2026 program includes 12 panel discussions. The focus of the discussion is on physical protection of business, work during air strikes, decentralized logistics and energy supply, communication stability, war risk insurance, compensation for lost assets, access to financing, and maintaining macrostability. Key topics also include adapting the state strategy for industrial development and energy policy to new conditions, the state's economic priorities, international cooperation, and European integration in the face of new challenges. Special attention is paid to the experience of frontline cities and solutions that are already working there.

Among the forum speakers:

• Oleksandr Komarov , CEO and President of Kyivstar Group;
• Ruslan Shostak , President of TERWIN Corporation, founder of EVA and VARUS;
• Francis Malizh , EBRD Managing Director for the Financial Institutions Sector;
• Yulia Svyridenko , President of KSE Business School;
• Vyacheslav Klimov , Co-owner of the NOVA group of companies;
• Dominikas Tuchkus , Investment Director of Amber Infrastructure Fund;
• Igor Nikonov , Founder of the development company KAN Development;
• Tomas Fiala , Founder of Dragon Capital;
• Inga Andreeva , General Director of Mastercard in Ukraine and Moldova;
• David Godfrey , Board Member of British-Ukrainian Economic Future, former CEO of UK Export Finance.

The Ukrainian economy already has experience in quickly adapting during a crisis. In 2022, after the destruction of the Kremenchuk refinery and fuel shortages, the country rebuilt fuel logistics, and thousands of enterprises relocated from frontline regions to the interior of the country. After the blockade of traditional sea routes, the Ukrainian sea corridor became operational in 2023, and after large-scale attacks on the energy system last year, business and the state began to actively develop distributed generation.

Media accreditation

"Today, the conversation about the future must begin with the search for practical solutions that business, the state, and international partners can adopt now to maintain stability and return the economy to growth. This is what KIEF is about this year," says KIEF CEO Yuriy Pivovarov.

Title partners of the forum: UFuture, Mastercard, AEQUO, PrivatBank, Kyivstar

Forum partners: Sense Bank, NEQSOL Holding, FUIB, DTEK, Ajax Systems, Uklon, TERWIN, Eclectic Talents Group, BALEX, CEO Club Ukraine.

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