•The International Monetary Fund and Ukraine are said to be just days away from settling on terms so that the country can receive its long-awaited next tranche of loan assistance.

•The percentage of private companies that import gas to Ukraine went from 1 percent to 26 percent in just two years, Unian reported.

•Germany is interested in expanding agribusiness cooperation with Ukraine, adding to trade turnover that amounted to $558 million in the first 11 months of 2016, Ukrinform reported. In related news, Ukraine's total agricultural and food exports increased $537 million year on year over the first 11 months of 2016.

•Kyiv is in talks with companies from Norway, Poland and France regarding the potential for taking the city's heating pipelines to concession, Mayor Vitali Klitschko has said, according to Interfax Ukraine. Kyivenergo's management of the pipelines expires this year.

•Ukraine and Great Britain intend to expand cooperation in aircraft engineering and military training, multiple news outlets reported. This will benefit aircraft manufacturer Antonov and also boost Ukraine's fledgling efforts to revive domestic aircraft manufacturing.

•Confectioner Roshen, formerly owned by President Petro Poroshenko, is shutting down its operations in the Russian city of Lipetsk because of political pressure, multiple sources reported.

•The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development will loan $5 million to the Rukavychka Group, a major food retailer operating 110 convenience stores in western Ukraine, to fund expansion, according to Interfax Ukraine.

The EBRD is also poised to help Kyiv get going on the bidding for its loop road construction project, Mayor Vitali Klitschko told Interfax Ukraine in comments on the results of his meetings at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

•The Ukrainian economy is coming out of the shadows at a record pace, Unian reported, citing a government announcement.

•Federal budget revenues rose 15 percent in 2016 as compared with 2015 thanks to real economy growth and improved tax administration, Ukrinform reported.

•Ukraine experienced a 4 percent rise in retail trade turnover in 2016, according to Unian.

•The European Investment Bank is ready to allocate $35 million to fix the Hrybovychi landfill in Lviv region, Ukrinform reported. The project is expected to take two to three years to complete.

•The World Bank and the Swiss Cooperation Office will provide $2.5 million in technical and organizational aid to the Lviv and Poltava regions to reform the health care system, the Health Ministry said in a report carried by Interfax-Ukraine.

For comments and news tips, please email UBJ AM editor David Edwards at david.edwards@theubj.com.