In January-July 2026, 709 new companies with foreign owners were registered in Ukraine. This is 6% more than during the same period last year, when 672 such businesses were established. Notably, the number of companies with Chinese owners has grown significantly, as evidenced by data from OpenDataBot, as reported by Dengi.ua.
By comparison, OpenDataBot reports that 574 companies with foreign beneficiaries were registered in Ukraine during the first seven months of 2024. Thus, the figure has increased by 24% over two years.
China Took the Top Spot
In 2026, Chinese citizens surpassed Turkish entrepreneurs for the first time in terms of the number of new companies in Ukraine.
Over seven months, Chinese owners established 114 companies, accounting for 16% of the total. A year earlier, there were only 41 such businesses, meaning the figure nearly tripled.
Turkish citizens took second place, with 98 companies, or 14% of the total. However, their number decreased by 6% over the course of the year.
Next in the ranking are:
- the United States - 62 companies (9%);
- Germany - 44 companies (6%);
- Azerbaijan - 35 companies (5%).
In total, citizens of 65 countries are represented among the owners of new companies. In five additional cases, the beneficiaries are listed as stateless persons, and 13 companies have owners from multiple countries.
Where Foreigners Most Often Start Businesses
Kyiv remains the main hub for foreign businesses. The capital accounts for 360 new companies, or roughly half of all those registered over the past seven months.
The Odesa region ranks second with 110 companies (16%), followed by the Lviv region with 78 (11%).
The top five also includes the Kyiv region with 22 new companies and the Khmelnytskyi region with 20.
What Types of Businesses Do Foreigners Choose?
Wholesale trade has become the most popular sector. A total of 167 companies with foreign owners were registered in this sector—nearly a quarter of the total.
Another 57 companies operate in real estate, and 54 are involved in construction.
In addition, foreign entrepreneurs have opened:
- 45 companies in the IT sector;
- 40 companies related to headquarters operations.
Millions Invested in New Companies
Some of the registered businesses immediately received a significant declared authorized capital.
The highest figure belongs to the Kyiv-based company Agrotech Investment - 400.04 million UAH. Its beneficial owner has ties to Italy, and its primary activity is the provision of financial services.
Second place goes to the Kyiv-based company Esco-GasService, which specializes in natural gas production. Its registered capital is 250 million UAH, and its owner is a Cypriot citizen.
Third place goes to the holding company Progenzi Ukraine, with an authorized capital of 76.14 million UAH. Its beneficial owner is a German citizen.
However, among the 709 new companies, only one had an owner from a country listed as an offshore jurisdiction at the time of registration: the company NH Development, which listed a representative of the Seychelles among its initial beneficiaries. Currently, the company’s owners are listed as beneficiaries from Latvia.
Thus, despite the ongoing war, foreign businesses continue to enter the Ukrainian market. Moreover, over the past year, the number of new companies linked to Chinese investors has increased particularly sharply.
