Photo from NBU
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has chosen a new central bank governor on the recommendation of the incumbent governor, Valeriya Gontareva, who proposed the candidacy of the head of a Ukrainian bank with Austrian capital, according to a Ukrainian news outlet.
Chairman of the board of Raiffeisen Bank Aval Volodymyr Lavrenchuk took the lead among other candidates for the positon of the country's chief banker, the online portal of the Ukrainian weekly Novoye Vremya reported, citing two anonymous sources.
The banker should replace Gontareva after May 10, 2017.
As the weekly writes, the regulator's new head should continue financial reforms launched by his predecessor and fulfill the obligations undertaken to the International Monetary Fund.
Communications Director of Raiffeisen Bank Aval Natalia Marchenko told Novoye Vremya that they did not yet have any reliable information regarding an expected decision by President Petro Poroshenko. "We are waiting for an official decision," she said.
Read alsoRaiffeisen Bank Aval CEO Lavrenchuk reportedly agrees to head NBU - mediaGontareva was said to have handed over the recommendations regarding Raiffeisen Bank Aval's head to the president in person. Lavrenchuk was reported to have agreed to take up this post. "Yes, I confirm my intention to take this job in due time," he confirmed.
Meanwhile, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) officially backed the appointment of Lavrenchuk as head of the National Bank.
According to Reuters, Francis Malige, the EBRD's regional head in Ukraine, said on Thursday, April 27, the international community remained "very supportive" of Kyiv's reform path, but wanted the progress of the past three years "protected and sustained." "In that regard, one must welcome, if it is confirmed, the nomination of Volodymyr Lavrenchuk to replace the outgoing governor of the National Bank," Malige told Reuters.
The EBRD owns a blocking stake in Raiffeisen Bank Aval with Austrian capital, and also intends to become a shareholder in Ukrainian state-owned Oschadbank.
As UNIAN reported, Gontareva announced her resignation on April 10. She was appointed chief banker after the Ukrainian parliament had supported Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko's motion on June 19, 2014, to dismiss the then NBU governor Stepan Kubiv.
In keeping with the Ukrainian Constitution, the NBU governor shall be appointed by the parliament upon recommendation by the president for a period of seven years.