In June, the government plans to complete the selection process of an advisor for the sale of the nationalized Sense Bank and to intensify its privatization process in order to sell the asset by the end of the year.
This was reported by a source of Forbes Ukraine in the Cabinet of Ministers, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the lack of authority to comment publicly before the official announcement expected in the coming days.
“The government is ready to dispose of this asset as soon as possible,” the source said. According to him, the target timeline for the sale of Sense Bank is the end of 2026.
The selection of an international advisory company is expected to be completed in June.
The Ministry of Finance is accepting applications from interested intermediaries until June 15.
The official added that it is currently difficult to assess the potential value of the bank. “That’s exactly why a professional advisor is needed,” he noted.
Two sources of Forbes Ukraine in the National Bank and the Ministry of Finance said that these plans have not yet been discussed with government officials or the team of Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko.
The publication also recalls that until 2023, among the key owners of Sense Bank (formerly Alfa-Bank Ukraine) were Russian businessmen Mikhail Fridman and Petr Aven, who are under sanctions imposed by Ukraine and the EU. Companies ABH Holdings S.A. and ABH Ukraine Limited, through which Fridman and Aven owned Sense Bank, were also subject to sanctions by the National Security and Defense Council.
On May 29, 2023, the Verkhovna Rada allowed the nationalization of banks whose shareholders are under international or Ukrainian sanctions. On July 22, the state, represented by the Ministry of Finance, became the 100% owner of Sense Bank.
The institution was mentioned in the so-called “Mindich tapes.” In November 2025, MP Yaroslav Zhelezniak spoke about possible political influence on the bank. A similar claim appeared in an article by Ukrainska Pravda published at the end of April. The bank denied any connections or external influence on its operations as early as last autumn.
Photo: Sense Bank press service
