Digest of clearing activities - June 2026
In June 2026, activity in the unprocessed timber and lumber market continued to grow, with the number of transactions nearly doubling (+96.7%). Significant growth was also recorded in the medium- and long-term natural gas market (+155.6%), as well as in the crude oil and gas condensate and petroleum products segments. The total number of contracts admitted to clearing reached 49,278. Detailed information is available in the attachment below or at the link.
Ukrainian Trading Platform LLC joins the risk assessment system for timber market participants
Ukrainian Clearing House LLC continues to expand the risk assessment system for unprocessed wood market participants. Ukrainian Trading Platform LLC joins the system, where the first auctions will be held at the end of June using a risk-based approach to determining the size of guarantee contributions. Currently, the technological integration of Ukrainian Trading Platform LLC into the rating system is being completed. On June 15, 2026, Ukrainian Clearing House LLC plans to recalculate the risk assessments of clearing participants taking into account the data received from the UTP. On the same day, the results of the risk assessment of trading participants will be transferred to the exchange’s electronic trading system. “Expanding the rating system of timber market counterparties to new electronic trading systems is an important step to increase transparency and reliability. The completion of the integration of Ukrainian Trading Platform LLC will allow taking into account a larger amount of data when forming ratings of participants and will provide a more complete assessment of their business reputation. This will contribute to increasing discipline in contract implementation and further developing transparent timber trade mechanisms”, - noted Olena Velyka, Director of Ukrainian Clearing House LLC. Ukrainian Clearing House LLC also updated the risk assessment report form. From now on, the report will contain more detailed information and disclose data on contracts and forwards that were accepted for calculating the risk assessment. Starting from June 15, 2026, the updated reports will be available for download in the electronic trading systems of commodity exchanges that are participants in the risk assessment system for timber market participants. The first trades using the counterparty risk assessment system in the electronic trading system of Ukrainian Trading Platform LLC are scheduled for June 25 and 26, 2026. Within the framework of auctions for the sale of timber and wood for the resource of the 3rd quarter of 2026, the amount of guarantee fees will be determined taking into account the rating of participants. In the future, during regular revaluations of market participants, information from the electronic trading system of Ukrainian Trading Platform LLC will be taken into account on an ongoing basis. Today, the risk assessment system is already functioning in the electronic trading systems of Ukrainian Universal Exchange LLC and Ukrainian Energy Exchange LLC. At the same time, work is underway to integrate Ukrainian Resource Exchange LLC into the rating system.
The Ukrainian Clearing House LLC team participated in the International Forum "Forestry Complex of Ukraine: Present, Problems and Prospects"
The Ukrainian Clearing House LLC team participated in the International Forestry Forum "Forestry Complex of Ukraine: Present, Problems and Prospects", which was held within the framework of the XXVII International Exhibition "Woodworking". The event became one of the key events of the year for representatives of the forestry, woodworking and related industries, bringing together government agencies, business, the scientific community and specialized associations to discuss current challenges and market development trends. The forum participants discussed a wide range of issues that are currently in the focus of the industry: the development of the timber exchange market, the digitalization of processes, the improvement of trading mechanisms, the integration of the Ukrainian forest industry complex into the European economic space, as well as tools to increase transparency and efficiency of the market. Within the framework of the forum, the director of Ukrainian Clearing House LLC, Olena Velyka, presented the first results of the work of the counterparty risk assessment system on the timber market and spoke about further steps towards its scaling. During the speech, it was noted that the system is already demonstrating positive results and contributing to increasing the level of transparency and responsibility of market participants. Its implementation allows minimizing the risks of non-fulfillment of obligations, improving the quality of interaction between sellers and buyers of wood, and creating additional protection mechanisms for exchange trading participants. Today, the timber market continues to develop and improve, and with it the need for modern risk management tools is growing. That is why the issue of assessing the reliability of counterparties is becoming particularly relevant. It is important for us that this topic arouses significant interest in the professional community and becomes the subject of professional discussion on such authoritative platforms. Scaling the counterparty risk assessment system will contribute to further increasing market transparency, strengthening trust between its participants and forming civilized rules for doing business, - notes Director Olena Velyka. Ukrainian Clearing House LLC is convinced that an open dialogue between the state, business and the professional community is an important prerequisite for the further development of the timber market. It is precisely such events that allow us to combine expert knowledge, exchange practical experience, and jointly develop solutions that will help increase the efficiency, transparency, and competitiveness of the industry.
Clearing Activity Digest – May 2026
In May 2026, significant growth was recorded across most markets, particularly in the untreated timber and lumber segment, where the number of transactions nearly doubled (+99.1%). Strong growth was also observed in the short-term natural gas market (+49.1%), the crude oil and gas condensate segment (+14.2%), and the electricity sector (+14.1%). The total number of contracts admitted to clearing reached 25,779. Detailed information is available in the attachment below or via the link.
Forwards performance guarantee system: risk-oriented approach
UCH informs about changes in the risk management system for forward contracts, taking into account the scaling of the risk-oriented approach to the system of guaranteeing obligations based on the rating assessment of the counterparty risk. The main change in risk management for forward trading is the modification of the guarantee system, where the size and terms of guarantee fees will depend on the rating of a particular participant. Instead of single fixed rates, the system will provide for flexible settings of interest rates for different risk groups of clearing participants. The changes cover two key stages of ensuring: Guarantee fee for participation in the auction (GF1) Differential rates: For participants with a higher rating (categories A, B, C), the fee rate will be 5%, while for less reliable participants (categories D and E) it will be 7.5 %. Terms of transfer to the seller: Depending on the rating of the winner of the auction, the share of funds that is immediately transferred to the seller and that is blocked until a certain stage of contract execution will be determined. For group A, the seller will immediately receive the full amount of the first guarantee fee for participation in the auction for inclusion in the forward payment after both parties sign the contract and pay the forward performance guarantee fee (GF 2). For group B, after signing the contract and paying GF 2, the seller will be transferred 70% of the forward amount, the remaining 30% - after shipping at least 15% of the contracted volume of timber. For groups C, D and E, after signing the contract and paying GF 2, the seller will be transferred 50% of the forward amount, the remaining 50% - after shipping at least 15% of the contracted volume of timber. Forward execution guarantee fee (GF 2) Fee rates: The percentages of the total amount for the second fee will be the same as for the first: 5% for categories A, B and C, and 7.5% for categories D and E. Ratio of cash and bank guarantee: Participants will have the right to cover part of the second installment with a bank guarantee, and this share will also depend on the rating. The highest-ranked participants will be able to use more bank guarantees: Group A: 30% in cash and 70% in bank guarantee. Group B: 50% in cash and 50% in bank guarantee. Group C: 60% in cash and 40% in bank guarantee. Groups D and E: will have the strictest requirements (70% and 80% in cash and only 30% and 20% in bank guarantee, respectively).
Digest of clearing activities – April 2026
In April 2026, a significant decline in activity was recorded across most markets, particularly in the untreated timber and lumber segment (-72.65%) and in crude oil and gas condensate (-23.51%). Positive dynamics were shown by the short-term natural gas market (+45%) and petroleum products (+300%), while electricity exhibited a slight increase. The total number of contracts admitted to clearing amounted to 13,464. Detailed information is available in the attachment below or via the link.