Ukraine’s current account deficit narrowed to $2 billion in September 2026

According to the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU), Ukraine’s current account deficit of the balance of payments in September 2026 amounted to $2 billion, compared with $2.9 billion in September last year.

Grant inflows in September — $3.8 billion

In September Ukraine received $3.8 billion in grant assistance from international partners, whereas a year earlier that amount was $1.3 billion. The NBU called the increase in grants the main reason for the reduction in the current account deficit.

official documents and balance of payments charts

Excluding reinvested earnings and grants, the current account deficit in September was $5.7 billion, compared with $4.2 billion in September 2025. For January–September 2026 the current account deficit reached $17 billion versus $23.2 billion for the same period last year.

grant aid and cash flow

Goods exports fell while imports rose

Goods exports in September decreased by 7.4% (in August 2026 this figure was −19%), while goods imports increased by 17.9% (in August — 22.3%).

Compared with the previous month, goods exports rose by 16.2%, and imports by 9.2%.

Balance of payments and international reserves

The balance of payments for September was recorded with a deficit of $0.6 billion, whereas in September 2025 there was a surplus of $0.4 billion. Net payments to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) amounted to $0.3 billion — the same level as in September last year.

As of 1 October 2026 the stock of international reserves amounted to $47.1 billion, which, according to the NBU, covers financing of future period imports for 4 months. Excluding reinvested earnings and grants, the nine‑month deficit amounted to $43.4 billion versus $29.8 billion for January–September 2025.

Iryna Pavlova

Iryna Pavlova

Deputy Editor-in-Chief

Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Concord Fintech. She runs the news feed: choosing topics, fact-checking and preparing stories on the economy, business and government decisions that affect Ukrainians' money. She makes sure every story has a verified primary source.

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