U.S. DFC projects in Ukraine total $0.5 bln, new projects pending - CEO

MOSCOW. April 14 (Interfax) - The U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) will not wait for the end of the crisis to invest in the Ukrainian private sector but will continue to increase the number of projects in Ukraine, DFC CEO Scott Nathan said at the U.S.-Ukraine Partnership Forum organized by the American chambers of commerce in Washington on Thursday.

"We have an extensive $100 million exposure in a number of products and sectors. Much of that is being done through our political risk insurance facility. It is a critical product for raising capital. We have over $0.5 billion in current investments and look forward to helping support projects with this facility today," the Ukrainian media quoted Nathan as saying.

He said the corporation had pledged to set up a fund and would make a relevant announcement shortly.

Nathan noted that the DFC and its predecessor, the OPEC, came to Ukraine long before the crisis, intensified its activity after 2014 and increased its investment portfolio from about $100 million to almost $1 billion.

Speaking of ways to maximize political risk insurance, Nathan noted the importance of international cooperation and said the DFC, the U.S. government, Europe, Japan and Canada had excellent negotiations earlier this week.

Nathan said they need to be sure that everyone is cooperating instead of competing.

He said in conclusion that the DRC had a reliable portfolio in Ukraine, both in energy, healthcare, agriculture, trade, finance and small business loans, and was looking forward to the announcement of new deals in the near future.