First Statement by Piotr Nowak, Acting Chairman of the Supervisory Board of JSC "Sense Bank," on the Bank's Privatisation

In connection with recent media publications regarding JSC "Sense Bank," I would like to comment on the current state of the bank and its priorities for the near future.

First and foremost, I emphasize that the information currently being disseminated in the public space has no impact whatsoever on the operational activities of JSC "Sense Bank." We are committed to swiftly clarifying all circumstances and resolving the situation while maintaining the bank's business continuity. From the outset, JSC "Sense Bank" has been open to engagement with the competent authorities and stands ready to provide all necessary information within the framework of official inquiries and applicable legislation.

Yesterday, on 6 May, acting in the interests of the state-owned bank, the Supervisory Board, during an extraordinary meeting, considered an application and resolved to temporarily suspend the Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Mykola Hladyshenko, from the exercise of his powers at his own initiative for the period of the relevant procedures and inspections. Acting duties of the Chairman of the Supervisory Board have been assigned to me. This represents a significant responsibility, particularly in light of the forthcoming privatisation. At the same time, the coordinated work of the team, the timeliness of management decisions, and the activation of the crisis-response team enable the bank to continue operating as usual.

All departments, specialised committees, and governing bodies of JSC "Sense Bank" continue to perform their functions in accordance with the approved internal procedures; products and services remain available, and both online and offline customer servicing are being delivered without disruption. Moreover, we are not observing any atypical outflow of clients - neither among individuals nor in the corporate segment - which testifies to the sustained trust in the bank.

As regards privatisation, the preparation for sale has been, and remains, one of the key priorities for the bank's management and Supervisory Board. It also forms part of the state's strategic course, as well as Ukraine's commitments under the Memorandum signed with the International Monetary Fund. In March 2026, the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine launched the competitive selection of an adviser for the sale of the JSC "Sense Bank" shareholding, and accordingly the bank's leadership has intensified its preparations for the upcoming privatisation.

In particular, the bank continues to work on improving the quality of the loan portfolio, enhancing operational efficiency, developing digital services and IT infrastructure, and refining corporate governance in line with international standards. In addition, JSC "Sense Bank" demonstrates stable financial results: from 1 January 2023 to 1 January 2026, customer funds nearly doubled - from UAH 61 billion to UAH 118 billion; the customer loan portfolio increased from UAH 42 billion to UAH 52 billion (+24%); and the bank's assets grew from UAH 75 billion to UAH 137 billion (+83%). Net profit rose from UAH 2.8 billion as of 1 January 2024 to UAH 3.6 billion as of 1 January of the current year.

JSC "Sense Bank" is a systemically important bank and ranks among Ukraine's top 10 largest financial institutions, serving a significant share of the sector: approximately 3 million individual clients, 85,000 entrepreneurs, and 55,000 companies. The team's efforts are therefore currently focused on ensuring that the preparation process and the subsequent privatisation proceed transparently and as smoothly as possible for clients, partners, and the market as a whole.

Throughout my career, I have worked closely with the banking sector, including in my capacities as Minister of Economic Development and Technology and Deputy Minister of Finance of the Republic of Poland. I can therefore say with confidence that the privatisation of a state-owned bank is a natural and positive stage in the development of a country's market economy.

The Polish experience demonstrates that a state's ability to attract investors - particularly international ones - makes it possible to modernise the banking sector, strengthen corporate governance, and enhance service quality and the competitiveness of banks.

Among the most illustrative examples are ING Bank Śląski, with the participation of ING Group as a strategic investor, and Bank Zachodni WBK, which was initially privatised with the involvement of Allied Irish Banks, subsequently passed to Santander, and today forms part of the Erste Group. Following these sales, the banks gained new opportunities for development and access to international expertise and technology, while preserving business continuity and the confidence of their clients and partners.

At the same time, the history of Bank Zachodni WBK exemplifies how a fully privatised bank can remain an attractive asset for international investors over the long term.

Accordingly, the successful and transparent privatisation of a systemically important Ukrainian state-owned bank such as JSC "Sense Bank" can serve as a positive signal to international partners and investors and reaffirm the resilience of the Ukrainian banking system even under the conditions of a full-scale war. For clients, this will also translate into new opportunities - the development of services, an expanded range of banking products, and more active lending to various sectors of the economy.