Igor Smelyanksy, CEO at Ukrposhta (Ukraine Post) is my special guest. We cover:
- The main drivers for domestic e-commerce growth in Ukraine
- Staggering growth in inbound parcels - and the investments Ukrposhta has made to cope with the increasing volumes
- How Ukrposhta is helping local businesses to sell online, including social media and webcasts
- Streamlining induction of international outbound parcels
- VAT on inbound international parcels
- Postal banking
- The process for Ukrposhta setting up a postal bank
- How helping unbanked citizens set up bank accounts will stimulate commerce
- Distribution of pensions
- Regulatory and compliance hurdles
- Competing with or complementing existing banks
- Postal privatisation
- Political changes that have already enabled modernisation at Ukrposhta
- Ukrposhta's plan to find a strategic investor to take a minority shareholding
- Maintaining social obligations - including offering sustainable mobile postal services to areas with dwindling populations, without seeking a government subsidy
- What privatisation means for employees
- Environmental initiatives
- Out-of-home parcel delivery vs residential delivery
