How to simplify access to capital for businesses: NSSMC discussed new instruments and regulatory amendments with the EBA

More than 70 business representatives participated in an online meeting with Oleksii Semeniuk, Chairman of the NSSMC, which was organized at the Commission’s initiative in collaboration with the European Business Association. They discussed how to simplify businesses’ access to the capital market, what new tools the Commission is developing for companies and investors, and how businesses can contribute to their creation.

“It is important to us that such meetings yield practical results. We view the market from the regulator’s perspective, while businesses view it from theirs. Therefore, we look forward not only to questions but also to specific proposals and constructive criticism. We are ready to set up working groups, hold roundtables, and jointly develop mechanisms. A capital market cannot be built by a regulator alone — it must be built jointly by the government and the business community,” — emphasized Oleksii Semeniuk.

During the meeting, the Commission Chairman presented seven areas that could create new opportunities for businesses and investors:

● personal investment accounts;
● simplifying the issuance of securities for businesses;
● municipal bonds;
● securitization and covered bonds;
● development of investment funds;
● regulation of the virtual assets market;
● tokenization of real-world assets (RWA).

One of the key priorities is to make it easier for businesses to raise funds through the capital market. A working group comprising the Commission, market participants, and the business community has already identified the bureaucratic regulations that complicate this process. The Commission plans to remove some of these barriers by making changes to its own regulatory acts. At the same time, work is underway on legislative amendments designed to reduce the process of registering a joint-stock company from several months to seven business days and to introduce the “single window” principle.

Another area is personal investment accounts. The proposed model provides tax incentives for long-term investments of three years or more and the opportunity to invest through such accounts, specifically in government, municipal, and corporate bonds, as well as investment certificates.

The Commission is also working to revive municipal bonds as a tool for financing local communities. Four cities have already confirmed their readiness to use this mechanism, particularly for energy independence projects. To fully launch this initiative, the Commission is working with local communities, the Ministry of Finance, and the relevant parliamentary committee on legislative and procedural amendments.

Separately, participants discussed the development of investment funds, virtual assets, and the tokenization of real assets. The Commission is ready to involve the business community in work on these areas as early as the rule-making stage — through working groups, roundtables, and other collaborative formats.

The meeting sparked a lively discussion: business representatives raised issues regarding access to financing, corporate and municipal bonds, investor protection, virtual assets, and other financial instruments.

The next step is to translate this dialogue into tangible joint decisions.

The Commission expects market participants to provide specific cases and proposals: what barriers currently prevent businesses from raising funds through the capital market, which procedures should be modified, and what tools are lacking. Based on these proposals, the NSSMC is ready to form working groups and, together with the business community, develop mechanisms that will work in practice.