Ukrainian parliament approves new central bank chief

Yaroslav Zheleznyak, the first deputy chairman of parliament's finance, tax and customs policy committee, said 290 lawmakers had supported the president's nomination, easily passing the required amount. Pyshnyi, 48, is the former head of Ukraine's state-run Oschadbank and has helped advise the government on sanctions against Russia, which invaded Ukraine in February, and against Moscow's ally Belarus.

Ukrainian parliament on Friday approved Andriy Pyshnyi, a banker who has helped advise the government on implementing sanctions against Russia, as the head of Ukraine's central bank, a senior lawmaker said. Yaroslav Zheleznyak, the first deputy chairman of parliament's finance, tax and customs policy committee, said 290 lawmakers had supported the president's nomination, easily passing the required amount.

Pyshnyi, 48, is the former head of Ukraine's state-run Oschadbank and has helped advise the government on sanctions against Russia, which invaded Ukraine in February, and against Moscow's ally Belarus. Pyshnyi replaced Kyrylo Shevchenko, who quit on Tuesday citing health reasons and said on Thursday he had been identified as a suspect in an investigation into "illegal activities" at a bank he led before his central bank role.

Later, Shevchenko in an issued statement denying wrongdoing. Zheleznyak said that in a speech in parliament, which has been working behind closed doors since Russia's invasion in February, Pyshny had largely supported the central bank's current course.

He said Pyshny said he considered the refinancing rate at the level of 25% to be "adequate", and that the current official hryvnia exchange rate "corresponds to current economic realities". "The exchange rate on the market fluctuates mainly due to a psychological element," Zheleznyak said.

Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on the Telegram messaging app: "I am confident that the joint work of the Government and the National Bank will guarantee macroeconomic stability, manageability of processes and provide the Armed Forces with resources to fulfil the main task of liberating our land from the occupiers."

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