Uklon, Ukraine’s leading ride-hailing service and a subsidiary of Kyivstar Group Ltd., has integrated the Visa Acceptance Platform into its application to strengthen digital payment infrastructure in the country. The partnership with Visa, a global leader in digital payments, aims to deliver a faster, more seamless payment experience for millions of riders. The platform is now live in the Uklon app, enabling seamless in-app transactions, instant refunds, and transaction cancellations.

The integration represents a significant step in modernizing Uklon’s payment capabilities, according to Mykola Solomiichuk, Chief Financial Officer of Uklon. He emphasized that the partnership enables the delivery of a fast, reliable payment experience while establishing a robust, resilient, and secure digital mobility ecosystem. Kyivstar President Oleksandr Komarov highlighted that strengthening digital payment infrastructure is essential to advancing Ukraine’s digital economy and expanding access to innovative services.

Tetiana Chorna, Visa Vice President and Country Manager for Ukraine, stated that the Visa Acceptance Platform provides partners with resilient, robust, and secure architecture to fuel innovation and growth. She expressed Visa’s commitment to supporting Uklon in expanding its digital mobility services by streamlining payments for riders across Ukraine. The collaboration underscores Visa’s focus on enabling secure, fast, and innovative digital payments while supporting smart mobility growth.

The integration builds on Uklon’s transformation into a comprehensive urban mobility and digital services ecosystem, spanning ride-hailing, delivery, advertising, and intercity travel. Strengthening Uklon’s payments infrastructure is expected to support continued growth across Kyivstar’s digital service offerings. Payments are seen as a key driver of user engagement within the ecosystem.

Uklon was acquired by JSC Kyivstar, a wholly owned subsidiary of Kyivstar Group Ltd., in April 2025. As of June 2026, the Uklon service is available in 27 cities across Ukraine, the Bukovel tourist complex, and Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Kyivstar Group Ltd. is a Nasdaq-listed holding company operating JSC Kyivstar, Ukraine’s leading digital operator and part of the VEON Group.

VEON Ltd., a global digital operator and the parent company of Kyivstar Group Ltd., announced that Kyivstar has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine to advance the development of Ukraine’s digital infrastructure and economy. The collaboration includes exploring the establishment of a sovereign, AI-ready data center in Ukraine, with VEON expected to support implementation through its financial backing and global expertise. This initiative aims to develop next-generation computing infrastructure, strengthen Ukraine’s technological sovereignty in artificial intelligence, and catalyze investment into the country’s digital economy.

The proposed facility would represent a sovereign AI data center, ensuring that critical data processing and storage remain within Ukraine. This is particularly important for sensitive sectors such as public administration, financial services, defense technology, and research and development. By enabling secure, in-country data capacity aligned with national regulatory and security frameworks, the project would enhance resilience and safeguard critical information.

Oleksii Sobolev, Minister of Economy of Ukraine, emphasized that domestic AI infrastructure is an important step in strengthening economic resilience and technological independence. He noted the potential of initiatives that enable secure, sovereign data processing capacity within the country to support public sector modernization and private sector innovation.

Oleksandr Komarov, President of Kyivstar Group, stated that the development of artificial intelligence is creating a new level of demand for computing infrastructure. He reinforced the need for countries to build local AI infrastructure to stay competitive globally. Komarov mentioned that Kyivstar has long partnered with the government to develop digital infrastructure and would aim to fund and phase any investment within existing capital expenditure plans.

Kaan Terzioglu, Chief Executive Officer of VEON Group, highlighted that sovereign AI infrastructure keeps a country’s most important data and capabilities at home. He noted that through the AI1440 strategy, VEON is bringing augmented intelligence into everyday life, and supporting this data center is a natural extension of that commitment in Ukraine.

Hosting an AI data center in Ukraine would enable minimal data transmission latency and support the fast operation of AI solutions. This is critical for sectors where response time is vital, including industrial facilities, robotic systems, and real-time services. The project is expected to require long-term investment, advanced technical expertise, and a reliable energy supply.

Key Details of the Agreement

Kyivstar Group Ltd. is a Nasdaq-listed holding company that operates JSC Kyivstar, Ukraine’s leading digital operator. The company provides connectivity and digital services, including mobile and fixed-line voice and data, ride-hailing, e-health, digital TV, and enterprise solutions such as Big Data, cloud, and cybersecurity. VEON is a digital operator listed on NASDAQ, providing services to over 150 million connectivity users.