New contract rules, AI and digital assets: how the Civil Code of Ukraine is changing

In Ukraine, the reform of civil legislation is gaining momentum – the so-called recodification of the Civil Code of Ukraine. The legal community has already been presented with several alternative draft laws, among which the key ones are No. 14394, its alternatives and the new revised draft No. 15150 of April 9, 2026. The documents offer different approaches to updating the “private constitution”, but it is the latest version that demonstrates the most systemic changes.

One of the fundamental innovations is the revision of the approach to fictitious transactions. If earlier it was proposed to recognize them as null and void automatically, now it is provided for the need to establish the fact of fictitiousness in court. Such an approach should strengthen the balance between combating abuses and protecting the stability of civil turnover.

An important direction of the reform is the integration of commercial law into the system of private. The draft laws actually combine civil and economic relations, establishing common principles – freedom of contract, good faith and legal equality of the parties. The concept of “professional” is introduced separately, and business is recognized as a single property complex that can be the object of agreements.

Significant changes also apply to the digital sphere. Draft No. 15150 introduces the concept of “digital thing”, which covers virtual assets, digital content and accounts, and also establishes a special legal regime for objects created by artificial intelligence. In particular, their use is allowed for training AI under certain conditions, which is an important step towards adapting law to the digital economy.

A separate block of innovations concerns the publicity of civil rights. The draft law details the work of state registers, distinguishing between title-establishing and declarative registers, and also establishes rules for correcting technical errors. This should increase legal certainty and minimize the risks of abuse in the field of registration of rights.

In addition, the legislator focuses on sensitive issues, in particular, the disposal of reproductive material after death, which becomes especially relevant in war conditions. The new norms clarify the possibilities for unmarried persons and establish additional guarantees of the transparency of such decisions.

Despite the scale of the proposed changes, all draft laws are currently at the stage of first reading. The final version of the Civil Code will depend on further revision, including the conclusions of the specialized committee and the expert community.