Betting company Fortuna from Penta’s portfolio applied for a license in Vietnam to launch online betting and open retail outlets. It expects the local unit to reach the value of its current Fortuna business, estimated at €2bn, in the medium term. Pharmacy chain Dr.Max, which operates 250 pharmacies in Italy, is bidding to acquire about 1,000 Farmacie Italiane outlets, with an expected price in the high single-digit billions of euros. (seznamzpravy.cz)

Germany’s Evonik will invest €80m to expand its plant in Slovenská Ľupča to produce molecules for the pharmaceutical sector. Headcount will rise by 50 to 400. In 2022, the plant invested €100m in producing rhamnolipids used in cleaning products. The plant reported €63m in revenue in 2024. (hnonline.sk, forbes.sk)

The EU Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators launched an investigation this spring into potential conflicts of interest involving utilities regulator ÚRSO chief Jozef Holjenčík. His firm JHS charged €0.5m last year for asset appraisals for water utility VVS Košice, and this valuation formed the basis for price increases approved by ÚRSO. Holjenčík may also have participated in asset appraisals for state‑owned SEPS. He personally earned €221,000 from expert activitie

The public finance deficit dropped to 4.5% of GDP  last year, ŠÚ reported. The government’s target was 4.7% of GDP, and it reached 5.4% in 2024, according to updated figures. The Finance Ministry cites a responsible approach by the government and the results of its fiscal consolidation (new and higher taxes). According to the fiscal responsibility council RRZ, the improvement was driven by one‑off effects, such as a delay in military equipment deliveries and savings by state

Foreign investors in Slovakia  rate the tax burden with a grade of 4.05 (on a scale of 1-5, with 5 being the worst), a regular survey by foreign chambers of commerce showed. For taxes, this is the worst grade in the history of the surveys. Investors rate the fight against corruption (4.39) and economic policy predictability (4.16) even worse. EU membership (1.64), communications, network quality and services (2.34), and the quality and availability of local suppliers (2.52) r

Investment group Proxenta  (Pavol Kožík) told clients it cannot repay maturing bonds this year due to financial difficulties and is addressing the situation by selling real estate projects. In 2Q26, it plans to sell its Šancová residential project with 64 apartments in Bratislava, which has zoning permit. At the same time, it aims to sell a Tatra banka office building in central Košice. By end-2027, it plans to sell one of four buildings in the Stockerka residential project i

Gas pipeline operator eustream , controlled by EPH, is laying off one-fifth of its 600 employees. It argues that a 10% increase in gas transit fees approved by the utilities regulator ÚRSO is too low following the halt of Russian gas transit. The company had requested a 70% increase, as pipeline maintenance costs must now be borne solely by domestic customers. It reported net profit of €118m on revenue of €395m in 2024. ( hnonline.sk , teraz.sk )

The state continues to pay SkyToll (PPF) to operate the old toll system , even though a tender for a new supplier began in 2020, according to the supreme audit authority NKÚ. The state paid €250m to build the old system but does not own it. It now plans to buy toll gates from SkyToll, effectively paying twice. SkyToll, then controlled by Milan Fiľo and J&T, won the contract under suspicious circumstances after all other bidders were excluded during Robert Fico’s first cabinet

Ferroalloy producer OFZ  (Vladimír Klocok) fully halted production in Oravský Podzámok last year, mainly due to high electricity prices. It signed an agreement with the Angolan government committing to invest €100m in a plant near a local hydropower station. Construction of a facility with capacity similar to the original Slovak plant is planned to start in 2027, with Angola offering electricity at one-fifth of Slovak prices for 15 years as well as tax incentives. OFZ plans t

The EU population is expected to decline 1% to 445m by 2050 and 12% to 399m by 2100, the latest Eurostat projections show. In 2025, the EU population was estimated at 452m and is expected to peak at 453m in 2029. As the population ages, the share of working-age people is projected to fall from 58% to 50% by 2100. Population projections for neighboring countries:   2025 2050 2100 Poland 37.5m 32.9m 25.7m Czechia 10.9m 10.6m 9.7m Hungary 9.5m 8.6m 7.4m Austria 9.2m 9.5m 8.8m S