Russian state hackers were behind last year's attack on the Economy Ministry, a report by the National Security Authority suggests. They managed to gain access to an email inbox, send malicious messages to other state employees, and take control of a router. The attack was reportedly detected and neutralized before it caused any damage. Russia also managed to gain access to camera systems at border crossings with Ukraine, at train stations, and near military facilities. The a

Bernard Slobodník, former head of the financial police, testified in court over the past three days in the Očistec case, in which oligarch Norbert Bödör and Tibor Gašpar, former police chief and now Smer deputy leader, are charged with abusing the police for political purposes between 2012 and 2018. Bödör and Gašpar obstructed the investigation into businessman Juraj Široký, who is close to Smer, and his company Váhostav, which police suspected of harming creditors. They trie

Health insurer Dôvera, owned by Penta, had to pay €18m following decisions by tax authority FR, including €3m as a 2022 fine and €15.4m in back taxes for 2016-20. The fine relates to a 2009 merger with rival Apollo, during which Dôvera valued its client portfolio at €485m and reported an accounting profit over €400m. Healthcare authority ÚDZS commissioned an expert opinion under the previous OĽaNO-led government that valued the portfolio at just €26m. Although ÚDZS withdrew i

The purchasing power of an average-wage earner in Bratislava ranked 15th among EU capitals three years ago, but has since dropped to 25th, ahead of only Athens and Lisbon, according to data from portal Numbeo, which compares average net wages with the price of a standardized basket of goods and services including rent. Bratislava's main problem is its relatively high prices. (hnonline.sk)

Sereď-based Slovenské cukrovary, part of Germany's Südzucker group, is responding to the closure of Slovakia's other sugar refinery, run by Nordzucker in Trenčianska Teplá, with massive investments. HN sources estimate the investment at tens of millions of euros. Daily processed beet volume will rise from 4,800 to 6,000 tons, with beets sourced from 15,000 hectares. With two refineries operating, the area was 18,000 ha, but it has fallen to 12,000 ha this year. The state is a

Hungarian insurer CIG plans to take over the Slovak and Czech branches of insurer Youplus. Youplus stopped signing new contracts last year after coming close to breaching its solvency threshold, and aims to resume operations next year. In Slovakia, Youplus operates as a branch of a Liechtenstein-based insurer and, like CIG, focuses on life insurance. CIG already operates in Slovakia and is co-owned by Lőrinc Mészáros, an associate of former PM Viktor Orbán, who also owns Dopr

The average price of new apartments in Bratislava in 2Q26 stood at €5,341 per sqm, up 2.3% annually, Bencont data show. Sales fell 12% from 1Q to 652 units, and supply consequently rose to 4,231 units, the highest level since 2017. Bencont says new-build prices have risen at a near-zero pace in recent years, with the increase in the average price driven by a higher share of premium-segment apartments. In 2Q, supply was boosted mainly by lower-mid-segment apartments priced up

The Nitra plant of Taiwanese company Foxconn, which mainly produces TV sets, reported a 5% drop in net profit to €4.4m last year after a 14% drop in revenue to €479.8m. In 2021, it had €1.1bn sales, and management said a major customer (apparently Sony) significantly cut order volumes for 2026. The plant's workforce fell from nearly 1,000 in 2024 to 767 last year, and layoffs are continuing this year. Management is trying to strengthen production for the automotive industry.

The European Commission published its regular Rule of Law Report. It highlighted progress Slovakia has made in some areas of the judiciary but criticized persistent shortcomings in the fight against corruption, transparency of the legislative process, protection of journalists, and independence of public-service media. The ability to detect and prosecute cases of high-level corruption has deteriorated further. The government "fundamentally rejects" the conclusions about insuf

The Slovak division of CSG defense group (Michal Strnad) is launching an ammunition production project in the US. The US Army will provide it with $635m to build production capacity that, after the old plant in Iowa is rebuilt, will produce 432,000 155mm shells annually starting in 2029. The plant will remain owned by the US Army. CSG is investing in Slovakia with the aim of producing over 1m 155mm shells annually. MSM, the parent company of the Slovak part of CSG, reported a