Due to problems with low-quality concrete, the state withdrew from a €448m contract for the construction of the Prešov hospital with the Hungarian consortium West Hungária, Confector, and Magyar Épitő last week, Defense Minister Robert Kaliňák announced. He immediately launched a tender for a part of the hospital with an expected price of €280m and signed a €259m contract for work to be carried out until the new tender is completed. This contract, without any tender, was awar

Slovakia had the lowest gross wages in the region last year, an OECD report shows. Among 27 European countries, average annual gross wages were highest in Switzerland (€107,487) and lowest in Turkey (€18,590). Annual gross wages in neighboring countries: Austria €63,054 Poland €24,940 Czechia €23,685 Hungary €21,257 Slovakia €19,590 The differences reflect both economic productivity and the structure of taxes and levies. (tvnoviny.sk)

The banking sector has ample free capital to finance the domestic economy, the central bank NBS said. Its capital adequacy ratio stood at a solid 21.2% of risk-weighted assets at end-2025. In April, NBS revised the capital buffer settings for locally systemically important banks SLSP, VÚB, Tatra banka, ČSOB, and Prima banka. Only ČSOB saw a change as its buffer rose from 1% to 1.25% following its acquisition of 365.bank. SLSP retains a 2% buffer, VÚB 1.75%, Tatra banka 1.5%,

Proxenta (Pavol Kožík), which in March defaulted on part of its bonds and promissory notes, signaled to clients via email that issuers Proxenta Private Equity and Proxenta Invest face potential bankruptcy or restructuring. It advised creditors to seek legal representation, recommending law firm Bohunický & Co. The group had previously disclosed it was addressing its liquidity issues through the sale of four residential and office projects. (sme.sk)

Porsche received an environmental impact assessment approval to expand its recently launched battery module assembly for electric vehicles in Horná Streda near Piešťany, where it plans to create 1,200 jobs. The plant supplies batteries to Volkswagen's Bratislava factory, which produces the electric Porsche Cayenne. (startitup.sk)

Japan's Nippon Steel announced it will take direct ownership of U.S. Steel Košice from October, renaming it Nippon Steel Slovakia. The company said the Košice plant, which employs 7,500, will serve as its primary European production hub, adding that the European market remains promising and that it will back the plant's development plans, including decarbonization. The steel mill has long been planning decarbonization investment, estimated at €1.5–2bn. Without it, the plant c

The anti‑trust authority PMÚ fined the four largest medical laboratory operators €14.5m for a cartel and banned them from participating in public procurement for three years. The exception is Unilabs, backed by Swedish capital, which admitted to the cartel. The firms coordinated prices for health insurers and hospitals, including during the recent pandemic. Labs rank among the most profitable segments in healthcare. Medirex (Radoslav Bardún) was fined €8m, Klinická biochémia

Working for more than one employer applied to 42% of doctors in 2024, with each doctor having an average of 1.6 employers, reads an NKÚ report. Many work as forensic and assessing physicians in addition to hospital duties, and they often teach or run their own practices. The NKÚ highlighted a case of a doctor employed by five hospitals who also serves as a university professor. Another works in a hospital and for several companies, two of which paid him nearly €1m in some mon

The bicycle market is gradually returning to normal after demand surged during the pandemic and then declined. The largest domestic manufacturer, Kellys (Michal Divinec), reduced its loss by 73% to €1.2m last year following a 6% decline in revenue to €42.7m. It resolved its cash flow issues a month ago with a €1.3m loan through the Crowdberry platform, paying 9.8% interest p.a. Online retailer MTBiker (Tomáš Červenka) increased domestic revenue by 30% to €24m last year, and r

Gas consumption during the heating season rose 2% compared with the prior winter, according to SPP-distribúcia data, reaching 35.2 TWh from October 2025 through March 2026. The increase was driven by a colder winter, with state subsidies providing no incentive for households to conserve. Households accounted for a 33% share of consumption, just behind industrial production and heating plants at 48%. Sales of gas condensing boilers in Slovakia fell 10% last year to 28,000 unit