Anti-trust authority PMÚ is reviewing a deal in which Pro Partners Holding (Rastislav Danišek, Róbert Bartek, and Miroslav Vester) becomes the sole owner of Aquapark Poprad and Aquapark Kováčová. (antimon.gov.sk) Pro Partners Holding acquired Aquapark Poprad (2024 sales of €13m) in 2022 from Jan Telensky. Richard Pichoňský had until now held a 15% stake. Pichoňský was previously the sole shareholder of Aquapark Kováčová, which posted €2.2m sales in 2024.

The X-Bionic Sphere sports complex near Šamorín reported a €19.9m net profit following a 2% growth in sales to €18.1m last year. The improvement following a €15.6m loss for 2024 came after Juraj Kriviansky, the partner of J&T group leader Patrik Tkáč's sister, took over the center from Mario Hoffmann last year. The center reported an accumulated loss of €160m by 2024, but managed to repay €51m in bonds last year. It plans to repay the remaining €80m in bonds this summer. The

No new office building was added in Bratislava in 1Q, but the completion of the Dunaj (8,000 sqm) and Ganz House (10,300 sqm) projects is expected in 3Q, Cushman & Wakefield data show. The office vacancy rate thus dropped by 1.2 points annually to 13.4%. Prime rent rose to €21.50 per sqm/month, compared to €16.50 in 1Q22. Given the shortage of A+ space in prime locations, further growth is expected. (eurobuildcee.com)

Electricity prices on the OKTE spot market fell to -€500/MWh on Sunday, April 26, the lowest possible level. The previous low was -€200 in May last year. By Sunday evening, the price had rebounded to €180; this year’s peak from January is €491. Since the start of this year, there have been 367 15-minute intervals with negative prices, a significant annual increase. This poses a problem for renewable power investors and an opportunity for battery storage. (energie-portal.sk)

Penta Group is launching another fund for external investors. So far, it has raised €680m from 8,000 investors, mainly from Slovakia and Czechia, across its two existing funds. The third fund will be registered in Luxembourg, and Penta aims to attract investors from other countries as well. The fund will focus primarily on healthcare investments. Including capital from Penta’s partners, the group currently manages €1.6bn in its funds and aims to increase this to €2bn within a

Prešov‑based plant of Ukrainian drone maker Skyeton (Oleksandr Stepura) reported a net profit of €0.7m last year on €32.7m in sales. It launched production in 2024 following a €3.5m investment and currently employs 50 people. The plant manufactures drones with a range of 2,500 km for the Ukrainian military. (forbes.sk)

S&P downgraded Slovakia's credit rating by one notch to A with a stable outlook. Slovakia retains S&P's 6th-highest rating, while holding the 7th-highest grade from both Fitch and Moody's. S&P cited slower-than-expected fiscal consolidation. It projects the public deficit will rise from 4.5% of GDP last year to 4.7% this year and further to 5.1% in the 2027 election year. The deterioration reflects weak economic growth and high spending on social transfers and defense. The ag

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