Residential real estate prices in Slovakia reached €3,041/sqm in 2Q this year, up 9.5% annually, central bank NBS offer listing data show. Prices rose 12% over full-year 2025. The price growth was driven by new developments and regional capitals, particularly Bratislava, while a downward trend is emerging in rural areas due to gradual depopulation. The average price in Bratislava stands at €3,882. Property listings increased annually for the first time since 2023, though only

Chinese advanced EV battery materials maker IBIH Advanced Materials opened its first production plant in Slovakia at the CTPark Trnava industrial park. It has invested €10m and plans to create 120 jobs there. It currently employs 60 people making thermal-insulation and fire-protection pads for EV batteries. (forbes.sk)

Croatia's state-owned freight rail operator HŽ Cargo and Slovak carrier Railtrans (Ján Sabol) will form a joint venture to transport freight between Croatian ports and Central Europe. The goal is to carry 500,000 tons by 2028. Railtrans already operates in Slovakia, Czechia, Hungary, Austria, Romania, and Germany. Last year it reported revenue of €150m and net profit of €7m. (forbes.sk)

Slovakia has the worst intelligence service in Europe alongside Hungary and Bulgaria, according to an assessment by 60 experts from 25 countries, including former CIA and Mossad officers, conducted for France’s L’Express. The poor reputation of the SIS stems from political appointments, incompetent leadership, and ties to Russia. Current chief Pavol Gašpar has never worked in intelligence work, cannot demonstrate the origin of his wealth, and his only qualification is being t

Kia's plant in Žilina has invested more than €100m in transitioning to EV production and plans to build 80,000 electric EV4 and EV2 models this year, out of total capacity of 350,000 vehicles and output of around 300,000 vehicles. EV production is set to exceed 90,000 units in 2027. The plant will continue making conventional Sportage and Xceed models as well. Plant chief Hyoung Dong Song warned that Slovakia's competitiveness is being undermined by lengthy permitting process

Qualified investor fund J&T Arch II is acquiring a 68% stake in the investment shares of Sandberg Capital's private equity fund for €278m; the fund's portfolio includes software provider Seyfor. Sandberg Capital partners Martin Fedor, Michal Rybovič and Richard Flimel hold 29% of the fund. The goal is to grow capital through alternative and private equity assets and to provide access to typically unavailable private investments in Czech-Slovak companies. Investors put €300m i

Slovakia wants to attract an investment from a Chinese automaker and is already in talks, President Peter Pellegrini said. He did not name the company and did not rule out that a Chinese investor could replace one of the European automakers currently producing in Slovakia. Pellegrini met with Chinese PM Li Qiang yesterday during a visit to China. (openiazoch.sk)

Bratislava saw 704 new-build apartments sold in the 2Q, up 12% from the 1Q and the most since the 2Q of 2025, data from BuiltMind showed. The number of available and reserved apartments rose 4% quarter-on-quarter to 3,900, the most since 4Q17. The average price of apartments on offer was unchanged quarter-on-quarter at €5,622/sqm. The top-selling developers were Cresco RE (103), Lucron (76), YIT (58), and VI Group (54). BuiltMind expects quarterly sales to stagnate at 550-700

Telecoms regulator ÚREKPS has received interest from operators seeking to run the first digital DAB+ radio networks and has begun preparing conditions for future operators. Capacity on the currently used FM band is highly limited, leaving virtually no room for new entrants. Test DAB+ broadcasting is provided by Towercom and covers 75% of the population. While it is not yet a stable commercial network, the new system will allow as many as 100 radio stations to broadcast digita

Airfare prices in Slovakia fell the most annually in the EU in 2Q of this year, dropping by as much as half on some routes, according to Eurostat data. In June, prices were down 45% annually. This is mainly the result of a price war between Ryanair and WizzAir. Prices are falling despite rising jet fuel costs from the war in Iran, as both airlines are cutting flights from Vienna due to rising costs at that airport. (sme.sk)