The Parliament has finally adopted changes to the Social Security Code, which introduce the system of so-called multi-funds in the second pension pillar. The new model will allow funds for the second and third pensions to be invested at different levels of risk in order to achieve higher returns. The changes provide for the creation of three types of sub-funds for universal pension funds – dynamic, balanced and conservative. They will differ mainly in the permissible share of investments in financial instruments with variable income. In the dynamic sub-fund, up to 90% of the assets will be able to be invested in riskier instruments, in the balanced one – up to 55%, and in the conservative one – up to 25%. The new rules oblige pension insurance companies to assess in advance what investment risk each insured person is willing to take. Each insured person will be able to choose for themselves which sub-fund to join. There will be an exception for people who have less than three years left until retirement – ​​their funds will necessarily be directed to a conservative sub-fund. If the insured person does not make a choice, an official distribution according to age will be applied. Until the age of 50, the funds will be directed to a dynamic sub-fund, between the age of 50 and three years before retirement - to a balanced one, and in the final stage before retirement - to a conservative one. After one year from the last choice or official distribution, the insured will be able to change their sub-fund. The changes also provide for a gradual reduction in fees and deductions in pension funds, with expectations that they will be reduced by approximately half within the next ten years. The tax on social security contributions will be reduced in stages - to 3.75% in 2026, to 3.59% in 2027, and will subsequently continue to decrease until it reaches 2.10% in 2032.

In the period 2009-2020, about 1.2 billion euros were invested in the renovation of about 3,000 multi-family buildings in the form of 100% grants. For 2025-2030, another 2 billion euros are planned for another 3,900 buildings. Even in an optimistic scenario, only 8% of multi-family buildings will be covered by 2030. Single-family houses are practically left out of the financing. Estimates show that investments of about 11 billion euros are needed to meet the target by 2030. The approximately 2.2 billion euros provided are promised for the free renovation of a limited number of buildings. For the rest, there is a lack of funding of about 9 billion euros. This makes the universal 100% grant model inapplicable.

The special commercial manager of the Burgas refinery, Rumen Spetsov, has removed Dimitar Dobrev, the oil company's Production Director, from the Management Board of Lukoil Neftochim Burgas. With the decision of February 26, the number of members of the Management Board is reduced from four to three. Dimitar Dobrev has been on the Management Board of Lukoil Neftochim Burgas for 18 years (2008). He has over 30 years of specialized experience and has been the Production Director at the refinery for many years, and will probably be removed from this position as well. This is the latest removal undertaken by Spetsov. Shortly after taking up his new position, he initiated the removal of the company's management staff. This is happening at a time when Litasco, the Swiss company that directly owns Lukoil's companies in Bulgaria, has threatened arbitration proceedings over the illegal expropriation of its assets in Bulgaria, with the special commercial manager receiving unlimited rights, including the right to sell the assets of the companies without the owner's consent. In the official announcement, Litasco states that on February 19 (the day the caretaker government took office) it filed documents notifying Bulgaria that it disagrees with the adopted legislation and management and is officially challenging it. According to Litasco, the imposition of external management and the actions of this management and other actions by Bulgaria have significantly affected Litasco's investments in its Bulgarian subsidiaries and have led to significant losses for the group. Litasco states that in the absence of an amicable solution, it intends to use all available legal remedies, including initiating arbitration proceedings at the International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes. A potential arbitration could lead to significant financial claims against Bulgaria if the company claims compensation for damages or losses resulting from the external management introduced.

Lyubomir Tilev is the new General Manager of IBM Bulgaria. He has over 15 years of experience in the company, having held key regional roles in the field of security and technology solutions. The previous General Manager Georgi Ganev continues his career in a new international role within the company, taking on the position of General Manager Data & AI Central Eastern Europe Territories. IBM Bulgaria has existed since 1992, and its main activity is the provision of infrastructure and software for use and related technical support, development of adapted solutions and consultations, mainly for the financial sector. The employees in our country are over 1750, the revenues for 2024 are nearly 191 million leva, and the profit - over 11 million leva.

Six months after the opening of the bids for the ill-fated competition for the capital's garbage collection, Sofia Municipality managed to conclude long-term contracts for 2 of the separate positions by reaching an agreement with the company "BKS Chistota" EOOD from the "Titan" group for garbage collection in zone 2 - "Iskar", "Kremikovtsi" and "Pancharevo" and zone 5 - "Vrabnitsa", "Novi Iskar", "Bankya". The contracts are concluded after the company agreed to reduce the initially offered price and are until 2031. "BKS Chistota" has agreed to provide the garbage collection and garbage removal service at a price of 285 leva per ton - 145.72 euros. This price significantly exceeds the estimated price given by the municipality - 167 leva per ton, but is below the initially offered by the company - 348 leva per ton. "BKS Chistota" EOOD is owned by of "Ecobul Research" OOD. Since January 16, the ownership in it has been shared by Mihaela Borisova and Rumyana Ivanova. They are among the actual owners of "Titan International Holding" together with Ivo Ivanov and Dimitar Borisov. At the moment, it is not clear how this action will affect the finalization of the procedures for 3 other zones of the city - 1, 6 and 4 (zone 1 - "Sredets", "Lozenets" and "Studentski", zone 6 - "Lyulin" and "Krasno Selo", zone 6 - "Lyulin" and "Krasno Selo" and zone 4 - "Ilinden", "Nadezhda", "Serdika"). Currently, the municipality is cleaning six metropolitan districts - "Lyulin", "Krasno Selo", "Krasna Polyana", "Poduyane", "Slatina" and "Izgrev" with its own forces.

Glovo, the multi-category app that makes everyday life easier, has announced the appointment of Tijana Bikić as its new General Manager for Bulgaria. Tijana Bikić has over ten years of international experience in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), e-commerce and Q-commerce sectors, with a focus on developing commercial strategies, business Prior to taking on her new role in Bulgaria, she held management positions at Procter & Gamble and Amazon, and most recently served as Head of Commercial for Glovo Serbia. Tijana Bikić will officially take over the leadership of the company in Bulgaria from February 2026, leading the next phase of Glovo’s development in the local market.

Ditex-SM is transforming its production facility in Vratsa with a large-scale investment in green energy, which is being implemented under a project supported by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. The project BG-RRP-4.021-0091-C01, entitled "Energy renovation of the sewing workshop of Ditex-SM", is financed by the European Union through the NextGenerationEU financial instrument under the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism. The main goal is to turn the production building into an example of energy efficiency in Bulgaria. The total investment is worth 559,077.92 euros, with nearly half of the amount being a grant from the European Union. Thanks to these funds, nearly 5,000 sq. m. of production area will be completely renovated. The path to more environmentally friendly production goes through three key steps. The first is thermal insulation of the building with high-class stone wool, which drastically reduces heat loss. The second step is a complete replacement of the outdated heating systems with modern air-to-water heat pumps and high-tech ventilation with recuperation, which guarantees clean air and optimal temperature for employees with minimal energy consumption. The new building automation system occupies a central place in the modernization investments. It will provide intelligent management that monitors and regulates resource consumption in real time, preventing unnecessary costs. Another important element of the project is the construction of its own photovoltaic power plant on the roof of the enterprise. With 80 kWp of power, it will produce clean electricity, directly powering the machines in the workshop. Thus, the enterprise not only reduces its dependence on market electricity prices, but also reduces its carbon footprint with a remarkable 117 tons of harmful emissions per year.

IZIDA Ceramica is among the few Bulgarian manufacturing companies in the ceramic sector that, in a short period of time, managed to build an industrial capacity comparable to leading European plants. The company relies on over 130 years of history in ceramic production in Bulgaria. IZIDA Ceramica's production lines are equipped with machines from leading Italian manufacturers - SACMI, Imola, Gruppo TecnoFerrari and System Ceramics. The production process combines digital printing, diamond cutting, calibration and high-temperature firing in a strictly controlled technological regime. The latest generation of digital machines for applying coatings and decoration allows the creation of porcelain tiles with exceptional precision and detail, repeating the aesthetics of natural materials such as stone and wood. IZIDA Ceramica's portfolio covers a wide range of porcelain tiles in various formats, developed in sync with the latest trends in interior and architectural design. The company works in close cooperation with design studios from Spain and Italy, which guarantees up-to-date color solutions, surfaces and structures. The main format in the product portfolio is 600×1200 mm - 100% rectified porcelain stoneware, with a CARVING effect and dry application for higher surface resistance. In the first half of 2026, the launch of a unique product for the region is planned - porcelain stoneware with a thickness of 30 mm, as well as a 900×900 mm format, intended for office and other large public spaces. In 2027, IZIDA Ceramica plans to become the first plant on the Balkan Peninsula with Continua+ continuous pressing technology, which will allow the production of large-format tiles up to 1200×2800 mm and thicknesses from 6 to 22 mm, with a matte and polished finish. A solar park has been built at the production base, and the installation of batteries with a capacity of over 30 MWh will ensure maximum use of energy from renewable sources. Over 50% of IZIDA Ceramica's production is realized outside Bulgaria. The company has multinational experience, subsidiaries and established sales teams in four countries - Bulgaria, Greece, Romania and North Macedonia.

The Ruse District Court has overturned a fine of 200,000 leva imposed on Orgachim Resins, which produces synthetic resins and polyvinyl acetate dispersions. The sanction, issued by the director of the Regional Inspectorate for Environment, Water and Water - Ruse, was for spreading odors outside the company's production site. However, the court found that the penalty was unfounded and unlawful. The court's decision is subject to appeal.

Canada plans to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035, the country’s largest military expansion since World War II. After decades of relative stagnation, Canada’s new defense industry strategy, unveiled this month, aims to radically change the distribution of military spending. The plan calls for increasing the share of contracts awarded to domestic companies from 50% to 70%. This is expected to bring Canadian businesses more than 5.1 billion Canadian dollars (3.7 billion US dollars) and strengthen domestic economic growth and technological independence. Publicly traded Canadian companies are already feeling the effects of the changing environment in the security sector - both in connection with the second term of US President Donald Trump and the new defense policy of the government in Ottawa. Since the beginning of 2024, shares of infrastructure giant Atkins Réalis have doubled, those of business jet maker Bombardier have risen by more than 400%, and aerospace company MDA Space has tripled in value from their year-to-date lows. According to Stephen Furr, the secretary of state for defence procurement, the new policy provides for funding of C$357.7 million aimed at small and medium-sized enterprises. The funds will help expand production capacities, introduce innovation and integrate local companies into global defence supply chains. While Ottawa highlights the economic effects of higher defence spending - including 125,000 new jobs - a report by the Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) warns of serious fiscal risks. According to the analysis, reaching 5% of GDP would put significant pressure on macroeconomic stability. The additional costs expected by 2035 amount to C$159 billion. "The increase in spending will lead to an increase in the budget deficit by 63 billion Canadian dollars, or 1.4 percentage points of GDP for fiscal year 2035-2036. At the same time, the federal debt-to-GDP ratio is expected to increase by 6.3 percentage points," the official PBO report said.

China is entering an era of slower expansion, setting a target for gross domestic product (GDP) growth of between 4.5% and 5% this year, the Wall Street Journal reported. That is the lowest target since at least 1991 and follows three years in which officials have called for growth of “around 5%. ” If China’s economy expands below 5% this year, it would be the slowest growth the country has seen in more than three decades, excluding the years of the Covid-19 pandemic. China said its GDP grew by 5% in real terms last year, meeting its official target despite a renewed trade war with the United States. With a record trade surplus of $1.2 trillion last year, China’s growth has become increasingly dependent on exports. That has created a global imbalance that has drawn criticism from the country’s trading partners and global institutions such as the International Monetary Fund. Exports were the engine of China’s economic growth in 2025, according to government data, to a degree not seen since 1997. Economists at home and abroad have long called for China to reorient its economy toward one driven more by consumption and less by its powerful manufacturing and export machine. Such a reorientation could ease tensions with the rest of the world and give Chinese people greater purchasing power. But it would be difficult to achieve a significant rebalancing of China’s growth model, coupled with its long-term goals of technological and manufacturing dominance. China is entering the first year of its next five-year economic plan, in which officials signal their intention to stick to their current course of consolidating their dominance in modern manufacturing and achieving technological self-sufficiency from the U.S.-led West. While China’s technological achievements are the envy of the world, much of the country’s domestic economy is struggling in a deflationary environment where overproduction and under-demand have fueled competition that has eroded profits. Consumer and business confidence has eroded, wage growth has stalled, and youth unemployment is at historically high levels. To support its goals, China has set a fiscal deficit target of around 4 percent of GDP, in line with last year’s record deficit target, giving policymakers ample room to increase government spending if necessary. In addition to the official fiscal deficit target, the authorities have a number of other methods at their disposal to stimulate government spending. China will introduce 800 billion yuan ($116 billion) of new financial instruments to stimulate investment. The government said it aims to increase defense spending by 7.0 percent this year, compared with a 7.2 percent growth target in 2025, at a time when other countries such as the United States and many of its global allies, including Japan, are planning to increase their military spending. Beijing has set a consumer inflation target for this year at around 2 percent, unchanged from last year. The consumer price index remained stable last year, reflecting weak demand in an economy where households are increasingly concerned about job prospects and the value of their homes. The government has also pledged to create more than 12 million urban jobs, with the goal of keeping the unemployment rate at or below 5.5 percent. Both targets are unchanged from last year, suggesting a continuation of the policy, even as the economic slowdown raises the risk of growing social discontent. Setting the GDP target in the range of 4.5% to 5% brings Beijing closer to the minimum level it will need to maintain to achieve one of its main policy goals, namely to reach the per capita GDP of a “moderately developed country” by 2035. To achieve this goal, GDP will need to grow by an average of 4.17% or more over the next decade, according to an official Chinese manual published last year.