The flow of foreign direct investment (FDI) in Bulgaria in January 2022 was positive at EUR 188.4 million, according to preliminary data from the Bulgarian National Bank (BNB). Foreign investment increased by 237.1% (EUR 132.5 million) compared to a year earlier, when it was up by EUR 55.9 million. By comparison, FDI fell by half in one year last year to EUR 1.035 billion in 2021, down 54.4% from EUR 2.272 billion a year earlier. The central bank estimates that the share capital (transferred / withdrawn cash and in-kind contributions of non-residents to / from the capital and reserves of Bulgarian companies, as well as receipts / payments on real estate transactions in the country) is positive and amounts to EUR 53.1 million. It is higher by EUR 132.1 million than in January 2021, which is negative by EUR 78.9 million. The net flow of foreign investment in real estate is positive at EUR 0.4 million, with a positive net flow of EUR 0.3 million for January 2021. According to preliminary data, the article Reinvestment of profits (showing the share of foreign investors in the current profit or loss of the company on the basis of accounting data for the financial result) is positive and amounts to EUR 46.3 million, compared to a positive value of EUR 189.7 million in January 2021.

Bulgaria's trade deficit continues to grow in January 2022 and reaches EUR 581.8 million. This is more than 606% more than a year earlier, when it was EUR 82.4 million, according to preliminary data from the Bulgarian National Bank (BNB) on the balance of payments. In comparison, last year the central bank reported a deficit of EUR 3.368 billion, which is 73.1% more than in 2020, when it was EUR 1.945 billion. The central bank estimates that in January 2022 the current and capital account is in negative territory with EUR 357.5 million with a deficit of EUR 20.5 million in the first month of last year. In January, the current account deficit was down EUR 433 million from a deficit of EUR 39.2 million a year earlier. Exports of Bulgarian goods in the first month of this year amounted to EUR 3.197 billion and compared to a year ago increased by 34.3% (EUR 817.3 million). In comparison, exports in January 2021 decreased on an annual basis by 4.3%. Imports of goods amounted to EUR 3.779 billion and increased by 53.5% (EUR 1.316 billion) compared to January 2021. For comparison, in the first month of last year it decreased by 4.3% on an annual basis. The balance on services is up by EUR 208 million compared to a positive balance of EUR 231.8 million in January last year.

The cement producer Holcim Bulgaria plans to acquire the remaining 70% of Transport Stroy, which has a concrete unit in the capital's Druzhba district. A statement to that effect was submitted at the end of February to the Commission for Protection of Competition, which is to approve the concentration. The deal is expected to reduce Holcim's operating costs by centralizing orders and optimizing transport. Currently, the cement company has a concrete center in the western part of Sofia, as well as two in Plovdiv. According to the notification to the CPC, the deal is not expected to affect the market, as Holcim still has a stake in Transport Stroy, and the acquisition of sole control will not change the market position of the smaller company. The cement company, which owns the plant in the village of Beli Izvor near Vratsa, acquired 30% of Transport Stroy in 2011. This was done through a capital increase, with Holcim investing a total of BGN 3.4 million in the company. According to preliminary data for 2021, the company has a turnover of over BGN 9 million and employs about 30 people. 

Schneider Electric Bulgaria's smart factory is growing. An extension of the existing production building in the village of Benkovski is planned. Additional capacities for assembling electrical equipment for medium and low voltage will be installed in it. The new wing will cover an area of ​​3,000 square meters, divided into two main parts - production and storage and administrative and household. The investment proposal has been submitted to the Regional Inspectorate for Environment and Water - Plovdiv. It states that during the implementation of the investment a heat pump heating system with geothermal drilling will be built. Schneider Electric Bulgaria is a division of the multinational company Schneider Electric - a world leader in the field of power transmission and distribution equipment and industrial automation. The company has been present in Bulgaria for 22 years and employs nearly 1,000 people.

The investment company HR Capital has invested EUR 120,000 in the Bulgarian platform for growth of revenue operations (RevOps) and analysis in the field of e-commerce - Releva, the company announced. The investment round was led by the New Vision 3 (NV3) fund, which also included Verto Invest and several private investors. The funds raised will be used to increase operational capacity and implement Releva's global strategy. This company's innovation is based on artificial intelligence that can predict the customer's next purchase in real time and automatically send highly personalized messages. The company's main customers are eCommerce companies that can use technology to scale their growth and business. According to the company, the size and potential of the e-commerce market that Releva is targeting is nearly USD 4.9 trillion (2021). This figure is expected to grow by 50% over the next four years, reaching about USD 7.4 trillion by 2025.

German renewable energy company wpd plans to invest in two wind park projects with a combined capacity of 75-100 MW near Bulgaria's coastal town of Balchik, Sofia-based media reported. "Our projects in an advanced stage of development are located near the villages of Sokolovo and Trigortsi," Martin Iliev, manager of wpd Bulgaria, told Capital weekly. Earlier this year, wpd offshore said that it plans to develop two wind energy projects with capacity of 1.9GW combined in the Romanian sector of the Black Sea. Separate project companies have already been established for the development and construction of two wind farms off Romania's Black Sea coast - the 500MW Black Sea 1 and 1.4GW Black Sea 2. Bremen-headquartered wpd develops and operates onshore and offshore wind farms and solar parks and is engaged in 28 countries around the world. It has already realized wind energy projects with around 2,400 wind turbines and an output of 5,150 MW, and is planning projects with a total of 12,300 MW onshore, 13,800 MW offshore and 1,650 MWp solar energy.

Bulgarian hydraulic equipment manufacturer M+S Hydraulic said that it expects to book some BGN 48.5 million in sales in the first quarter of 2022. In the January-February period, M+S Hydraulic registered a preliminary gross profit of BGN 5.7 million on sales of BGN 31.5 million. M+S Hydraulic previously reported sales of BGN 33.6 million and BGN 5.3 million profit for the first three months of 2021. As of Monday, M+S Hydraulic is a member of the blue-chip SOFIX index of the Bulgarian Stock Exchange, replacing financial leasing company Elana Agrocredit. M+S Hydraulic is an affiliate of diversified group Stara Planina Hold.

German producer prices maintained their record growth in February, rising by a record 25.9% year on year, according to the Federal Statistical Office. The main reason for this is energy prices. The jump in prices is the biggest since 1949, financial experts comment. According to Reuters, the average annual increase will be 26.2%. Production prices for February still do not take into account the effects of the war in Ukraine. However, energy prices have risen by 68% compared to February 2021, according to the statistical office. Last week, it became clear that Germany would take out a loan of at least € 200 billion to set up a fund to finance the military and deal with the economic consequences of the war in Ukraine. The loan will be added to the already planned debt for climate protection and other initiatives. The volume of new German loans is the largest since World War II and should ensure that the German government can cope with financial crises following events such as the pandemic and Russia's war in Ukraine.

The American private investment company Thoma Bravo LP has announced that it will buy Anaplan Inc., a developer of corporate software for $ 10.7 billion. Anaplan shareholders will receive $ 66 per share as part of the terms of the acquisition. The deal will be financed entirely with cash. Anaplan CEO Frank Calderoni is expected to remain at the helm of the company. Founded in 2006, Anaplan develops software that helps companies plan by modeling different business results. Anaplan has about 1.9 thousand customers, including Coca-Cola Co., Shell PLC and VMware Inc. The company's shares have been traded on the New York Stock Exchange since 2018. Shares of Anaplan rose by 7.6% to $ 50.59 on Friday. In additional auctions, the company's shares rose to $ 51.64. Anaplan's current capitalization is $ 6.94 billion.

Japanese automaker Suzuki Motor Corp. announced that it will build a new factory in India for the production of batteries for electric vehicles, and plans to put the plant into operation in 2025 or 2026, according to the Nikkei Asia Review. The group intends to invest a total of about 150 billion yen ($ 1.26 billion) in its planned plant and increase production of electric vehicles in India. Suzuki hopes to expand sales of electric vehicles in the country as the government promotes these vehicles as part of its efforts to decarbonise the nation. Plans for the new factory were officially unveiled at an economic forum following a meeting between Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on March 19th. At the meeting with Modi Kishida, he revealed an investment plan worth 5 trillion yen in the South Asian country over the next five years. The battery plant will be built near Suzuki's existing car factory in western Gujarat.