According to preliminary data, the net flow of direct investments in the country for January - June 2022, calculated according to the principle of the initial direction of the investment, is positive in the amount of 289.2 million euros (0.4% of GDP), decreasing by 317.1 million euros (52.3%) compared to that for January - June 2021 (positive flow of EUR 606.3 million, 0.9% of GDP). The share capital (transferred/withdrawn cash and contribution contributions of non-residents (foreign legal entities and individuals) in/from the capital and reserves of Bulgarian companies, as well as receipts/payments from real estate transactions in the country) is positive and amounts to 168 million euros for January - June 2022. It is greater by 374.9 million euros than the one for January - June 2021, which is negative in the amount of 206.9 million euros. The net flow of foreign investment in real estate was negative in the amount of EUR 11 million (including a negative flow of EUR 8.6 million for Russia), with a negative net flow of EUR 2 million for January - June 2021 d. The big collapse in foreign direct investment comes from the decline in the amount of reinvested earnings. According to BNB data, the amount in the position Reinvestment of profit (showing the share of foreign investors in the current profit or loss of the company based on accounting data for the financial result) is positive and amounts to EUR 306.3 million, but it is three times smaller from the positive value of 1,038.1 million euros for January - June 2021. The net flow in the position Debt instruments (the change in net liabilities between companies with foreign participation and direct foreign investors in financial, bond and commercial credits) is negative and amounts to 185.1 million EUR, with a negative value of EUR 224.9 million for January - June 2021. The largest net positive flows of direct investments in the country for January - June 2022 are from Austria (164.8 million euros), Switzerland (122.9 million euros) and Virgin Islands (British) (107.2 million euros), and the most - the large net negative flows are to the Netherlands (EUR 263.5 million) and Romania (EUR 55.2 million).

Electricity production in Bulgaria increased by 15.98 percent for the period January 1, 2022 - August 14, 2022 compared to the same period in 2021. From the beginning of the year to August 14, electricity production in the amount of 32,632 605 megawatt hours, while for the same period last year it was 28,135,960 megawatt hours. According to data from the Electricity System Operator (ESO), electricity consumption in the country increased by 0.16 percent for the specified period. From the beginning of the year to August 14, 24,181,524 megawatt hours of electricity were consumed, while for the same period in 2021, consumption was 24,143,165 megawatt hours. The participation of base plants in the energy mix in our country increased by 23.49 percent for the period January 1, 2022 - August 14, 2022 compared to the same period last year. 27,441,899 megawatt-hours of electricity were produced from base stations, while a year earlier the electricity from them was 22,222,423 megawatt-hours. ESO data indicate that for the period January 1 - August 14, 2022, compared to the same period of 2021, the balance (export-import) increased by 111.66 percent. ESO statistics show that this indicator has been gradually falling since the beginning of the year, but since then it has regularly been above 100 percent. In the previous report last week, the indicator for the balance (export-import) was 114.07 percent. The participation of renewable energy sources (RES) in the transmission network increases by 23 percent for the period January 1, 2022 - August 14, 2022 on an annual basis. In addition, RES participation in the distribution network increased by 15.64 percent. Electricity generated by hydropower continued to decline, this time by 28.89 percent for the period January 1 - August 14, 2022 compared to January 1 - August 14, 2021.

The Bulgarian leader in the European biodiesel market - the Astra Bioplant company, part of the Bullmarket group, announced that it has successfully completed the first stage of the construction of photovoltaic capacities at its plant in the town of Slivo Pole near Ruse. The roof plant has a capacity of 500 kWh and will be used entirely for the company's own needs. With this investment, "Astra Bioplant" expects to provide 700 mW of energy per year and save nearly 350 tons of carbon emissions. The production of the biodiesel company is mainly located in the Ruse region. It is part of the large group of the producer and trader of fuels "Bulmarket" and was established in 2007. Today, "Astra Bioplant" is among the leaders of the biodiesel market in the entire EU, falling into the top 5. This is thanks to over 320,000 tons produced and over 900,000 tons of biofuels traded. The company concentrates on the realization of second-generation biodiesel, which is mainly produced from waste raw materials such as used cooking oils and residual fats. This biofuel reduces carbon emissions by up to 90%. For the production of first-generation biodiesel, "Astra Bioplant" buys huge amounts of sunflower and rapeseed, or more precisely, more than 25% of the total sunflower produced in the country and more than 50% of the produced rapeseed. The next stage of the project is expected to increase the power to 2 mWh power and thereby contribute to the saving of over 1400 tons of carbon emissions per year. This year, "Astra Bioplant" ranks third among the hottest companies in the country. The income of the group for 2021 is in the amount of BGN 3,336,886, and the profit - BGN 227,123.

The Jebel company "Kashif" is a leader in the production of hydraulic cylinders not only in our country, but also in Europe. Now her ambition is to become number one in the world. For this, its owner Kyashif Kyashif invested in two new plants - one in Jebel and one in Kardzhali. He already has two operating plants in Jebel, from where his journey started way back in 1979. With the new investment, the cycle of the offered assortment will be completed - from the smallest to the largest cylinders for every existing machine. The company has been on the market for more than 40 years and is now expanding and supplementing its production in the existing two factories with 600 people working in them. The implementation includes the reconstruction of the recently purchased from the IPS (International Power Supply) company, a newly built plant in Kardzhali, with which the company steps into the regional city, as well as the construction of a third plant of nearly 8,000 square meters within the existing base in Jebel. The plans are for the plant in Jebel to employ about 100 people. There will be around 100 workers in Kardzhali by the beginning of next year, with the option of gradually increasing their number. "We have been investing through loans and from the generated profit since 2008. So far, our investments in Jebel amount to nearly BGN 80 million, and by the end of the year they will amount to BGN 100 million," says Eng. Kyashif.

Urgent measures for the recovery of the subsidiaries of the State Consolidation Company were adopted by the Board of Directors. The process of replacing the executive director of the Scientific Research Technological Institute (NITI) - Kazanlak is stopped. At the head of NITI Kazanlak remains the current executive director, Eng. Delyan Nachev. The Council of SCC found a legal violation in the functioning of "Vazovskii Maschinostroitelni Zavodi" EAD - until now the Board of Directors consisted of 3 people, and the law requires a minimum of 5. In order to remove this loophole, new members have been submitted for registration : Ivaylo Kanev, Nikolay Nikolov, Toma Tsilev and Ivan Angelov. Ivan Stoenchev is also returning to the leadership of VMZ. The Board of Directors of SCC decided to make changes in the management of "Kintex" EAD. The only member of the Board of Directors who remains in the management of "Kintex" is Plamen Peshev. Boris Yanchev, Milen Nikolov, Stanislava Georgieva and Nikolay Stanchev have been proposed as new members.

The Bulgarian high-tech company Endurosat is opening its own space technology testing laboratory in Sofia by the end of the month. Based in Sofia with over 110 employees, Endurosat partners with NASA, ESA and the European Space Agency (ESA). Space companies and universities around the world launch their payloads (cameras, sensors, electronics, experimental equipment) into orbit on the company's satellites. For this project, the Bulgarian Investment Agency under the Ministry of Innovation and Growth awarded Endurosat a class "A" investment certificate in August last year. The company's investment is in the amount of over BGN 4 million. The loss of its own laboratory closes the entire work cycle of the company, which develops software, hardware, mechanics, assembly and verification texts.

The Bulgarian innovative platform for connecting candidates and employers nPloy closed its first investment round in the amount of almost BGN 4 million. The main investor in the round is the Bulgarian investment fund "Morningside Hill", and the purpose of the financing is the development of the platform and entry into new markets in Central and Eastern Europe. nPloy is currently used by over 85,000 users and over 500 employers in the country, including BIC, SAP, Lidl and Postbank. The platform offers an extremely transparent and efficient selection process. In it, companies have access to information about the professional experience and skills of each candidate, but not to personal data such as names, gender, age and current employer, which guarantees maximum objectivity of the process. In addition, companies have the opportunity to proactively connect with candidates from nPloy's database, as well as benefit from Employer branding advertising campaigns aimed at precisely targeted audiences.

After falling less than a percent on Wednesday, Western European stock markets returned to gains on Thursday, continuing the uptrend that began five weeks ago. "Eurostat" announced data on inflation in the euro area in July, which accelerated by 0.3% to a record 8.9 percent on an annual basis, which did not surprise investors, but for most of them there is no longer any doubt that the countries of the currency union of the EU are on the brink of recession and the ECB is most likely to raise interest rates in September by at least 50 percentage points at once. The Italian FTSE MIB index closed with the biggest daily increase, and the Spanish IBEX 35 ended with the weakest increase. Among the growth leaders of the issues included in the Stoxx 600 index were the shares of the Swiss company Siegfried, which rose by 15.70% after reporting a profit that significantly exceeded expectations for the first half.

Alphabet, the parent company of Google, has invested $1.56 billion in blockchain companies between September 2021 and June 2022 in four rounds. As a result, the company holds a leading position among publicly listed firms investing in the sector, according to data from a survey published by Blockdata on August 11. During that period, Blackrock invested $1.17 billion with three rounds, followed by banking giant Morgan Stanley with $1.1 billion with two rounds. Samsung leads the way in funding rounds with 13 rounds and about $979 million, while Goldman Sachs ranks fifth with $698 million. Instead of starting their own blockchain ventures, the covered companies are finding innovative structures and portfolios that are likely to add value to the growth of their core businesses. Companies venture into blockchain when it is still uncertain whether the technology will evolve. These giant companies seem to believe that the development of blockchain will certainly increase in the coming years. This aspect enables companies to establish a competitive advantage in the growing technological field.(cryptodnes)

China's gold imports from Switzerland jumped to their highest level in more than five years, fueling stronger demand for the metal. The easing of COVID measures in the world's second largest economy was cited as the reason for the increases in imports. China, which is one of the world's main buyers of gold, delivered more than 80 tons of Swiss gold in July, according to data from the Swiss Federal Customs Administration. This is more than twice the amount imported in June and eight times more than what was received in May, reports Bloomberg. Prices have hovered between $1,700 and $1,850 an ounce over the past two months, although the metal's appeal has waned during periods when the Fed has been raising interest rates.