A slight rise in inflation in the first quarter of the year is expected by the majority of financial intermediaries. This is shown by a survey of the Ministry of Finance among financial intermediaries - banks, investment intermediaries, management companies and pension funds. A slight increase in inflation is expected by 40 percent of the participants in the survey, despite the comments of government representatives that inflation is decreasing. With an equal share of 27% are those who expect inflation to remain unchanged in the first quarter of the year or to slow down slightly. Inflation in Bulgaria is significantly above the threshold to meet the price stability criterion for entry into the Eurozone. If the forecast of most financial intermediaries comes true, Bulgaria will not fulfill the conditions for entering the Eurozone and they can only accept us with a big compromise. Interest rates on deposits will rise, financial intermediaries believe. The opinion of the surveyed banks and investment brokers is the most categorical regarding the interest on borrowed funds in levs and euros.

The average social security income for December 2023 in Bulgaria is BGN 1,575.02, announced the National Social Security Institute. The average monthly insurance income for the country for the period from 01.01.2023 to 31.12.2023 is BGN 1,445.55. The determined average monthly insurance income for the country for the specified period is used to calculate the amounts of the newly granted pensions in January 2024, according to the Social Insurance Code.

At the end of 2022, UMBAL "St. George" EAD maintains its leadership position in the "Human health care and social activities" sector in Bulgaria, reporting revenues of BGN 235 million. The following places in the ranking of the "Information System of Bulgarian Enterprises - BEIS", maintained by BIC Capital Market Ltd. are: Ajibadem City Clinic MBAL Tokuda EAD - Sofia with revenues of BGN 180 million, UMBAL-Sveta Marina EAD - Varna - 163 million BGN, Heart and Brain Medical Center EAD - Sofia - BGN 148 million and UMBALSM-NI.Pirogov EAD - Sofia - BGN 131 million. The largest profits for 2022 are reported by "Independent Medical Diagnostic Laboratory Ramus" Ltd. - Sofia - BGN 18.3 million, followed by MC Sveta Sofia Ltd. - Burgas - BGN 17.9 million, DKC Pulmed Ltd. - Plovdiv - BGN 16.6 million, Achibadem City Clinic MBAL Tokuda EAD - Sofia - BGN 16.3 million and DKC Sofiamed EOOD - Sofia - BGN 16 million. At the other extreme is the financial performance of the hospitals reporting the biggest losses. The negative ranking for 2022 is headed by UMBAL Aleksandrovska EAD - Sofia with a loss of BGN 8 million, UMBALSM-NI.Pirogov EAD - Sofia with - BGN 6.8 million, MBAL National Cardiology Hospital EAD - Sofia with - BGN 4.4 million, UMBAL Dr. Georgi Stranski EAD - Pleven with -4.2 million BGN and UMBAL St. Ekaterina EAD - Sofia with a loss of BGN 3.9 million.

The Commission for the Protection of Competition (CPC) allowed "Unilink Bulgaria" to acquire sole control over "SDI Group" (SDI). Thus, the two largest insurance brokers in our country - I&G Brokers and SDI - will end up with the same owner. It is about the fintech company Acrisure, which enters our country through its Polish division Unilink. According to data from the Financial Supervision Commission, SDI and I&G have a total premium income from activity in our country for 2022 in the amount of over BGN 300 million. The combined group will have a significant lead over the rest of the market participants in "Travel Assistance" insurance with a market share of 23.13%, again mainly formed by "SDI Group", the additional share of which is 17.57% for 2022 In the case of "Land vehicles (non-rail vehicles)" insurance, occupying the second place in terms of revenue in the portfolio of the two participants in the transaction, the combined group's total market share will be in the amount of 6.68% of the premium income realized by the insurers. With this share, the group will retain second place after the leading broker in this insurance - "Unicredit - Insurance Broker" Ltd with a share of 7%. The remaining brokers have shares around and below 4 percent. The largest share in the portfolio of "I&G Insurance Brokers" Ltd during the period was held by "Insurance Joint Stock Company DallBogg: Life and Health" JSC with an increasing share from 26.6% in 2021 to 30% of premium income in 2022 At "SDI Group" JSC, the largest share in the company's portfolio is IC "Bull Ins" JSC with a decreasing share from 40% in 2021 to 32% in 2022. The second largest insurer for I&G Insurance Brokers" Ltd is "DZI - General Insurance" EAD with a share of 14% for 2022, followed by ZAD "Bulstrad Vienna Insurance Group" JSC with 12% for 2022, IC "Bull Ins" JSC with 11% for 2022 and ZK "Lev Ins" JSC with 9% for 2022. At "SDI Group" JSC, the second largest insurer in 2022 is "Insurance Joint Stock Company DallBogg: Life and Health" JSC with 22%, followed by from ZK "Lev Ins" JSC and ZAD "Bulstrad Vienna Insurance Group" JSC with 13% each for 2022 and "DZI - General Insurance" EAD with 8% for 2022.

The company "Maxcom EOOD" (Maxcom) equips two specialized offices for the design and production of electric bicycles in the Professional High School of Mechanical Engineering in Plovdiv. The investment is in the amount of BGN 70,000, with which the offices were renovated and equipped with tools and trial samples of electric bicycles. In addition to the investment in office equipment, the project includes employees of "Maxkom" as mentor-trainers. In terms of dual training, the school also partners with "Milara International" Ltd., which develops and manufactures electric cars of the mini-truck class.

Over BGN 1.2 million without VAT is sought by a private bailiff for the sale of a nitrile glove production plant in Plovdiv, which went bankrupt three months after its opening. The large-scale investment was worth over BGN 13 million, and 100 people had to work on an area of 6,000 square meters. The reasons for the bankruptcy were the deteriorating business climate in the country, high inflation, high electricity and energy prices, as well as a delay in the supply of the production line from Asia during the period of the introduced measures and quarantine along with COVID-19. The purpose of the sale is to repay the debts to the United Bulgarian Bank, the "Fund for Sustainable Cities" and the "Fund for Sustainable Urban Development" EAD. The production line and all the equipment are sold together. ​

"Doverie United Holding" will receive a BGN 23.5 million dividend from Moldindconbank, it is clear from the documents for the upcoming general meeting of the Moldavian bank. The former privatization fund holds 78.21% in the bank through its sole proprietorship "Doverie Invest". At the upcoming general meeting on February 22, a single item will be voted on - distribution of 300.4 Moldovan lei in total for dividend, which makes about 30.6 million BGN, or 15.67 million euros. Given the share of the Bulgarian holding, he should receive approximately BGN 23.5-24 million, depending on the current exchange rate of the lei. A year earlier, the dividend from the bank to its Bulgarian owners was BGN 28 million. The income from Moldindconbank, which is the second largest in Moldova, forms about 60% of the total income of "Doverie United Holding". If approved, the dividend of the Moldovan bank will be reflected in the results of "Doverie United Holding" for this year - last year the holding did not distribute a dividend due to a loss in 2022. Whether it will do so will be understood in an announcement for an upcoming general meeting. For at least the last five years, Doverie OH has not distributed financial results. The former privatization holding has more than 140,000 small shareholders, with substantial control with a 40% stake held by the Sopharma group and persons close to it. ​

The European Commission has allowed farmers to sow their entire fields this year, leaving no part of the arable land free of crops, to give biodiversity and soil regeneration a chance. The decision comes at the request of farmers' organisations, which oppose the EU's high climate requirements as they make them uncompetitive with importers who do not have to follow such standards. The discount will only apply to this year's sowing and is effective from Wednesday, retroactive to January 1. It will allow farmers to apply for subsidies even if they do not meet this condition, but leaves the option for those who wish to continue to leave land fallow. Under European rules, farmers must leave between 4 and 7 percent of arable land fallow, depending on the crops they grow, to qualify for subsidies. Compared to the original proposal, which was introduced in the midst of agricultural protests in Western Europe, the final text of the regulation provides for exemption from the obligation only partially - for areas up to 4 percent, regardless of how much nitrogen the agricultural crops grown on the fields produce. The Commission points out that this was done at the request of EU member states. The new regulation will affect farmers who grow crops that enrich the soil with nitrogen (such as lentils, peas or legumes) or catch crops (forage, green manure) without plant protection products. The Commission is giving national authorities the right to change their eco-schemes to support non-productive areas, just by informing the European Commission that they will not pay the full amounts. This should be done within 15 days, so the decisions will be clear by the beginning of March. Recently, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that the European Commission is withdrawing its proposal for a regulation to halve the use of pesticides by 2030 in order to reduce farmers' costs of producing their produce. The changes will cover almost 90% of the EU's arable land, which is required to meet nine environmentally and climate-friendly standards in order to receive European subsidies. One of them has to do with leaving land fallow, hedges and trees.

Consumer prices in China fell at their steepest pace in more than 14 years in January, with producer prices also falling, increasing pressure on policymakers to do more to revive an economy with low confidence and facing deflationary risks, Reuters commented. . The world's second-largest economy has been battling a price slowdown since early last year, forcing policymakers to cut interest rates to boost growth, even as many advanced economies were focused on taming stubbornly high inflation. The consumer price index (CPI) fell 0.8 percent in January from a year earlier, following a 0.3 percent decline in December, data from the country's National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed. The CPI increased by 0.3% on a monthly basis compared to an increase of 0.1% in the previous month. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast a 0.5% year-on-year decline and a 0.4% month-on-month rise. The annual fall in the consumer price index in January was the biggest since September 2009, mainly due to a sharp drop in food prices, but analysts warned that the overall deflationary momentum in the economy risked taking root in consumer behaviour.