In the first five months alone, deals for over 50 thousand sq m of logistics and production space have been concluded in Sofia, which is more than the entire volume for 2024. The market in Plovdiv is also growing. Only two deals there are for a total of about 16 thousand sq m. Last year, 2024 set a record for activity for the last decade, but 2025 managed to surpass it. Currently, according to CBRE data, about 120 thousand sq m of new logistics and production space is being built in Bulgaria, with almost 30% of them already pre-leased. The level of unoccupied industrial and logistics space remains low - about 2%, and can be estimated at 3% if smaller sites under 2 thousand sq m are added. As for rental levels, the so-called prime rents for high-end buildings in Sofia reach 5.75 euros/sq m. The exceptions are a few projects for which there is strong interest and contracts are concluded at rents in the range of 6-6.5 euros, according to Colliers data. The total volume of industrial space in Bulgaria is about 0.87 million sq m, which is modest compared to markets such as Poland, where the available space is about 34 million sq m. This naturally affects prices, as rents there are about 5.5 euros per sq m. The second largest market in Central and Eastern Europe is the Czech Republic with 12.4 million sq m of industrial space, where rents reach 7.40 euros per sq m in the most sought-after locations. However, in general, in the rest of the country, prices are comparable to Bulgarian ones, and in some places they are even lower. Bulgaria's direct competition remains Romania and Serbia, where rents for prime industrial properties are around 4.75 euros/sq m, or 1 euro lower than those in Bulgaria.

Plot of 111 decares with a newly built 4.9 MWp photovoltaic plant (56 decares) and an adjacent free plot (55 decares) with development potential at a key location in the city of Blagoevgrad

The German company for automotive locking systems Witte Automotive is ready with its new plant in Ruse and will officially open it on Saturday, July 5. The company's investment in the latest expansion of the Ruse base is BGN 23 million, according to the investment intention submitted to the municipality. In 2023, Witte Automotive bought 2 acres of property owned by the Ruse Municipality to build the plant, which is the company's second expansion after 2019. The reasons for this are the high productivity and the significant growth in turnover, which in 2024 exceeded EUR 204 million. It is expected that after the launch of the expansion by 2027, Witte Automotive's revenues will reach EUR 250 million. The doubling of production capacity is part of the investment project "Second expansion of a plant for the production of electronic and mechanical parts for the automotive industry, Ruse" and will create over 300 new jobs in the Danube city. The new building is on 3 levels and has an area of ​​24,819 sq. m. The old factory building and the new one are connected by three overpasses – two cargo and one pedestrian on two levels. The company serves leading automotive manufacturers around the world through its high-tech products – locking systems, safety modules, tolerance compensation systems WITOL, etc. The company has a modern production base and laboratories where the latest technologies in the industry are implemented. Witte Automotive actively invests in automation and sustainable development, with investments in our country to date exceeding 63 million leva. The team in Ruse exceeds 1,000 people and includes engineers, technicians and specialists with experience in automotive production.

One of the largest manufacturers of nutritional supplements in Bulgaria is "Nutrend Bulgaria". Almost all the leading names in fitness circles rely on its products, and 20% of production is carried out under foreign brands. The beginning was made about 15 years ago in the capital's "Krasno Selo" district. On "Nishava" Street, a small trading company began importing nutritional supplements from the Czech company NUTREND. The leading role is taken by the brothers Georgi and Miladin Stoyanov - the first is responsible for trade, the second is involved in the production process. The Stoyanov family chooses to invest in their hometown of Slivnitsa. A plot of land was purchased, a production hall and warehouse were built, and the start of operations was on August 15, 2021. The company began importing high-quality raw materials from the USA, thus partnering with another established brand - Naturalico. The products under this name meet the standards for organic production and are based entirely on natural plant ingredients. In 2023 "Nutrend Bulgaria" also launched its own brand - Dan Koloff, inspired by the legendary Bulgarian fighter. Between 5 and 10% of the brand's turnover is donated monthly to the "Dan Koloff" house-museum as a tribute to his sports history. After the start of the partnership with the Bulgarian Development Bank (BDB), the company's revenues doubled. Three loans under the InvestEU program were used - one for working capital and two for investment. The funds were invested in the digitalization and automation of production. Machines designed according to the needs and parameters of the production premises in Slivnitsa were purchased. The company's plans include expanding production with a new hall, three times larger than the existing one. This aims to enter the neighboring markets - Romania and Greece. Currently, about 80 people work at the Slivnitsa plant. The company maintains partnerships with popular fitness chains and conducts joint initiatives.

Solarity BG Ltd. - Plovdiv has been working in the field of renewable energy for over 15 years. The company combines engineering ("Solarity BG"), intelligent energy management (Visible Energy) and trade (Energy Style). In projects with storage systems (BESS), the main partner is Narada Power, which is one of the key manufacturers on the global market. The company covers the entire process - from lithium cell production and system integration to maintenance and recycling. "Solarity BG" is an officially certified partner of Narada Power for Eastern Europe. It also works with other proven manufacturers such as Sicon Chat Union, whose BESS systems with a capacity of up to 2.4 MWh allow us to serve more compact projects. Narada Power offers systems with a capacity of over 2.4 MWh, which guarantee reliability and adaptability for larger projects. In 2022, "Solarity BG" is building the first energy storage system in Bulgaria at the "Kantilena" FPP. It has implemented a number of successful projects, the most significant of which is in the TED BED mattress factory, where a combination of a photovoltaic power plant and a battery system was implemented. The end result shows a reduction in the required supplies from the electricity distribution network by over 90%, which is a clear indicator of the effectiveness of the solution. The subsidiary - Energy Style is a licensed electricity trader and coordinator of a standard balancing group. and takes care of electricity trading and the management of balancing groups.

One of the most iconic tailoring companies in Ruse, Arda Ruse, has ceased operations as of July 1, 2025, ending its 93-year existence. The decision was inevitable due to the increasing cost of production and static selling prices, explained the company's manager, Georgi Yordanov. In the past, Arda Ruse was a leading name in the Bulgarian fashion industry and a true school for talent. Not only thousands of garments came out of its workshops, but also professionals who, after the changes in the 1990s, founded over 100 new tailoring companies in the city. After Bulgaria's entry into the European Union, the rise in incomes made tailoring - the main business model of Arda - increasingly unprofitable. Western European fashion brands gradually moved their orders to countries with lower labor costs such as India, Bangladesh and Vietnam. The company had been operating at a loss in recent years, with the exception of a brief recovery in 2020. While in 2008 "Arda" had over 500 workers, in 2025 their number had dropped to just 130 - all of them are now looking for a new professional realization. The crisis in the garment industry affects all of Bulgaria. According to analyses from February 2025, Chinese platforms for trading in cheap clothes are putting serious pressure on local manufacturers, forcing more and more factories to close.

Industrial Holding – Doverie EAD – a subsidiary of Doverie United Holding AD, purchased 500,000 shares or 0.2782% of the capital of Sopharma AD on the Bulgarian Stock Exchange. The transactions, which have a total value of BGN 3,510,000 at an average price of BGN 7.02 per share, were concluded on July 2. Currently, the total number of shares repurchased by Sopharma is 9,413,582 or 5.24% of the share capital of the pharmaceutical company. At the general meeting of its shareholders held on June 27, it decided to distribute a gross dividend for 2024 of BGN 0.08 per share. "Doverie - United Holding" directly owns 87.32% of the capital of "Industrial Holding - Doverie", and indirectly through related parties "Homogen" AD /4.04%/ and OZOF "Doverie ZAD" AD /8.64%/ of the voting securities. "Industrial Holding - Doverie" unites in its portfolio several subsidiaries of the parent company. "Doverie - United Holding" AD is one of the largest holding structures in Bulgaria, uniting numerous companies from different sectors of the economy in several settlements on the territory of Bulgaria. Its portfolio also includes BC Moldindconbank S.A. - the second largest bank in Moldova. The largest shareholders in "Doverie - United Holding" are three companies related to Ognyan Donev - "Sopharma" AD with a share of 22.5958%, "Telekomplekt" AD - with 8.92%, and "Kaliman-RT" AD - with 8.33% of the voting shares.

In the first quarter of 2025, the seasonally adjusted current account of the EU balance of payments recorded a surplus of EUR 114 billion (+2.5 percent of GDP) compared to a surplus of EUR 88.9 billion (+2 percent of GDP) in the fourth quarter of 2024 and a surplus of EUR 132.3 billion (+3 percent of GDP) in the first quarter of 2024. This is according to estimates published by Eurostat. In the first quarter of 2025, compared to the period October-December 2024, based on seasonally adjusted data, the current account surplus in trade in goods increased (+EUR 117.9 billion compared to +EUR 85.5 billion); the current account surplus in services increased (+EUR 46.1 billion compared to +EUR 42.1 billion); the surplus in primary income increased (-EUR 21.3 billion compared to -EUR 10.1 billion); the deficit on the secondary income account increases slightly (-28.7 billion euros compared to -28.6 billion euros). Over the same period, the deficit on the capital account turns into a surplus (+2.9 billion euros compared to -1.9 billion euros). In the first quarter of 2025, based on non-seasonally adjusted data, the EU recorded current account surpluses with the United Kingdom (+67.9 billion euros), the United States (+12.8 billion euros), Switzerland (+12.3 billion euros), Canada (+11.9 billion euros), Brazil (+11.1 billion euros), Hong Kong (+8.7 billion euros), offshore financial centres (+5.1 billion euros) and Japan (+4 billion euros). Deficits were recorded with China (-49.2 billion euros), India (-2.4 billion euros) and Russia (-1.2 billion euros). Based on seasonally unadjusted data in the first quarter of 2025 EU direct investment assets increased by €91.1 billion and direct investment liabilities increased by €63.9 billion.

Canada's trade with the United States fell to "one of its lowest levels on record" in May as a result of the bitter trade war initiated by US President Donald Trump, the national statistics agency said. However, Canada was able to partially offset the decline through increased shipments to other countries. While exports to the United States fell for the fourth consecutive month, exports to other countries reached a "record high," Statistics Canada said. As a result, the share of Canadian exports destined for the United States shrank from a monthly average of 75.9% to 68.3%. The agency said this was "one of the lowest levels on record." Imports from the United States also fell for the third consecutive month. As a result, Canada's trade surplus with the United States widened slightly to $2.4 billion. Total Canadian exports rose 1.1% in May, mainly due to an increase in gold shipments to the United Kingdom. Canada also exported more oil to Singapore, aluminum and pharmaceuticals to Italy, and pork to Japan. This increase was partially offset by a decline in canola seed and oil exports to China. Meanwhile, total imports fell 1.6% as imports of motor vehicles and parts continued to decline. As a result, Canada’s trade deficit with the rest of the world narrowed from a record C$7.6 billion in April to C$5.9 billion in May.

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) has managed assets worth more than $1 trillion for the first time, despite a sharp drop in profits and a significant increase in spending on the kingdom’s ambitious projects, Semafor reports. The Saudi sovereign wealth fund’s assets are expected to surpass $1 trillion in 2024, but its net profit fell 60% from the previous year, according to its latest annual report. Joining the prestigious trillion-dollar club shows that the PIF remains “one of the boldest institutional experiments in sovereign finance,” said Global SWF. The historic milestone demonstrates the kingdom’s determination to diversify its economy away from oil dependence. But beneath the impressive figure are signs of Riyadh’s changing priorities. As Vision 2030 approaches its 10-year mark, megaprojects like NEOM remain illiquid and are now operating on tighter budgets and longer timelines. The futuristic city has faced delays and cuts, while Saudi Arabia is grappling with lower oil prices and the project is facing a 20% budget cut. The PIF has raised its target for assets under management by 2030 to $2.67 trillion, an increase of almost 43% from its original target of $1.87 trillion. This ambitious revision to its goals comes despite the challenges the fund faces. The third consecutive annual decline in foreign investment means the PIF is footing a larger share of the bill than originally planned. The organization characterizes the PIF’s evolution as moving “from grand to down-to-earth.” There are signs that the kingdom’s support for its mature operating businesses is paying off, which could prove critical to a successful transition to a post-oil economy. Esports company Savvy Games, aircraft leasing company AviLease, telecommunications firm STC and mining giant Ma’aden, along with dividend income from Saudi National Bank, helped drive a 25% increase in revenue in 2024. The PIF is led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and is a key driver of Saudi Vision 2030. The fund positions itself as a global and local investor playing a central role in the kingdom’s economic transformation.