UNIQA Real Estate Management GmbH is launching the UQA Real Estate Fund, a closed-ended real estate fund for institutional investors. The fund will invest in Core and Core Plus office properties across Europe, with a geographic focus on Austria, Poland and the Czech Republic. The move represents a further step in UNIQA Real Estate's opening of its investment and management platform, previously dedicated to the UNIQA Group, to third-party investors.
Speculation has intensified over a possible sale of Tesco's operations in Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, with the Financial Times reporting that the Schwarz Group, which operates the Lidl and Kaufland chains, is expected to make an offer for the Czech and Slovak businesses. Dutch retailer Ahold Delhaize and Polish discounter Biedronka are also named among potential bidders.
Bucharest's hotel market recorded revenue per available room (RevPAR) growth of 5% in the first half of 2026 compared with the same period in 2025, and 25.2% above pre-pandemic levels, according to Cushman & Wakefield Echinox. The performance is underpinning a development pipeline of more than 1,500 new rooms expected to enter the market by 2028, equivalent to approximately 13% of existing hotel stock, spanning segments from midscale to luxury.
Romania continues to gain visibility on the European industrial and logistics investment map, at a time when companies are looking for competitive markets for manufacturing, warehousing and distribution. Two-thirds of the European regions with the strongest profile for manufacturing activities are located in just four countries – Poland, Spain, Romania and France – according to the report "ExCEEding Borders: CEE & Iberia: Driving Europe's Industrial Transformation", published by Colliers.
Office markets across the six largest CEE capital cities, Prague, Warsaw, Budapest, Bucharest, Bratislava, and Sofia, have entered a new phase characterized by a severe supply crunch.
The office markets of CEE's six largest capitals records resilient demand for high-quality space in 2026, although new development has slowed, tightening supply, according to Colliers.
The EU unemployment rate rose slightly to 6.0% in 2025, up from 5.9% in 2024, according to new data covering people aged 15-74 in the labour force, according to Eurostat.
CEE real estate investment rebounded strongly in 2025, with volumes reaching €11.6 billion across six core markets, representing a 31% year-on-year increase according to Colliers.
CEE is transforming from Europe's periphery into a defence industry powerhouse, according to a new KPMG study. The region's combination of cost efficiency, industrial capacity, and strategic location is attracting investment as European defence spending increases.
Commercial property investment in CEE rebounded strongly in 2025, with a combined volume of €11.3 billion across Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia. This represents a 34% year-on-year increase and stands 24% above the five-year average, according to data by Knight Frank.
CEE property investment reached a turning point in 2025, with transaction volumes across the region's six main markets totalling €11.6 billion, representing 31% annual growth according to Colliers' latest analysis.
Central Europe's commercial real estate sector is experiencing a transformation, with Hungary leading the recovery through an 86% year-on-year increase in investment driven by Asian capital from China and South Korea. The CATL factory in Debrecen and BYD in Szeged, along with the planned Volvo plant in Košice, Slovakia, are reshaping the region's industrial landscape and creating demand for logistics space.
Confidence is returning across CEE real estate markets, with investor sentiment shifting from cautious optimism to execution, according to Colliers. The region continues to demonstrate resilience, supported by moderating inflation, solid household consumption, and strong employment levels.
CEE recorded a 38% increase in real estate investments in the first three quarters of 2025, reaching over €7 billion across six major markets, according to Colliers' latest report.
Industrial developer CTP reported net rental income growth of 15.4% year-on-year to €549 million in the first nine months of 2025. The company achieved like-for-like rental growth of 4.5%, driven by indexation and lease renewals.
CEE economies have been delivering solid GDP growth, outpacing many Western European peers despite external trade uncertainties and recent inflationary pressures, according to Colliers' latest report.
The first half of 2025 has confirmed a strong return of investor activity in Central and Eastern Europe. The Czech Republic, with the most remarkable performance, is emerging as the regional leader, ahead of even Poland, according to the latest iO Partners report.
The European property market has begun to adapt to new conditions. The latest data, based on a survey in 28 countries across Europe, has clearly confirmed this, according to the 14th edition of the Deloitte Property Index.
Bucharest is consolidating its position within the Central and Eastern European (CEE) real estate market, combining rental growth across major asset classes with investment yields that remain well above Western European levels, according to the DNA of Real Estate Europe Q2 2026 report published by Cushman & Wakefield. Across Europe in Q2 2026, prime office rents rose 4.5% year-on-year, retail rents increased 3.0%, and logistics rents grew 2.4%, while investors remained selective as yield movements pointed to a more balanced market following the repricing cycle of recent years.
Energy company Electrica informs investors and the capital market that it has obtained the technical grid connection permits (ATR) for 17 new battery energy storage projects (BESS), with a total capacity of approximately 700 MWh.
The European Retail Banking Radar, Kearney's latest study now in its 18th edition, shows that Europe is entering a period of normalisation following the conditions of 2023–2025. For Romania, the challenge extends beyond the normalisation of interest rates.
Romania's national electricity transmission network operator, Transelectrica, has halted scheduled maintenance shutdowns to ensure the grid operates at maximum capacity during an ongoing extreme heatwave. The preventive measures aim to mitigate operational risks associated with severe weather conditions.
Digi Spain has announced its intention to launch an initial public offering (IPO) on the Spanish stock exchanges, aiming to raise approximately €150 million.
