Southern & SE Europe

Croatia awarded permits to four companies for gas and oil exploration on six blocks in the country’s flat northern areas.

Cryptocurrency trading platform INX, plans to raise up to $130 million through an IPO in the U.S., an industry first. 

Russia is preparing to provide Serbia with a 172.5 million Euros ($195.4 million) credit, to be used for developing the latter's infrastructure projects, Russian media reported on Monday (July 1).

The European Investment Bank (EIB) Group invested €507 million ($639 million) in Croatia in 2018, the Luxembourg-based lender said on Tuesday (April 30), with a focus on transport, energy, infrastructure and social sectors.

Bulgarian fund Doverie United Holding has completed the purchase of Moldindconbank (MICB), Moldova's second-largest lender, the Sofia-based investment company has announced. 

Greece remains a dominant force in the shipping industry despite the economic hardships faced by the Mediterranean country.

Twelve percent (12%) of the companies in Bulgaria complained about delayed payments by contractors or the state in 2017, Eurostat statistics showed.

Istanbul New Airport, on track to be the world's biggest, has been unveiled by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a grand ceremony on Monday (Oct.29), coinciding with the 95th anniversary of Turkey's establishment as a republic.

The Bank of Cyprus announced on Tuesday it agreed the sale of a portfolio of loans with a gross book value of €2.8 bn (of which €2.7 bn relate to nonperforming loans) secured by real estate collateral. 

Serbia's overall external trade for the period January - May 2018 went up by 24.3% to USD 18488.3 million compared to the same period in 2017 and up by 9.3 % to EUR 15143.6 million, according to the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia