Bulgaria’s demographic crisis is deepening: the number of live births has fallen by 33% over the past three decades, from 79,442 in 1994 to 53,428 in 2024, according to data from the National Statistical Institute (NSI). The fertility rate is 8.3‰, and the average number of children per woman is 1.72, far below the 2.1 needed for natural population reproduction. The average age of mothers at first birth reached 27.6 years – an increase from 23.5 in 1994, reflecting a systematic trend towards postponing parenthood due to career, economic and social factors. Bulgaria ranks among the leaders in the EU in terms of the speed of aging: people over 65 years old make up 24% of the population, while children under 14 make up only 14%. The total population decreased by 0.13% in 2024, reaching 6,437,360 people, with a natural increase of -0.6%. This is the fastest decline in the world according to the UN, with a forecast of 3.5 million inhabitants by 2100 if the trend continues. EU trends are similar: the average fertility rate is 1.38 in 2023, with Bulgaria at 1.81 – the highest in the bloc, followed by France (1.66). But aging is a common problem: in the EU, people over 65 are 21%, and the birth rate is falling by 5.4% per year. novini247.com

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

Investors have submitted to the Plovdiv Municipal Council a proposal to change the Detailed Development Plan (DDP) of Filipovo, where an entirely new neighborhood with several thousand apartments and commercial space will be built. In the square enclosed between Dunav Blvd., Golyamonarsko Shose Blvd., the railway lines from the north and Pobeda St., all buildings will be up to 50 meters high. According to the design solution, the building density will be 28% - 34,183 sq.m. at a maximum of 50%, and Kint will remain 3.5, which is the maximum - 418,650 sq.m. of total area. The project envisages the construction of housing, offices, commercial premises, a hotel, children's centres, a medical centre, sports infrastructure and other public service facilities. Housing is 55% with a total area of ​​230,274 sq.m. of total area, the rest - 188,406 sq.m. of total area, and of these, commercial premises are 26,933 sq.m. Greening at a minimum of 40% - 47,849 sq.m. is envisaged for 60,028 sq.m., and of these 15,500 sq.m. with high landscaping. Separately, 10,084 sq.m. of roof landscaping is planned. The parking spaces are also more than the minimum set of 4,314, 5,101 parking spaces will be made. There will be 4,628 spaces in underground garages, as well as 473 above-ground spaces, which will be accessible to all visitors to the complex. The total number of apartments is 2,430, of which 1,842 are two-room, 520 are three-room and 68 are four-room. The estimated number of residents by 2040, when the entire project is completed, is 5,966 people, of which 1,492 are expected to be children under 7 years of age and 895 are up to 14 years of age. 11 children's centers are planned, each with a capacity of 4 groups of 24 children, or for 1,056 children. The new district will be built on the former enterprises of "United Milk Company", Workshop 1 of "Filikon-97" AD, the base of the former enterprise "City Transport - Plovdiv" AD, as well as other smaller workshops and the gas station. The properties with a total area of ​​nearly 130 acres are mostly held by two companies. The first is "City Investment" OOD with manager Kostadin Boyadzhiev, and the owners of the capital are the companies "Galaxy Investment Group" OOD and "Orbias" EOOD. It purchased the properties of "United Milk Company" in 2024 for 8.3 million euros, and in 2022 the base of the bankrupt "City Transport - Plovdiv" EAD after an auction for 5.6 million leva through an affiliated company. The other major owner is "Plovdiv Retail Center" AD, whose managers are Israeli citizens. Managers and part of the Board of Directors are Moshe Ashkenazi and Ehud Gat. In 2008, they purchased the former Workshop 1 of "Filikon - 97" for 21 million euros. There are also properties in the area that were owned by "Hebros Bus" AD - "Sever" bus station, but it is evident from the documents that they have already been sold, with one of the buyers being another carrier - Petko Angelov. The state enterprise NRIC also has properties. An agreement was signed between the largest owners, which regulated the change of the boundaries of the properties, as well as the part that is for the expansion of the street network. trafficnews.bg

Romanian investment company Infinity Capital Investments, which is the majority shareholder in vegetable oil producer Argus Constanţa, announced the completion of the deal to sell its 91.42% stake to Bulgarian company Bildkom EOOD. The deal was signed on August 25, 2025, and the market was informed a day later - on August 26. In the meantime, the suspensive conditions specified in the document were met, including regulatory approvals from the Romanian authorities, which allowed both parties to proceed with the finalization of the deal. The final purchase price will be determined in accordance with the previously announced mechanism, the companies announced. Argus' market capitalization is 61 million Romanian lei (12 million euros). Through this deal, Bildkom EOOD indirectly becomes the majority shareholder in Comcereal Tulcea - a company in which Argus owns 95.36%. At the same time, in the context of the change in shareholding, Argus (as borrower) and Bildcom (as lender) will enter into a loan agreement of up to 100 million Romanian lei (20 million euros), intended to refinance existing loans and support working capital. The financing was pre-approved by the extraordinary general meeting of shareholders of Argus on 9 October 2025. One of the oldest Romanian producers of vegetable oils and fats Argus, headquartered in Constanța, is one of the oldest Romanian producers of vegetable oils and fats, with its history dating back to 1943. The company produces and sells crude and refined sunflower oils, feed meal and fatty acids, and is one of the most famous Romanian brands in the food sector. After nationalization in 1948, it was restructured in 1990 as a joint-stock company, and in 1994 it became fully private. "Buildcom" EOOD - founded in 1994, is one of the largest Bulgarian companies engaged in international trade in agricultural products, such as wheat, corn, barley, rapeseed and sunflower. It is affiliated with the "Oliva" AD group - the largest producer of crude and refined sunflower oil in Bulgaria.

The renovation of one of Sofia's iconic buildings - the famous "Grand Hotel Bulgaria" in the capital is underway. The owner of "Grand Hotel Bulgaria" is businessman Miroslav Pechev. He bought the building in September 2016 for about 15 million euros from the heirs of the murdered Iliya Pavlov, head of the "Multigroup" business empire at the dawn of democracy. The "Bulgaria" hotel and hall complex was built in the period 1935 - 1937 by the architectural bureau of Stancho Belkovski and Ivan Danchov. They won the competition of the Civil Service Insurance Company, which was the owner of the extensive property and whose building was located next door. The construction itself was entrusted to the "Cyclops" company. The hotel consists of two parts with a total developed built-up area of ​​7,887 square meters. meters. The hotel (4,720 sq m) includes a reception, a mezzanine, five floors of rooms and apartments, plus a top administrative floor with 20 rooms. This part has not been in operation for years, after being closed for renovation, which never happened. While it was receiving guests, the property offered 80 rooms and 11 apartments.

An electricity storage facility is being built in Razgrad. The project is being implemented by Toki Storage EAD, and will have an installed capacity of 10 MW and a capacity of 40 MWh, the Regional Information Center in Razgrad reports. The total cost of the project is 11.73 million leva, of which 3.98 million leva are grants from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, and the remaining 7.74 million leva are the beneficiary's own contribution. The main goal is to reduce the overload of the electricity transmission and distribution networks, balance the electricity system and ensure security and stability. The project will be implemented until the end of March 2026.

The construction of the eighth HOLIDAY PARK in the country has started. The new shopping park will be located at 73 Lipnik Blvd. in the city of Ruse. The investor of HOLIDAY PARK Ruse is Videolux Holding, and the implementation of the construction activities has been assigned to the construction company MSK. The HOLIDAY PARK Ruse shopping complex will include more than 20 shops and restaurants. Among them will be popular chains such as Billa, Decathlon, Pepco, Ciela, Subra, Opticlasa and others, which will offer a variety of goods and services. The complex will have more than 11,000 sq m of retail space, and its construction is expected to create over 100 new jobs and support the local economy. HOLIDAY PARK Ruse will have over 300 free parking spaces. The project envisages the construction of charging stations for electric cars, as well as the installation of solar panels on the roofs of the retail outlets. HOLIDAY PARK Ruse is part of the extensive portfolio of Videolux Holding - a company with extensive experience in the construction and management of modern retail parks in a number of large Bulgarian cities such as Sofia, Pernik, Stara Zagora, Pazardzhik, Shumen and Haskovo. The shopping complex is expected to open in the fall of 2026, thus becoming a new attraction for the residents of Ruse and the region.

The second plant of ZS Europe, the construction of which in the Thrace Economic Zone is in an extremely advanced phase, will work entirely for the German automaker Volkswagen, announced the executive director and co-founder of the Thrace Economic Zone (TEZ) and chairman of the "Trace Economic Zone Cluster" Eng. Plamen Panchev. It is planned to start installing the equipment at the plant by the end of the year. At the end of last month, the first auto parts plant of ZS Europe, part of the Chinese group Shanghai Unison Aluminum Products, was opened in the Thrace Economic Zone. The size of the investment is nearly 19 million leva, and the new jobs created are 100. The company produces aluminum components for cars. The second production base of ZS Europe in the Thrace Economic Zone is expected to open in early 2026. It will cover 10,000 sq m. The first plant was built in less than a year on a production area of ​​12,000 sq m. The contractor for both sites is "SIENIT CONSTRUCTION GROUP" AD.

"Bulgarian Transport Holding" AD - Plovdiv will distribute as a dividend part of the amount of the accumulated "Additional Reserves" in the amount of 985,569 leva. The gross amount of one share is 3 leva, and the net (after deduction of 5% tax) - 2.85 leva. A decision on this distribution will be voted on by the extraordinary general meeting of shareholders, which will be held on December 12 in Plovdiv. The payment of the dividend will begin on February 9, 2026 and will last three months. It will be carried out with the mediation of "Central Depository" AD and through the branches of "UniCredit Bulbank" AD. "Bulgarian Transport Holding" AD was established on September 28, 1996 under the name National Privatization Fund "Transport". The company joined the mass privatization process and by 2002 had fully built its investment package, which includes enterprises mainly from the "Transport" sector. After the general meeting of shareholders held on February 6, 1998, the reorganization of the activities of NPF "Transport" AD into "Bulgarian Transport Holding" AD was entered in the Commercial Register. Participation in other companies or in the management of companies is the main goal of the holding's investment activity. "Bulgarian Transport Holding" AD participates in the management of 18 subsidiaries and holds investments in five other enterprises. "Bulgarian Transport Holding" AD distributed part of the company's profit realized in 2024. The gross dividend is 0.37 BGN per share. Part of the positive financial result for 2023, in the amount of 328,523 BGN, is also paid as a dividend with a gross amount of 1 BGN per share. The amounts are paid at the company's office in Plovdiv.

At its meeting of 6.11.2025, the FSC decided to enter a subsequent issue of shares issued by "Republika Holding" AD, Sofia, in the register of public companies and other issuers of securities, for the purpose of trading on a regulated market. The issue is in the amount of 5,320,086 ordinary, registered, dematerialized, freely transferable shares with voting rights, with a nominal value of 1 lev each, with ISIN code BG1100059986.

Data from Eurostat, the OECD and the Pension Adequacy Report 2024 outline a worrying reality: while Europe as a whole is ageing, only a small part of it is ageing with dignity. The average annual pension in the EU is €16,138 (around €1,345 per month), but there is a gap beneath this average. In Luxembourg, pensioners receive over €31,000 per year, in the Netherlands and Denmark over €30,000, while in Bulgaria the amount is €3,611 – almost ten times less. Bulgaria is at the bottom of the EU in terms of pensions, with only a few Balkan countries outside the Union (such as Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia) showing lower values. The gap persists even after adjusting for purchasing power parity (PPP), where Bulgaria is again at the lower end – around €7,000 per year, while in Austria it is €21,162 and in the Netherlands over €20,000. This means that even after taking into account the lower prices in our country, the real purchasing power of pensioners is only one third of that of Western Europeans. The reason is systemic. Bulgaria relies mainly on the first pillar - state social security. Currently, about 70% of pensioners' income comes from the National Social Security Institute, and only 30% of workers actively participate in supplementary pension schemes. In the Netherlands, this share is over 90%, in Germany - 65%, and in France - 42%. The result is clear: the countries with the highest participation in voluntary funds also ensure the highest financial independence in old age. The Bulgarian pension system is on an unstable demographic basis. In 1990, the ratio of workers to pensioners was 3:1. Today it is 1.6:1, and by 2035 it is expected to fall below 1.4. For comparison, in Germany it is 2.8:1, and in Denmark - 3:1. This means that each new pensioner will be supported by an ever smaller number of active taxpayers, while the NSSI budget already relies on over 45% transfers from the state. In nominal terms, Bulgaria has seen impressive growth - +33% increase in pensions between 2021 and 2022, the highest in the EU. But this is not the result of sustainable economic growth, but a reaction to inflation and political pressure. In reality, the purchasing power of retirees increased by only 6% over the same period, which shows how fragile this "catch-up statistic" is. The parallel with the Vanguard Retirement Outlook for the US is striking. There, 6 out of 10 Americans are not ready for retirement, in Bulgaria — 7 out of 10. In both cases, older generations (baby boomers and Gen X) rely on the state, while younger ones (millennials and Gen Z) are beginning to discover the potential of automated savings and technology. The difference is that in Bulgaria, financial culture lags behind. Most people still consider a deposit an "investment" and a home a "pension". However, property capital is not liquid. Bulgaria has one of the highest rates of homeownership in the EU (over 84%), but a low ability to transform this asset into income. Reverse mortgage programs are being developed in Western countries, which allow retirees to "cash in" part of their home without selling it. In our country, such mechanisms are lacking, although they could alleviate the burden on tens of thousands of households in small towns. Added to this is the risk of poverty, which affects over 30% of Bulgarians over 65 - almost twice the EU average (16%). In France, this indicator is 15%, in Germany - 18%, and in the Netherlands - only 11%. Here too, women are more severely affected: in the EU, the pension gender gap is 26%, in our country it is probably over 30%, given lower salaries and more frequent career breaks. Younger generations in Bulgaria have the opportunity to start "from scratch, but smarter". Fintech companies, voluntary funds and ETF investments are opening the way to a new type of financial behavior - automatic, long-term, without intermediaries. If the state implements automatic inclusion (auto-enrolment) in private schemes, even with a minimum contribution of 5% of income, the retirement readiness of the next generation could double. There is another key change: working in old age is no longer an exception, but a trend. In Bulgaria, nearly 18% of people over 65 continue to work, mainly out of necessity, but gradually also out of opportunity. Extending working life by 2 years would increase financial readiness for retirement by about 15%, according to Vanguard calculations. The European Commission is already warning: over the next 40 years, replacement rates will decrease. This means that future retirees will receive a lower percentage of their final income, even with stable contributions. In countries like Bulgaria, this would deepen inequalities.

Investments in alternative assets are expected to reach $32 trillion by 2030, driven largely by growth among wealthy investors, according to a report from Preqin, cited by CNBC. Total assets under management in alternative investments — including private equity, hedge funds, real estate, venture capital, infrastructure, natural resources and private credit — are forecast to grow 60% over the next five years, according to the private markets research firm. A resurgence in IPOs and mergers, falling interest rates and the artificial intelligence boom will fuel a new cycle of growth in private markets, the report said. Assets in private credit are expected to double to $4.5 trillion by 2030. Although deal activity and exits are starting to pick up, fundraising from institutional investors continues to fall due to a lack of allocations and poor performance at many funds. Total private equity fundraising has collapsed from a peak of $676 billion in 2023 to below $500 billion this year, the report said. To fuel the next wave of growth, the private equity industry is banking on wealthy investors. The report said ultra-high-net-worth individuals (generally defined as investors with $30 million or more), family offices and private wealth managers will account for at least 30% to 40% of the capital of leading funds “in future cycles.” Family offices’ allocations to private equity fell from 26% of their portfolios in 2023 to 23% in 2025, according to a Goldman Sachs study. At the same time, family offices have increased their allocations to public stocks and are focusing more on direct investments, bypassing funds and buying stakes in companies directly. With deals returning, some surveys suggest that family offices and ultra-high-net-worth investors are planning to start investing more. A BNY Wealth survey found that 55% of family offices surveyed plan to increase their allocation to private equity funds over the next 12 months — the highest percentage among all asset classes.

China's electric vehicle charging infrastructure remains strong. As of September, the number of charging stations reached 18.06 million, up 54.5% year-on-year, serving about 40 million new energy vehicles. The power output of public charging stations has reached about 200 million kilowatts, up 59.2% year-on-year, KMG said. The country is accelerating the deployment of high-power intelligent charging systems. In addition, a new three-year plan aims to reach 28 million charging stations by 2027, boosting the private sector - which already holds over 70% of the public charging market.