Eurostat reports a slight recovery in industrial production in the euro area and the European Union in September 2025, but the data remains uncertain and suggests instability in the sector. In the euro area, production increased by 0.2% compared to August, well below the expected 0.7%, and in the EU the increase was 0.8% after a previous decline. The main contributors are the energy sector, capital goods and intermediate products. Bulgaria recorded strong growth on a monthly basis - industrial production increased by 3.3% compared to August. However, the country remains in last place in the EU in terms of annual change: in September, industry in our country contracted by 5.6% compared to the same month in 2024. This is the tenth consecutive month of decline, although the most moderate since April. Within the EU, the largest monthly growth was recorded by Denmark, Sweden and Greece, while the strongest declines were recorded in Ireland, Luxembourg and Malta. Despite slight signs of stabilization, the industrial sector in Europe remains under pressure from ongoing economic uncertainty.

The Sofia Municipal Council has decided to double the price of paid parking zones in Sofia and to significantly and scandalously expand the zones themselves, which are now also entering residential neighborhoods near the capital's Ring Road. Such a decision turns parking zones into a hidden tax for Sofia residents and does not correspond in any way to the original motives for the existence of paid parking zones - to limit the movement of cars in the city center. The municipal company "Urban Mobility Center" that serves the parking zones remains a "black hole" for the funds collected - it does not build additional parking spaces, and it is not clear what it spends them on. We expect the reaction of all state institutions that were supposed to take care of the unjustified increase in prices in connection with the adoption of the euro from January 1, 2026, and for the Sofia Municipal Council itself to take responsibility for yet another deterioration in working and living conditions in the capital.

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

There are 16 major economic centers in Bulgaria, with 80% of economic activity and three quarters of the population concentrated in them. The economic center Blagoevgrad is one of the small economies, whose growth has also been one of the lowest in recent years due to the closure of the cigarette factory, the hunger for personnel in the sewing workshops and the like. Today they rely on construction there, and some of the largest employers are public enterprises such as the Southwestern State Enterprise and the multi-profile hospital. Burgas-Nessebar is among the major economies - diverse, developed and with large investments. The processing industry is leading, followed by trade. The processing industry transforms raw materials into new products - such as food, textiles, medicines, electronics, construction materials - through processing. Among the main employers in this sector, specifically in Burgas-Nessebar - are the oil refinery, ViK-Burgas, enterprises for the production of textiles and automotive equipment. Varna-Devnya is the third largest center in our country. There they also rely on the processing industry and foreign investments, and one of the leaders in terms of revenue is a fertilizer production plant. Veliko Tarnovo is among the fastest growing economies. Enterprises for the production of ammunition and confectionery are key for the region. The core of the Zagore center consists of Stara Zagora, Kazanlak, Radnevo and Galabovo. There we find the highest labor productivity in the entire country, with the rulers being energy and coal mining - with over 45% share. The situation is similar in Kozloduy. Almost all the added value there comes from the production of electricity at the Kozloduy NPP. Kardzhali is the smallest center in the country, but on top of that it can boast of stable growth, which has managed to attract significant investments in the processing industry - this sector brings nearly 60% of the added value there. A manufacturer of rubber products and a mine for the extraction and processing of gold-bearing ores dominate the local economy. The situation in the centers of Pazardzhik and Pleven is similar. Both places rely on manufacturing, trade and healthcare – in that order. However, the share of healthcare in Pleven is the highest in the entire country – over 15%. In recent years, Pazardzhik’s economy has been growing thanks to several export-oriented industrial enterprises. Plovdiv-Maritsa-Rakovski is the second largest economy in our country. It is characterized by a strong manufacturing industry, and the growth of added value is the fastest in the country. The largest employers are the University Hospital “St. George” with 2,700 employees, a refrigerator and freezer factory with over 2,000 workers and a lead and zinc production plant with 1,500 employees. Although it cannot boast of growth in recent years, the economy of Ruse-Targovishte-Razgrad is also one of the largest. The leader in revenue there is a biodiesel plant. Sevlievo-Gabrovo is an example of a well-developed economic center - with a lot of investment and production, which can be compared to that of much larger centers such as Veliko Tarnovo and Pazardzhik. Over half of the added value is due to the processing industry, intended for export. Dominant there are manufacturers of faience, plastic products, furniture and sewing factories. Export is also key for Sliven-Yambol, as this is the center that most of all relies on agriculture, forestry and fishing - especially in the peripheral municipalities of Yambol. The leader in terms of revenue is an oil producer, and a key employer with over 5 thousand employees is a company for electrical installations for cars. Production in the Haskovo center is almost entirely aimed at the domestic market, unlike that in Shumen, which is aimed at the foreign market. An example of this is an aluminum producer, which is the local leader in terms of revenue, but also in terms of employment. Sofia-Pernik-Botevgrad. It covers 30 municipalities and is the most developed economy in our country. Leading in the capital are trade and information technology, and in the peripheral municipalities - industry, transport and logistics. Nearly half of the output of all enterprises in our country is produced here. Foreign investments are the highest, employment and wages - too, especially in the high-tech sector.

Bulgaria is strengthening its position among the economic leaders in the region, climbing to fifth place in terms of the number of companies in the Coface CEE Top 500 ranking, according to a study by global credit insurer Coface. The country now has 27 companies among the largest in Central and Eastern Europe, one more than the previous year, overtaking Slovakia. The analysis indicates that despite ongoing political instability, the Bulgarian private sector has demonstrated resilience and growth, supported by flexible cost management strategies, operational improvements and favorable market conditions. This places Bulgaria among the countries that have most successfully adapted to the dynamic economic environment in the region. The study shows that average GDP growth in the countries of the region stabilized at around 2 percent, but the total turnover of the largest companies in CEE decreased by 3.7 percent, mainly due to the contraction in the petrochemical sector. However, the average revenue of the 500 largest companies increased by 3.1 percent, indicating resilience and stability of corporate activity. Despite the positive trends, business profitability in CEE remains under pressure. The average profit margin fell from 4 percent to 3.2 percent due to rising labor and financing costs. Strong household consumption and a wave of European funds provide additional support, but external challenges – including the ongoing stagnation in Germany and increasing global trade tensions – continue to create uncertainty for the region. Poland remains the leader in Central and Eastern Europe with 178 companies in the Top 500 and over 1.2 million employees. However, its share in the ranking has slightly decreased and revenue growth has slowed, reflecting the challenges associated with the strong zloty and labor shortages. The Czech Republic improved its performance, thanks to recovering domestic demand and the beginning of monetary easing, while Romania, despite being the second largest economy, remains underrepresented in the Top 500 ranking due to ongoing structural challenges.

Three years ago, the Belgian group Solvay set itself an ambitious task - to transform the way it works in its factories, by focusing on digitalization in both production and business management. This includes the Bulgarian enterprise "Solvay Sodi" in Devnya, which produces soda ash and soda bicarbonate. For this purpose, the "Star Factory" program was developed, which lasts until 2030, and its main goal is to guarantee the competitiveness and sustainability of the company. The Bulgarian plant is already working on the program, with the first step being industrial digitalization. One of the highlights is visual management through dashboards, as well as the use of data analysis to improve production processes. The staff is also being prepared for the new way of working, undergoing various training courses. "Solvay Sodi" is part of the Solvay group, 25% of which is held by the Turkish Sisecam. Sales for 2024 are 508.7 million leva, and about 430 people are employed.

The company "dm Bulgaria" reports an increase of over 21 percent in turnover during its financial year, which ended on September 30, 2025, compared to the previous year. Thus, the chain's turnover reached 483.3 million leva, and the customers who shop in the stores of "dm Bulgaria" exceed 1.8 million per month. As of the end of September this year, there were 118 dm stores in our country, located in 45 settlements. For the period from October 2024 to the end of September 2025, the company also reported an increase in sales area - from just over 39,000 sq m to nearly 43,000 sq m. Since the spring of this year, dm has also had its first two-story store - in Blagoevgrad. The company's employees at the end of this period are 1,641, which is 11.3 percent more compared to the previous financial year. The investments made for the period amount to 13.5 million leva. The company "dm Bulgaria" is part of the group for trade in drugstore goods in Germany, Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) - dm-drogerie markt. The subgroup Austria and Central and Eastern Europe, excluding Germany and Poland, which covers a total of 12 countries in the region, including Bulgaria, reports a turnover growth for the financial year 2025 of 11.5 percent - up to 5.85 billion euros, Petrov also indicated. This turnover was realized in 1971 stores and by 29,120 employees. During the last financial year, a total of 385 million purchases were made in the twelve countries of the subgroup, which is over 30 million more compared to the previous year (8.6 percent more).

The largest energy repair company in Bulgaria and the Balkans and among the top three manufacturers of parts and pressure vessels in Europe – “Energoremont – Galabovo” AD, is starting a procedure for coverage and certification according to the American quality standard ASME. ASME is the quality standard for design and production, which is applied in North and South America, Great Britain, Southeast Asia, the Arab world and other countries with developed economies. The energy repair company in Galabovo has long been successfully developing production activities of parts, pressure vessels, construction of energy and industrial boilers for various purposes, which it manufactures mainly for the European market. The high quality of the production of “Energoremont – Galabovo” was appreciated by the industrial giant Valmet, which announced the Bulgarian company as its main supplier of pressure equipment, after over the past two years the company manufactured and supplied boilers for a number of projects of the Finnish concern in Germany, Luxembourg, Portugal and Sweden.

Over 1.3 million leva are the overdue debts of subscribers to the Water Supply and Sewerage Company (VS) in Lovech. Of these, 68.4% are from individuals. As of the end of the third quarter, total receivables from customers are 2.94 million leva, of which 2.07 million leva, or 70.5%, are from individuals, and the rest - from companies and institutions. This was announced by the executive director of "VS" AD - Lovech, Eng. Yordan Dosev. Total water losses in the internal water supply network of Lovech are slightly over 50 percent. To reduce them, the VS company continues to reconstruct parts of the network, improve management, including by completing the construction of water metering zones and pressure management, as well as improve the scope of measurement of water quantities used. Water losses from the main water supply network "Cherni Osam" on the territory of the Lovech district are between 2.4 and 2.7 m3/km per hour with a tendency to increase in recent years. In Lovech, 59 km out of a total of 104 km of the water supply network have been replaced and the replacement continues in stages. For the complete renovation and modernization of the system, additional investments and joint efforts between ViK and the owner of the infrastructure in the person of the Municipality are required. Yordan Dosev has been working at ViK AD - the city of Lovech since 2010, since the end of 2015 he has been the head of the Wastewater Treatment Plant in Lovech, and in 2025 he is the deputy executive director and from September - executive director, after the previous engineer Danail Sabevski resigned at the request of the Minister of Regional Development and Public Works Ivan Ivanov.

The Financial Supervisory Authority (FSC) has issued a temporary ban on the publication of a tender offer by Harisson Management Limited, Republic of Malta, for the purchase, through the investment intermediary ELANA Trading AD, Sofia, of 1,481,625 shares of the capital of Aroma AD, Sofia, from the remaining shareholders of the company.

Sirma Group Holding AD has opened its subsidiary Sirma FZE Dubai, marking a strategic start to its expansion in the Middle East region. The office will offer business and IT consulting, solutions for implementing artificial intelligence, software system development and cybersecurity consulting. The CEO of Sirma FZE is Yulian Maslyankov. The Middle East is becoming an environment that offers unique opportunities for companies developing AI products. The financial technology market in the UAE is expected to reach $46.67 billion by the end of 2025 and $81.55 billion by 2030. This growth is driven by the high level of digitalization, the mass penetration of AI and the strong support of regulators – including digital zones such as the Dubai International Financial Centre and the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority. Dubai holds more than 60% of the regional market share and serves as a leading innovation hub, with over 7,700 companies already operating within the DIFC. Alongside the FinTech sector, the region’s InsurTech industry is expected to reach a value of $8.5 billion by 2025, driven primarily by the digitalization of processes and healthcare. Sirma is already working with key companies in the Middle East, including Qatar Insurance Company – one of the largest insurers in the region. The company also has partnerships with international technology organizations such as Creatio. Sirma FZE will develop activities in the FinTech, InsurTech, logistics and hospitality sectors. The company will offer its own platforms, including solutions based on Sirma.AI Enterprise and Salexor CRM.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is reporting signs of stress in the US economy, with growth expected to slow in the fourth quarter from a previous forecast of 1.9 percent. One of the main reasons for this is the record-long budget paralysis, which makes it difficult to assess the country's economic performance, said today the spokeswoman Julie Kozak, quoted by Reuters. The IMF also announced that inflation in the US is on track to the target level of 2 percent, set by the Federal Reserve Board (FRB). However, the IMF warns that increased tariffs and other economic factors could create additional inflationary pressures. Although inflation expectations remain unchanged, higher prices in the country continue to burden certain social and economic groups, warns the Fund.

China is heading for its longest slowdown in consumption growth since the post-Covid recovery lost momentum more than four years ago, underscoring how hard it is for policymakers to match rhetoric about “supporting domestic demand” with real results. Sales grew just 2.8% in October from a year earlier, which would be the fifth straight month of slowdown – the longest such streak since 2021 and the weakest growth rate in more than a year. Some of the weakness in October is technical: the base for comparison from last year is high, and the month also had one fewer working day than in 2024. Industrial production is expected to grow 5.5%, down from 6.5% the previous month. The contraction in fixed asset investment is likely to have deepened to 0.8% in the first ten months of the year (up from 0.5% in January-September), and the construction sector remains in double-digit decline. Last week, trade data showed that exports fell for the first time in eight months.