Slovakia could have another carmaker on its already soil. Chinese Zhi Dou, a producer of electric cars, has narrowed down its choice on where to build a European factory to Slovakia or Romania, the daily Hospodarske noviny reported on April 24.
For Slovakia, the entry of another carmaker would be significant especially for two reasons: the factory would be in eastern Slovakia – in the regional capital Kosice – which is still economically underdeveloped; the entry of an electric carmaker would diversify the industry but not address the Slovak dependency on it.
Romania, meanwhile, has the upper hand in terms of offering subsidies, which can reach up to 50% of the investment. Slovakia offers up to 35%. Zhi Dou could also save on labour costs there, as in Slovakia falling unemployment is pushing wages up significantly.
Slovakia is the top car producer worldwide in per capita terms, which could also be a positive factor in the Chinese company's decision-making.
Another possible carmaker on Slovak market is German luxury carmaker BMW, long rumoured to be considering a move to the central European country. Company spokesperson Sandra Schillmoller said BMW is looking to build a new factory and further expansion can’t be ruled out.
The largest bank in Moldova, Moldova Agroind Bank (main), announced it is postponing its plan to list on the Bucharest Stock Exchange (BVB) because certain provisions in Moldovan legislation make the ... more
Banca Transilvania, the leading financial group in Romania by assets, has reportedly reached the stage of agreeing technical and legal details for the takeover of BRD Pensii division from BRD-SocGen, ... more
Romania’s largest financial group by assets, Banca Transilvania (BVB: TLV), announced that it had signed a contract ... more