Southeast Europe / Tech
North Macedonia's streaming platform Gley launches IPO on Skopje stock exchange
Funds raised to be directed toward original content production and expanding Gley’s catalogue of children’s and international programming.
Crypto token launched in Kyrgyzstan by Moldovan oligarch facilitates sanctions-dodging billions for Russia, says report
“A7A5” said to be first stablecoin pegged to ruble. Russian defence sector bank also behind it.
TikTok access reportedly restored in Albania three months after ban
No formal announcement of end to year-long TikTok ban but users across the country report full access to the platform.
Iranian hacker group reportedly behind Albania cyber attack
Iranian hacker group Homeland Justice has repeatedly threatened Albania which hosts the Iranian opposition group Mujahideen-e-Khalq.
Croatia’s Hrvatski Telekom launches 5G smart airport project to handle rising tourist traffic
Passenger numbers are rising, with Zagreb alone handling over 4.3mn people in 2024, increasing the need for smart, connected infrastructure, Croatian telco said.
How Turkey became a fintech operator in Spain and Pakistan by seizing unicorn enterprise Papara
State trustee appointed to Turkish firm that owns Madrid-based neobank Rebellion Pay and reportedly took over Pakistani operator SadaPay.
EU taps Bulgarian drone startup Dronamics for up to €30mn investment
Dronamics has become one of the most high-profile EU-based aerospace startups.
Deloitte EMEA Fast 500 Technology ranking brims with Turkish, CEE and SEE startups
Top entry from Turkey is Novi Robot, a maker of automation systems for manufacturing plants.
Bulgaria's EnduroSat raises €43mn to scale modular satellite production and expand global operations
Company to build one of Europe's largest space R&D facilities in Sofia, as it grows operations across Europe and the US.
Croatia to launch AI development plan as minister warns of major job market shifts
Digital Transformation Minister Damir Habijan says AI will transform Croatia's labour market in the coming years, eliminating millions of existing jobs while creating entirely new ones.
Bulgaria opens EU’s largest battery energy storage facility
Energy Minister Zhecho Stankov says facility is “first step” towards Bulgaria's ambition of reaching 10,000 MWh of operating battery capacity.
M360 GSMA Eurasia event spotlights rich promise of mobile tech, 5G and AI
Mobile technologies and services said to have generated 7.7%, or $220bn, of GDP across region last year.
Data centre power use expected to increase 20-fold in next five years
The first data centres consumed as much power as 20,000 homes, but the largest today use the same amount of power as100,000 homes, and are on track to burn up 5mn households' worth of power by 2030 – the same amount of power that Japan consumes.
Sirma to aim for dual listing on Sofia and Frankfurt bourses
If successful, Sirma's dual listing will be the second for a Bulgarian company after Shelly Group started trading on the Frankfurt bourse in 2024.
X blocks jailed Imamoglu’s account in Turkey
Opposition leader says move is "digital pillar" of coup mounted by regime to stop Turks electing president they want.
Bulgaria’s Shelly Group expands to Poland
IoT company picks Warsaw for regional expansion after announcing decision to exit the US.
Uber to pay $700mn for 85% stake in Turkey delivery unit of Alibaba’s Trendyol
Trendyol GO delivered 200mn+ orders in 2024 and generated $2bn in gross bookings.
Turkish unicorn Dream Games raises $2.5bn in private equity round at $5bn valuation
Games developer's Royal Match ranked third in the world for the most in-app purchases in 2024, generating $1.4bn in revenues.
Fund III of Turkey’s largest tech venture capital outfit Revo raises $86mn
Focus on fintech maintained. Bigger roles for B2B SaaS, cybersecurity and health technology, and energy and gaming introduced as dedicated verticals.
Western Balkan states increase use of surveillance, censorship to suppress opponents
Use of biometric surveillance and facial recognition technologies is expanding rapidly across the Balkans, according to a new BIRN report.