The residential panel at Bratislava Property Forum 2026 showed a market gradually stabilising after a period of sharp volatility, with rising costs, shifting buyer behaviour and structural imbalances continuing to shape both demand and supply. Moderated by Marián Škvarek, CEO of Realpad, the discussion brought together developers, financiers and investors to assess trends in Bratislava and regional cities, with a particular focus on affordability, the growing role of rental housing and the impact of technology and ESG on future projects.

CEE's real estate market enters the second quarter of 2026 in a mood of measured confidence. According to Property Forum's survey of nearly 200 real estate professionals from across the region, the majority expect either stable but selective deal flow or a moderate recovery in transaction activity over the next 12 months. Regional CEE investors are seen as the primary engine of dealmaking, while foreign capital is expected to return only selectively. Residential and logistics assets lead on risk-adjusted appeal, and Poland remains the undisputed long-term growth leader. Yet beneath the cautious optimism, one concern towers above all others: geopolitical tensions, cited by nearly two-thirds of respondents as the greatest threat to the market.

The golden rule of real estate – “location, location, location” – now tells only part of the investment story. Real estate is no longer a system that can be explained solely through the cost of capital and the balance between supply and demand. A new set of higher-order forces has entered the equation with full force: global geopolitics, cybersecurity, the energy transition, technological development, and the impact of nature on the long-term value of assets. These are precisely the themes around which the ULI Poland 2026 conference, “MATRIX OF REAL ESTATE,” has been built. The event will take place on 15–16 April at Fabryka Norblina in Warsaw. Property Forum is supporting the event as Media Partner.

Real estate leaders are pivoting toward agentic AI, which moves beyond simple chatbots. These systems combine autonomy, planning, and memory to execute proactive, goal-driven tasks with appropriate approvals and logging, according to a report by McKinsey & Company.

Penta Real Estate has emerged as a primary catalyst for the investment group’s performance in 2025, spearheading an international expansion that now includes major residential developments in the United Kingdom.   

The CEE-based markets recorded total transactions of approximately €11.8 billion in 2025, a 34% year-on-year increase and the strongest annual performance since 2019, according to a Cushman & Wakefield report.

Real estate investor GTC has leased over 150,000 sqm of commercial space in 2025 across 30 office complexes and six shopping centres in CEE.

Czech development and investment group Passerinvest has completed a public bond issue through Passerinvest Finance, raising the maximum possible amount of CZK 2.5 billion (€100 million). The issue was initially planned for CZK 1.5 billion (€61 million) but was increased due to strong investor demand.

At Bratislava Property Forum 2026, investors and market experts compared notes on where capital is actually moving in CEE real estate and what is still holding it back. The opening discussion, moderated by Rudolf Nemec MRICS, Partner & Head of Capital Markets at Cushman & Wakefield Slovakia, made it clear that while activity is picking up, higher financing costs, geopolitical uncertainty and stricter return expectations continue to shape how and where deals get done.

CPI Europe has reported net profit of €513.5 million for 2025 versus €133.5 million in 2024, driven by positive revaluation results of €211.8 million influenced by market trends in yields and rents in the retail sector.