Over the past year, leasing activity in the industrial real estate market in Slovakia has slowed with demand shifts in the automotive, retail and e-commerce sectors. The starting point for insights into logistics trends at Bratislava Property Forum 2025 has been well set taking the discussion further touching the risks, opportunities, new construction law and adaptability.

During a geopolitically turbulent period, the core capital is usually focusing on the domestic market. However, CEE investors do not hesitate to seek opportunities in neighbouring markets, bearing in mind the importance of diversification and the need for strategic partnerships to manage risks and maximise returns. These strategies and challenges have been discussed at Bratislava Property Forum 2025 in the panel focused on commercial real estate, chaired by Rudolf Nemec MRICS, Partner & Head of Capital Markets at Cushman & Wakefield Slovakia.

The residential market remains a solid pillar of the real estate development business in Slovakia. However, as the discussion at Bratislava Property Forum 2025 revealed, it is rather sensitive to inflation, changes in interest rates, and government policies impacting affordability and the potential of alternative residential models.

Development financing in Slovakia has been challenging recently because of banks‘ high equity requirements and stringent pre-lease/pre-sale conditions, revealed panellists during a discussion at Bratislava Property Forum 2025 about property financing. On the good side, interest rates are expected to remain stable, with Slovakia's financing costs closer to Western Europe than Southern markets.