In a video interview recorded at CEE Property Forum 2025 in Vienna, Günther Artner, Head of Group Commercial Real Estate at Erste Group, reflects on the main banking challenges of 2025, the strategic acquisition of Santander Bank Polska and why he expects another active year for real estate financing across the region.

LCP Poland, part of M Core, has signed a €40 million loan agreement with Erste Group Bank AG for the refinancing of the Emka Koszalin shopping centre, the company announced on LinkedIn.

The real estate fund Reico, part of the Austrian group Erste, is acquiring the Palladium Prague shopping centre. The Office for the Protection of Economic Competition has been assessing the transaction, reports E15.cz.

HB Reavis has completed a €510 million refinancing of Varso Place, its flagship Warsaw development, with two new banks joining the credit consortium. The financing increased by €35 million from the previous €475 million loan on improved terms.

Nepi Rockcastle successfully issued a €500 million green bond that was eightfold oversubscribed, with an orderbook exceeding €4 billion from over 200 international investors.

Property developer Prime Kapital has secured an €85.5 million refinancing facility from Erste Group for Argeș Mall, which opened in April 2024.

Erste Group Bank AG has provided a €85.5 million refinancing facility for Argeş Mall in Piteşti, developed by Prime Kapital.

The Slovak commercial real estate market experienced a record-breaking first half of 2025, with investment volumes exceeding €500 million. This figure surpasses the total transaction volume recorded in the entire year of 2024, confirms Cushman & Wakefield.

Panattoni has secured financing for the construction of the third and final hall at Panattoni Park Warsaw West. The €10.2 million loan was granted by Erste Group Bank AG.

Erste Group Bank AG and Banco Santander S.A. announced that they have entered into an agreement for Erste Group to acquire a 49% stake in Santander Bank Polska Group S.A. for PLN 584 per share (approximately €6.8 billion) and a 50% stake in Santander Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych S.A. for approximately €0.2 billion from Santander Group. Together, this amounts to a total cash consideration of €7.0 billion.