Results from the INREV Quarterly Index for the first quarter of 2020 reveal initial signs of the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the European real estate industry, with the lowest quarterly performance since Q4 2012.

According to Savills, the average spread between prime industrial and prime shopping centre yields across mainland Europe has converged for the first time in its historic series as demand for logistics and soars as a result of increased levels in e-commerce.

Warsaw is among the top 10 European cities for the fintech sector. According to Savills, which prepared the ranking, the COVID-19 pandemic is accelerating the digitalisation of the banking sector and Poland provides a favourable environment for fintechs to expand.

The European construction industry will be hit hard by the COVID-19 crisis, according to Euroconstruct's latest forecast for 19 European member states.

Reduced output in March & May in the automotive sector could change the typical activity curve in 2020, with busier summer months ahead to make up for lost time. Colliers International has just launched its recent research piece in which e it discusses the importance of particular months for the manufacturing sector in the EMEA region as well as presents the outlook for the coming months.

Global investment firm KKR and Franek Sodzawiczny, a leading data centre entrepreneur and executive, announced the formation of Global Technical Realty, a build-to-suit and roll-up acquisition data centre platform in Europe.

European real estate investment activity is set to plummet by 50% before rebounding sharply within the next 12 months, according to Savills, who predicts that neither the speed or the depth of the crash will be as bad as the global financial crisis when volumes across the continent plunged by 72% between 2007-2009.

TTB Partners, a Hong Kong-based investment and advisory firm, announced the acquisition of a minority stake in M7 Real Estate.  The investment is the latest step in a wider collaboration between the two companies, as they seek to capitalize on the continued appetite from Asian investors for European real estate.  TTB will utilize its own network of contacts in the region to access new capital pools looking to invest in the UK and pan-European real estate, either through joint ventures or through investment funds.

The share of flexible office space take-up across Europe decreased in the first quarter of 2020 to reach 5% from 9.5% at the end of 2019. The sector has expanded exponentially from 2017-2019, and is reaching maturity, as large providers become less expansionary.

Romanian proptech start-up Bright Spaces, which develops a complete digital platform for showcasing and offering for office buildings and spaces, has been selected to join proptech accelerator Pi Labs in the United Kingdom. Pi Labs is the first venture capital firm in Europe to invest exclusively in proptech start-ups and Europe's most active investor in the field. Bright Spaces was chosen, along with 4 other European start-ups, out of a total of over 600 registered teams. The Romanian startup will enter a 15-week intensive program, with the objective of developing the product and scaling the company to the size and needs of the European office market.