M7 Real Estate has acquired a modern, multi-tenanted office property in Budapest, Hungary, for €12.35 million. The company has also agreed a €56.7 million loan facility on a five-year term for the Fund with Erste Group, one of the largest financial services providers in Central and Eastern Europe, establishing a new banking relationship in the region.

Local developer Crestyl, through its subsidiary Savarin p.l.c., is issuing five-year zero-coupon bonds with a total nominal value of €84 million (CZK 2.2 billion) this week, with the possibility of increasing to CZK 3.3 billion. The purpose of the issue is to finance the Savarin project, which is being developed in the vicinity of Prague's Wenceslas Square and Na Příkopě Street. The multi-purpose complex also includes space for the installation of Alfons Mucha’s Slav Epic. The issue was prepared by J&T Banka and the bonds are also traded on the regulated market of the Prague Stock Exchange.

On 3 December 2020, GTC’s subsidiary, GTC Real Estate Development Hungary Zrt., issued 792 pieces of senior unsecured bonds, with the nominal value of HUF 50 million each and the total value of HUF 39.6 billion (approximately €110 million). The bonds will be fully guaranteed by GTC S.A.

CTP has successfully issued its second green bond for €400 million, following the company’s inaugural €650 million issue in October. The proceeds from both bond sales will be used to finance a portfolio of eligible green assets. CTP maintains a strong commitment to sustainability and targets carbon-neutral operations by end-2021.

Echo Investment has gained a loan for the construction of three office buildings included in the multifunctional Fuzja project in Łódź. Bank Pekao S.A. provided financing for the investment.

CTP has changed the structure of its finance department. The company is responding to the success of CTP B.V.’s debut green bonds issue and the shift towards bonds as a means of financing of the CTP Group. A new position of CTP Group Treasurer has therefore been created. The position has been taken up by Zdeněk Raus.

Seven experts discussed investment and financing strategies for the new normal at the online edition of Prague Property Forum 2020. How has the investment market changed in the last 6-8 months? What major changes have been observed in investment and financing preferences? We summarised the highlights of the discussion, moderated by Luke Dawson (Colliers International).

A German rating agency Scope Ratings has assigned a first-time issuer rating of BBB-/Stable to Globe Trade Centre S.A. and its subsidiary GTC Real Estate Development Hungary Zrt. GTC Group also announces green bonds issuance within the framework of the Bond Funding for Growth Scheme launched by the National Bank of Hungary. The senior unsecured debt rating is BBB-. The outlook on the ratings is stable.

Mitiska REIM has secured a €33 million senior debt facility with Erste Group Bank AG for four Romanian retail parks, representing a combined gross leasable area (GLA) of 30,500 sqm.

How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the property investment market in Romania? What are the biggest challenges companies face these days? Is the wait and see period really over in Romania? Four experts tried to answer these questions and more at SEE Property Forum 2020, a hybrid event organised by Property Forum and RICS. We summarised the highlights of the discussion, moderated by Codrin Matei (Crosspoint Real Estate).