Real estate investors and developers across Europe are increasingly turning towards green bonds to help build portfolios of sustainable assets that accommodate a lower consumption of resources in the long term and have a limited impact on the environment. This trend is also clearly visible in the Central and Eastern European region, where a growing number of high-profile companies are choosing to finance their expansion plans with the help of green bonds.

The property markets of individual countries are affected by a number of external factors, so it is not evident that they are doing equally well in a small region like CEE. What are the strong and weak points of Hungary's property market compared to other countries in the region? How successfully has it weathered the COVID crisis? What will be the best development and investment opportunities in the coming period? These were the questions discussed by the international investors’ panel at the 2021 edition of Property Investment Forum in Budapest.

Etele Plaza is going to open its doors to the public at 10 AM on September 17, 2021. Budapest’s latest shopping and entertainment centre located in the immediate vicinity of Etele square, Kelenföld will offer a range of stores and services. Futureal’s €300 million development is also the first smart shopping centre in Hungary.

Shoppers are becoming increasingly conscious and are looking for easily accessible, environmentally friendly shopping centres that also have outdoor green areas, a representative survey called "The role of shopping centres in the 21th century" by Westend and Marketing Resolution found. The survey examined the customer habits of people living in Budapest and its suburbs, including how often they visited their favourite malls, what experiences they were looking for there or what products were in highest demand.

ConvergenCE closed the sale of the Árpád Center office building at the end of summer 2021. The property at the junction of Árpád Bridge and Váci Road was acquired by Investum Kft. During the transaction, ConvergenCE was represented by Cushman & Wakefield.

MNK Partners has acquired the Kodolányi János University building on Frangepán Street in Budapest on behalf of its MNK One Fund.

Wing, one of the largest real estate companies in Hungary, is launching a new office development. HOP Passage will be a part of Hungária Office Park (HOP), the complex at the former Siemens site on Hungária körút. With 32,000 sqm of Class A+ office space, this new building will meet environmental and accessibility rating criteria and will offer customisable offices looking out onto an inner garden to its tenants, with flexible terms. Preparatory work is to start in late 2021, and the new building is expected to be completed at the end of 2023.

GTC has promoted Ede Gulyás to the position of Country Head Deputy, as of August 1, the company announced. In his role, Ede will be responsible for all GTC’s operations in Hungary. His extensive experience in leasing and asset management, as well as in-depth knowledge of real estate, will help steer the company’s growth in the local market. GTC invested €264 million in Hungary, in the first six months of 2021.

As of September 2021, Tamás Sellyey has been appointed Director of Strategy and Business Development at Forestay Group, with a key role in the Group's major expansion plans. His mandate will fully cover organisational and business development processes, increasing the order book for engineering and fit-out services, as well as promoting in-house developments managed by the Group's fund management.

Gap, the American casual clothing and accessories brand, announced its entry into the Hungarian market through a franchise partnership with Ganeta Pannónia Kft. The brand will be introduced to customers through Gap-branded stores in the country, beginning with the opening of a Gap freestanding store in Etele Plaza in September 2021.