There were 8,400 residential property deals made in Hungary in May 2020, according to the latest monthly transaction estimate by real estate group Duna House. Although still 38% lower compared to last May, the monthly figure looks much healthier than in April.

Knight Frank has been present in Hungary since 2018, mostly focusing office leasing – a process that will significantly be impacted by COVID-19. Erika Lóska, Head of Office Division at Knight Frank Hungary and Colin Fitzgerald, Partner International Occupier Services at Knight Frank London talked to Property Forum about the company’s plans for Hungary and how COVID-19 could change the occupier services sector.

The competition authorities of Poland, Hungary and Serbia have all granted consent for Optimum Ventures Private Equity Fund’s takeover of a majority shareholding (61.49%) in Globe Trade Centre S.A., a Polish company trading on the Warsaw Stock Exchange and Johannesburg Stock Exchange.

The fifth, 25,053 sqm building (Building F) of the Váci Greens office complex, already having a 67% occupancy rate, has received the occupancy permit. The first tenants are going to move in in June. Located in the heart of the Váci Corridor, the hand-over of the sixth and last building of the office campus, Building E will take place in September 2020. Thus, the development of Váci Greens will be finished by Belgian developer Atenor this year.

Futureal Group has launched the construction of Corvin Innovation Campus. The office complex equipped with contactless technology will offer nearly 30,000 sqm of gross leasable area (GLA) in the immediate vicinity of Corvin Promenade in Budapest. The new-generation building is being developed under Futureal’s Stay Safe initiative designed to respond to the changing market demand due to the COVID-19 epidemic. The first phase of the building is expected to be handed over in the autumn of 2022.

With the easing of the strict governmental regulations in Budapest, NEPI Rockcastle Group, the owner of Arena Mall and Mammut Shopping and Entertainment Center is starting to get back to its usual operation. The company has introduced further safety measures in their Budapest shopping centres.

Immofinanz plans major upgrades at its myhive Haller Gardens office building in Budapest, including new services for the tenants. The owner expects demand to increase for more flexible workspace solutions and plans to alter leasing conditions accordingly.

Belgian developer Atenor has received an occupancy permit for Building A of its Aréna Business Campus complex, located on Budapest’s Hungária Boulevard.

In order to expand its investment portfolio and implement its growth strategy, Hungarian investor-developer Wing has raised €156 million (HUF 54.7 billion) within the framework of the Central Bank of Hungary’s Funding for Growth Scheme. Corporate bonds subscribed by the central bank and other institutional investors have a maturity of 10 years and a yield of 3.56 percent.

Facility management company B+N Referencia Zrt. will move into the Agora Budapest office complex, developed by HB Reavis, this autumn.