The beginning of 2026 will bring lower mortgage interest rates in Romania, both for fixed rates (over 98% of current loans) and variable rates, according to a market report by online broker Ipotecare.ro and financial consultant SVN Romania Credit & Financial Solutions.

Mirosław Bednarek, CEO of Matexi Polska has talked to Property Forum about the recent situation in the Polish residential market, the expected revival of the PRS segment and the biggest challenges in 2025.

Bogdan Doicescu, CEO, Bog’Art Holding Management, spoke to Property Forum about the company’s expansion of its public works portfolio and the significant growth potential of the construction industry in the next period.

The European Central Bank (ECB) has reduced its main interest rate from 4% to 3.75%, following Canada's rate cut earlier in the week. ECB President Christine Lagarde announced that the outlook for inflation had significantly improved, which enabled the rate cut. However, she warned that inflation would likely stay above the 2% target, averaging 2.5% in 2024 and 2.2% in 2025. The ECB remains committed to keeping its policy restrictive to achieve the inflation target. This rate cut, though anticipated, is seen as a relief for consumers and businesses, aiming to stimulate economic activity by making borrowing cheaper.

With interest rates forecasted to decrease across Europe in 2024, real estate investment activity is set to increase in Romania as well as in other countries in the region. Andrei Văcaru, Head of Capital Markets CEE at iO Partners talked to Property Forum about the movers and shakers of the Romanian investment market.

The effects of higher interest rates have yet to cause too much distress within the likes of the Prague market, says Richard Britten-Long, Chairman of the Supervisory Board at Českomoravská Nemovitostní, in an interview for Property Forum. He also talked about key market drivers, including ESG.

Today, the Governing Council of the European Central Bank decided to raise the three key ECB interest rates by 50 basis points and approved the Transmission Protection Instrument (TPI) in an effort to make sure inflation returns to its 2% target over the medium term.

Build-to-rent (PRS), industrial and offices are the asset classes that will continue to attract investments in CEE this year, although a prolonged geopolitical crisis could hamper development plans, commented speakers during Property Forum’s latest online event which aimed to provide a property investment outlook for 2022.