The Czech Republic will launch a new investment fund to support affordable housing, combining public and private capital with EU funding sources.

As liquidity gradually returns and pricing expectations realign, investors across CEE are reassessing where resilient income and long-term value can still be found. A session at CEE Property Forum 2025, moderated by James Fitzgerald, Director and Head of Industrial Agency at iO Partners, offered deep insights into how market dynamics have shifted over the past 18 months and what opportunities lie ahead as investors increasingly seek resilient, high-yielding assets.

The Czech commercial real estate investment market is experiencing a record-breaking year, set to reach €4.1 billion by the end of 2025, according to Savills research. To date, 69 transactions have been completed with a total volume of €4 billion, with additional deals worth tens of millions potentially closing by year-end.

Andrei Ianculescu, Head of Project & Development Services at Cushman & Wakefield Echinox, talked to Property Forum about the expansion of design and ESG advisory services, the industrial and logistics sector's growth post-Schengen, and the importance of independent project management for tenant fit-outs. Ianculescu also emphasised the potential in secondary cities and the increasing relevance of aligning projects with sustainability standards.

Trigea Real Estate Fund has completed one of Poland's largest office transactions this year with the acquisition of Wola Center in central Warsaw.

Czech investment group Star Capital Finance (SCF) has launched a new subfund SCF Crop within its qualified investor fund SCF Investment Partners Sicav. The fund will focus on retail park investments across CEE, with properties valued at their actual purchase price and a target return exceeding 10% annually.

Hubix, a Romanian real estate management and investment company, announces a €20 million investment in the development of the Abito Pipera residential project, a mixed-use complex designed for modern urban living and community.

At Balkans Property Forum 2025 in Belgrade, senior bankers, investors and developers came together to assess where capital is flowing in a market shaped by cautious optimism and selective growth. The investment and financing panel examined how asset preferences, financing conditions, regulatory capacity and ESG expectations are influencing investment decisions across Serbia and the wider region, revealing both the persistence of traditional strongholds and the gradual emergence of new priorities.

At CEE Property Forum 2025, local and cross-border investors came together in a panel moderated by Dániel Ódor MRICS, Partner at Taylor Wessing Hungary. The discussion offered not only a glimpse into current market sentiment but also probed the tides of regulatory evolution, sectoral dynamics, and strategic foresight driving CEE real estate forward.

In a video interview recorded at CEE Property Forum in Vienna, Andrei Văcaru, Head of Capital Markets CEE at iO Partners, shares his perspective on the year ahead, discussing market optimism, investor activity across the region and the company’s ongoing expansion. While the environment is changing quickly, the firm sees solid fundamentals, growing regional capital and strong momentum for a focused regional player.