Reports

КQUARTERLY #8
Subscription plan KInsights

КQUARTERLY #8

September 2018
Bulgaria's business, economy and politics explained in 128 pages of quality reporting

Stories in this report

Borissov's thinning bench

GERB is unable to put forward new faces to substitute disgruntled ministers

Fast Reads

Summer of political scandals, CEZ and Nova Broadcasting Group, Crashed Company Register, Bus crash near Svoge

Boyko Borissov: Bulgaria’s crisis manager

A tragic bus crash has become a catalyst for a cabinet reshuffle and a potential government crisis

Releasing the pressure

Prime Minister Boyko Borissov attempts to defuse the build-up of discontent against his government policies by asking three ministers to resign

The competition watchdog’s actions are inconsistent

Publicis One Bulgaria CEO Nikolai Nedelchev:

THESE STRANGE BULGARIANS – INDIVIDUALISTS AND TRADITIONALISTS

At their core, Bulgarians are secularists and believe in democracy

The necessity of a strategic debate about European values

Bulgaria in the 5th wave of the European Values Study

The new game in town: normalization

Bulgarian society settles down after the tumultuous transition to democracy

The unhappiest nation becomes happier

More Bulgarians are coping better with their lives which reflects a new general attitude

Social bonds disintegrating further

Bulgarians prefer the comfort of their immediate family to the pubcil activism

Slowly, but steadily Bulgarians embrace open society values

To the surprise of some, a growing number of Bulgarians believe in open and more liberal democracy

Trust in public institutions moderately increases

People have moved from extreme opinions to more pragmatic assessment of the public authority

Democracy: the only game in town

There is a sharp drop in the number of Bulgarians who consider democracy to be a bad form of government

Bulgarians persistently mistrust institutions

Trust subsides down to a close circle of family and friends, while the public sphere is perceived as alien, unreliable, and potentially threatening

Liberalization and competition are good for the poor, and they tend to understand it

Bulgarians opt for a welfare state that is not too strong

Turbulence in Turkey is both bad and good news for Bulgaria

Bulgarian business may take a hit if the devaluation of the lira triggers a financial crisis spilling over into the real sector

Pride and pragmatism

Turkey’s homemade crisis is unlikely to lead to a fatal rupture with the West

Bulgaria’s rocky path to the euro

Sofia received a formal promise to join the euro, but it will need to follow a longer procedure in comparison with earlier applicants

Chinese investments in Bulgaria - is it all a shell game?

A look into why China is not that interested in Bulgaria as its next big foreign investment destination

The Sharing Economy of Bulgaria

Despite the government restrictions, Bulgarians prefer to use non-regulated services

GDP growth keeping pace with the flow

Bulgaria’s economic expansion has slowed down in the second quarter in parallel with the trend in Europe

EIB helps Bulgaria grow more competitive in EU market

Vazil Hudak, Vice-President of the European Investment Bank

Expect no fair play here

Bulgaria’s political establishment has demonstrated yet again that no business can be run in Bulgaria without their blessing

Borissov’s praetorians

Competition authority head Julia Nenkova is a classic example of a politically motivated appointment

Sofia has its competition

Plovdiv, Bulgaria’s second largest city, is turning into an alternative to the capital in terms of opportunities for business and tourism

Demand for business properties drops

The lack of high quality projects and rising prices cited as the principal reasons

The decade when factories grew

The business of the 100 largest Bulgarian companies has expanded by a third in 10 years, the 2018 edition of Capital Top 100 ranking shows, with production facilities being the motors of growth.

Machines and Equipment: Breaking New Records

Ideal Standard’s businesses in Sevlievo are focusing on growth after being acquired by Anchorage Capital earlier this year.

Arms: Exploding results

The rapid growth in the turnover of arms manufacturers and traders is probably nearing its end

Metallurgy: Shining bright

The high prices of non-ferrous metals, the introduction of new products and anti-dumping tariffs on steel imports produced a two-digit rise in revenue

Retail chains: Wave of new growth

On average, retail sales grew 10% for a second year in a row in 2017, while profits rose by 24%

Fuels: Loaded with new energy

Fuel price growth brings increased revenue to oil companies

Food and Beverages: Lower Revenues amid Falling Commodity Prices

Even though just three of the companies in the ranking worked at a loss, the average profitability slightly deteriorated

Pharmaceuticals: Double-digit growth once more

Drug sales are rising again, as are the revenues of the largest companies. Both indicators rise by 11%

Agriculture: Good Crop, Low Prices

Bulgaria has reached a historic record in wheat production but revenues in the sector are growing slightly

Software: The Island of Optimism

The tech sector in Bulgaria continues to grow, with the vast majority of companies reporting double-digit revenue growth.

Outsourcing: More people, growing business

Tге five largest companies in the sector expanded staff numbers by 20% in 2017 to over 10,000 people

New billion-lev deal in Bulgaria’s banking sector

DSK Bank is set to buy Societe Generale Expressbank for close to 1.0 billion levs, or 1.3 times its capital, vying for the top spot in the sector in terms of assets.

Banks pass new milestone

The banking sector is in good shape, breaking asset and profit records with the help of one-off events, mid-year data show

Sofia bourse turnover falls despite biggest IPO in decade

Turnover totaled 132.6 million euro between March 1 and August 31

How much does green energy cost?

Bulgaria has one of the highest subsidies for green energy as a percentage of GDP among the EU member states.

The words you need to know this month

Genderi. Bistrishki Tigri. Korpulenten.

Sofia by night

Bulgarian capital appeared on the map of the globetrotters

More reports

K Insights Special Report: Agriculture and Business 2023 #1

Free access
December 2023
An overview of the Bulgarian agricultural sector in 2023: tendencies, top 100 firms and a stormy future ahead

K Insights Special Report: Real estate market #3

KInsights
August 2022
Main real estate developments in Bulgaria: property prices rising amid limited supply and bountiful credit.

K Insights Special Report: The Energy Future of Bulgaria #2

KInsights
May 2022
Where is Bulgarian energy transition heading? Natural Gas, Electricity, Fuel and RES

K Insights Special Report: Bulgarian tech sector #1

KInsights
March 2022
An overview of the Bulgarian technology sector: deals, rankings, companies

KQUARTERLY #19

KInsights
October 2021
Bulgaria's business, economy and politics explained in 128 pages of quality reporting
By using this site you agree to the use of cookies to improve the experience, customize content and ads, and analyze traffic. See our cookie policy and privacy policy. OK