UniCredit launches "UniCredit for CEE 2025", an umbrella, integrative framework with concrete financial solutions for account management and advice throughout Europe's Central and Eastern region, aimed at helping micro-enterprises and small businesses in the region to increase their productivity and competitiveness and to develop sustainable business models, through innovation and technology adoption.According to a press release sent on Tuesday, in partnership with more than 20 international and local institutions and authorities, more than 9,000 small businesses in CEE can receive financing of 2.3 billion euros within the "UniCredit for CEE 2025" initiative.The advantages for clients include lower guarantee requirements, tangible benefits regarding the cost of financing, special account management conditions, mentoring, ESG advisory programs and much more, the bank states.The initiative was announced during the Forum of Central and Eastern Europe, the emblematic event that annually brings together over 2000 investors, banks, intermediaries and top decision-makers from over 45 countries in Vienna.During the CEE Forum, Teodora Petkova, Head of Central Europe and Eastern Europe, UniCredit, pointed out that the recent report "The Future of European Competitiveness: A Competitiveness Strategy for Europe" highlighted how Europe is lagging behind the U.S. and China in terms of it concerns innovation and productivity.Through UniCredit for CEE 2024, the bank offered more accessible financing with international and local partners in the whole of Central and Eastern Europe in the amount of over 2 billion euros for more than 8300 micro and small company clients.UniCredit macroeconomists point out that the region benefits from strong flows of FDI (foreign direct investment) and there is the prospect of their continued growth in the future, as supply chains shorten.The lower productivity of CEE SMEs compared to larger enterprises can be offset by improved access to finance.UniCredit is a pan-European commercial bank with a service offering in Italy, Germany and Central and Eastern Europe.
The Romanian software company Life is Hard, listed on the Bucharest Stock Exchange under the ticker LIH, announced a strategic investment of EUR 250,000 in RepsMate, a deep-tech startup, on Friday, May 23. RepsMate specializes in conversational AI and the intelligent automation of company-customer interactions. The investment reinforces the growth in LIH’s ENGINE division, which […]
An autonomous, driverless bus was tested on Thursday, May 22, in Cluj-Napoca during the International Summit for Climate Neutrality, held under the slogan "Carbon OFF. Future ON,” to demonstrate the integration of modern technology into public transport. The bus performed a demonstration tour on a short route, starting from the Radisson hotel, crossing George Coșbuc […]
Romania’s national railway company CFR Călători announced on Thursday, May 22, that it will provide a daily direct connection from Bucharest to Varna starting June 13, and to Sofia and Istanbul/Halkali starting June 14. According to the cited source, the train will run on the new route from June 13 to October 13, 2025, and […]
Romanian filmmaker Bogdan Mureșanu will premiere his first animated short film, Magicianul/The Magician, at the prestigious Annecy International Animation Film Festival, taking place in France from June 8 to 14. The film, written, directed, and produced by Mureșanu, is the only Romanian title selected in the official competition, which features 35 productions...
US general Ben Hodges, the former head of the United States Army in Europe, said on Thursday, May 22, that if Russia attacks NATO, it will first bomb Romania’s port of Constanța and civilian targets. Hodges spoke in an interview about the possibility of reducing American troops in Europe, and implicitly in Romania. He added […]
Romania's national women’s handball team faces an uphill battle against Denmark, Japan, and Croatia in the group stage at the 2025 World Championship. The teams were selected on Thursday, May 22, at the Noordbrabants Museum in 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands. Romania was part of the second seeding pot at the draw for the groups of the 27th edition […]
