The Vienna Insurance Group (VIG) reported a 10.5% increase in pre-tax profit to €531.4 million in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, partly due to significantly lower overall claims development.
According to the Reinsurance News website, citing data from the insurer, gross written premiums also increased to €8.57 billion (up 8.7%).
According to VIG, all areas of its business recorded growth, with the highest rates observed in life insurance (+32.7%) and life insurance linked to investment funds and indices (+26.4%).
Meanwhile, health insurance grew by 15.0% and motor vehicle liability insurance by 12.5%.
VIG also added that premiums in special markets grew by 19%, with Turkey (23.8%), Poland (15.2%), and the wider Central and Eastern Europe region (10.1%) being the main growth drivers, with Romania (+14.4%) and the Baltic states (+10.7%) making the largest contributions to this figure.
At the same time, insurance premiums grew by 6.7% in the Czech Republic and 5.2% in Austria.
As reported, VIG’s net combined ratio for the first half of 2025 improved to 91.9% compared to 93.3% in the first half of 2024. This is due to significantly lower costs caused by weather conditions and natural disasters during the period.
In Ukraine, VIG is represented by PJSC “IC ”Knyazha Vienna Insurance Group“, PJSC ”IC “Ukrainian Insurance Group” and PJSC “IC ”Knyazha LIFE Vienna Insurance Group”.
The Cabinet of Ministers approved a resolution that will allow internally displaced persons who lived in the temporarily occupied territories to receive assistance of up to UAH 2 million to purchase a new home, according to the Ministry of Community and Territorial Development.
“We are launching a new support mechanism that will allow thousands of Ukrainians whose homes remain in the temporarily occupied territories to purchase their own homes. This is not just about housing — it is about regaining a sense of home, stability, and security. We already have agreements with international partners for $180 million. These are the first 3,700 families who will receive payments. We continue to work to ensure that every Ukrainian family affected by Russian aggression has access to state assistance,” said Deputy Prime Minister for the Restoration of Ukraine — Minister of Community and Territorial Development Oleksiy Kuleba.
The voucher will be provided as part of the expansion of the “eReconstruction” program developed by the Ministry of Development. The amount of assistance is up to UAH 2 million per person or family. The state will issue housing vouchers — electronic documents that will be stored in the State Register of Damaged and Destroyed Property.
The voucher can be used to purchase an apartment or house (or invest in its construction); pay the first installment or repay a mortgage.
Previously, internally displaced persons whose homes remained in the temporarily occupied territories could not take advantage of existing compensation programs. This was due to the inability to inspect the housing. Now, the state offers a separate form of support that allows them to purchase new homes in safer regions.
Initially, the program will be available to IDPs who have combatant status and persons with disabilities resulting from the war.
The program will start two months after the resolution is published. From then on, applications for assistance can be submitted through the “Dія” app, and later at administrative service centers or notaries. Verification will be carried out automatically through state registries. The application review period will be no more than 30 days.
Applications will be reviewed by commissions at local government bodies or military administrations.
The program may be financed from the state budget, international aid, loans and grants from partners, as well as possible reparations from the Russian Federation in the future.
It is specified that those who have other housing in the territory controlled by Ukraine (except for those where hostilities are taking place) or have already received monetary compensation or housing from the state will not be eligible for assistance under this program. Applications from persons who are under sanctions or have criminal records will also not be considered.
The French group of companies Qair, specializing in the construction of RES facilities, will build in Moldova the country’s largest wind power plant (WPP) with a capacity of 27.5 MW, the company said. Qair has won the relevant tender in Moldova.
The report also notes that in Romania, the group has been awarded a second 50MW contract for price difference (CfD) for its 100MW Cobadin wind farm under construction in the Constanta region, and is also constructing an 8MW wind farm in Bordei-Verde, a project supported by the EU. With the wind power project in Moldova, the total capacity of the company’s wind power plants under construction will amount to 135.5 MW.
“The signing of the agreement in Moldova reflects the growing complementarity of the Moldovan and Romanian markets, which are now coordinated by a single operator. This allows Qair to optimize asset management and maximize the return on its investment in the region,” the statement said.
Qair also has 1.7 GW of wind, solar and energy storage capacity in operation or under construction in the UK, Poland, Germany and France. The group is developing a portfolio of projects totaling 34 GW in 20 countries in Europe, Latin America and Africa.
In June, Moldova’s Ministry of Energy identified 4 companies that will invest €200 million over three years to build wind and solar parks with a total capacity of 165 MW. A new round of tenders for the construction of RES with an estimated capacity of up to 173 MW is scheduled for October 2025.
The development of RES generation in Moldova will contribute to the realization of the authorities’ plans to ensure at least 30% of electricity consumption from renewable sources by 2030. In 2024, Moldova’s RES generation generated 691,000 MWh of electricity, representing 16.7% of annual consumption.
China will take measures to reduce steel output in 2025-2026, Reuters writes, citing an informed source and an official document from the ministries of industry, environment and others it has consulted. According to the document, the world’s largest steel producer will also severely limit new capacity.
“The steel industry has faced overcapacity and insufficient effective demand, resulting in a supply-demand imbalance affecting the quality and efficiency of development,” the document said.
The document does not set production reduction targets. However, it notes, such reduction will be achieved by closing obsolete and inefficient furnaces and supporting the development of advanced enterprises.
At the same time, it plans to increase the industry’s value-added by 4% per year, invest in new technologies and encourage the use of steel in housing and infrastructure construction.
Beijing will also strengthen measures to ensure stability in the cost and supply of raw materials, including iron ore and coking coal, and take steps to strengthen the management of steel exports, the document said. An informed source confirmed the authenticity of the document and said it was the latest version.
Relocation conducted an analysis of the Albanian housing market in the first half of 2025. In 2025, the market is moving towards normalization after an extremely turbulent period from 2022 to 2024. There are fewer building permits, the growth in construction costs has slowed down, prices in the capital have stabilized, and prices on the coast remain high. The share of deals involving foreigners is close to one in five for the half-year, based on the latest Bank of Albania survey (data for H2’2024), and their investments exceeded €380 million in 2024.
Building permits. In Q1 2025, 258 permits for new buildings were issued (-17% y/y). This is a sign of caution on the part of developers after record years and a factor that will restrain supply in 2025-2026 (we are awaiting data for Q2).
Construction costs. The housing construction cost index (INSTAT) rose by 1.0% y/y in Q1 2025, significantly slower than a year ago (3.4% y/y), which partially relieves price pressure from materials and labor.
Prices: capital vs. coast
According to the Bank of Albania (latest published market survey, H2’2024), about 18% of apartments sold in Albania were purchased by non-residents, of which ≈77% were EU citizens. This is an important benchmark for the first half of 2025: the share of foreigners remains significant, especially in coastal municipalities.
Mortgage loans finance a significant portion of transactions, but the share of cash purchases remains high in resort areas.
Rentals and profitability
Foreign buyers
As for forecasts, supply will grow moderately. As for prices, there will be more stable dynamics in the capital and higher seasonal volatility on the coast. Demand from non-residents will remain strong, especially in coastal locations and rental projects.
Source: http://relocation.com.ua/analysis-of-the-housing-market-in-albania-in-the-first-half-of-2025/
In the first quarter of 2025, foreigners purchased €113.5 million worth of real estate in Montenegro (-21% year-on-year), with citizens and companies from Serbia, Turkey, and the US being the largest buyers, according to data from the Central Bank of Montenegro (CBCG) published by Vijesti.
Ukrainian citizens ranked 11th, along with buyers from Poland and the Czech Republic.
Ranking of countries by purchase volume, Q1’2025
Outside the top ten, Ukraine, Poland, and the Czech Republic are in 11th place (€2.3 million each), followed by Bosnia and Herzegovina (€1.9 million), Canada, and France (€1.4 million each). The geography of the deals covers buyers “from five continents,” the source notes.
According to CBCG, in January-March 2025, the total inflow of FDI into Montenegro amounted to €211 million, of which 54% was accounted for by real estate purchases. Other forms of FDI (investments in companies/banks, intra-group loans) declined. Monstat records a steady increase in prices for new buildings: the average price exceeded €2,000/m²; the coastal region remains the most expensive.
The rating is based on the value of transactions concluded in Q1’2025 according to official statistics from the Central Bank of Montenegro (CBCG) published in Vijesti; the countries and amounts are given in euros. The final annual results are usually published by the CBCG in consolidated reports.
Source: https://t.me/relocationrs/1340
