The second quarter of 2025 showed sustained interest from foreigners in the Spanish real estate market. According to data from the Spanish registration authority, British citizens led the way in terms of the number of properties purchased, with 1,874 transactions.
Germany came in second (1,590 transactions), followed by the Netherlands (1,558 transactions). Italy and France shared fourth place, each with 1,242 transactions.
The top ten also included:
Belgium — 1,209 transactions
Poland — 1,085 transactions
Ukraine — 772 transactions
Sweden — 637 transactions
Russia — 420 transactions
The list of top countries is rounded out by buyers from the US and Ireland, with 393 transactions each.
Experts note that the UK’s high ranking is traditionally linked to British buyers’ interest in the Costa Blanca and Costa del Sol, while the growth in activity in the Netherlands and Poland is due to the favorable economic situation and a desire to diversify investments.
Ukrainians remain interested in the Spanish market, ranking eighth in terms of the number of transactions in the second quarter of this year. Ukrainian citizens are consistently among the top 10 buyers of apartments and houses in Spain.
According to official data from the Spanish Ministry of Inclusion, Social Protection, and Migration, since the start of the war, temporary protection status has been granted to 236,570 people with Ukrainian passports.
This makes Spain the fourth country in the EU in terms of the number of temporary permits issued, accounting for about 5% of all such statuses in the EU.
Egypt has signed an agreement with China’s Sailun Group to build a car tire plant in the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCEZ) with a total investment of $1 billion, according to a cabinet statement. The construction of the plant will take three years. The first phase is scheduled for completion in 2026.
The plant will eventually produce 10 million tires a year, Reuters quoted the government as saying.
The EZSC is a complex of six ports and four industrial zones located along or near a strategic waterway. The Egyptian government has granted the zone special legal and tax incentives. Meanwhile, the country is investing heavily in infrastructure to attract investors to the EZSC.
In July 2025, Ukrainian citizens ranked fourth among foreign buyers of real estate in Turkey, according to data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK).
Russian citizens were the leaders in terms of the number of properties purchased, with 315 transactions. In second place were Iranian citizens (152 transactions), followed by German citizens (135 transactions).
Ukrainians purchased 134 properties in July, which allowed them to take fourth place in the ranking.
Iraqi citizens closed out the top five with 120 transactions.
The top ten also included Azerbaijan (93 transactions), Kazakhstan (65 transactions), Saudi Arabia (64 transactions), Palestine (52 transactions), and China (51 transactions).
It should be noted that a month earlier, in June 2025, Ukrainian citizens ranked second in terms of the volume of housing purchases in Turkey, second only to Russians.
According to TÜİK, the Turkish real estate market continues to attract foreign buyers, but the distribution of leaders by nationality varies significantly from month to month depending on the tourist season, price fluctuations, and investment interests.
The eurozone economy grew by 0.1% in the second quarter of 2025 compared to the previous three months and by 1.4% year-on-year, according to revised data from the EU statistics office (Eurostat). The figures were in line with previous estimates and analysts’ expectations.
In January-March, the eurozone’s GDP grew faster, by 0.6% quarter-on-quarter and 1.1% year-on-year.
Ranking of eurozone countries by GDP growth in Q2 (quarter-on-quarter)
Overall, the EU economy grew by 0.2% in the second quarter and 1.5% year-on-year.
Among the largest economies in the eurozone, Germany and Italy showed a moderate decline, while France and Spain showed significant growth. The largest increase was recorded in Romania, and the largest decline was in Ireland.
This is the second estimate of the change in eurozone GDP out of three; Eurostat will present the final data on September 5.
Earlier, the information and analytical center Experts Club made a video analysis of the prospects for the Ukrainian and global economies. For more details, see the video — https://youtu.be/kQsH3lUvMKo?si=F4IOLdLuVbYmEh5P
Today, cryptocurrency markets attracted attention: Bitcoin set a new historical high, exceeding $124,000, while Ethereum approached a record level, trading near $4,780.
According to Reuters, Bitcoin reached a new all-time high of $124,002.49, driven by active institutional investment, expectations of monetary policy easing by the Federal Reserve, and favorable regulatory steps by the US administration.
Confirming this trend, MarketWatch reports that Bitcoin’s growth is supported by growing investor interest and has gone against the strengthening of the dollar, with the country taking a more loyal stance towards cryptocurrencies.
Meanwhile, Ethereum is also showing steady growth, trading at $4,780.04, approaching its record highs of 2021. According to Aldía News, Ethereum jumped from around $4,220 at the start of trading last week to highs of around $4,790, just shy of its all-time high of $4,866.
The cryptocurrency boom continues to accelerate: Bitcoin is up ~30% since the start of the year, consolidating above $124,000. Ethereum is keeping pace, almost reaching its all-time high.
Institutional investments, ETFs, favorable regulatory steps, and expectations of interest rate cuts are the main factors driving the current momentum.
The Italian government plans to restrict the presence of Chinese investors in key companies to avoid possible tensions in relations with the US, Bloomberg reports, citing informed sources.
The plans concern companies that the government considers strategic, both private and state-owned, the sources said. One of the most notable examples is Italian tire manufacturer Pirelli & C. SpA, 37% of which is owned by Chinese state-owned Sinochem International Corp.
Earlier this year, Pirelli stripped the Chinese investor of its management control after facing the threat of sales restrictions in the US, its main market. As reported, Washington has banned the import or sale in the country of connected cars that use Chinese equipment or software.
Sinochem insists that its investment in Pirelli is long-term, while Rome is considering options to pressure the Chinese investor to sell its stake, sources say.
The situation surrounding Pirelli shows the difficulties Europe faces in the new geopolitical reality. The region welcomed Chinese investors after the 2008 financial crisis, but now seeks to reduce its dependence on Beijing in order to protect strategic industries and maintain good relations with US President Donald Trump.
Among other companies from which Italy would like to oust Chinese investors is CDP Reti SpA, which controls the country’s power grids, sources say. A subsidiary of State Grid Corporation of China owns 35% of CDP Reti and has two seats on its board of directors.
Another example is power plant manufacturer Ansaldo Energia SpA. Although Shanghai Electric has already reduced its stake in the company from 0.5% to 40%, the very presence of a Chinese investor prevents the company from participating in a number of tenders and competitions in the US energy market, according to one of the sources.
In total, about 700 Italian companies have Chinese investors, but the government is mainly focused on large firms in strategic sectors, including energy, transport, technology, and finance.
