Luxembourg-based OCSiAl, a global leader in the production of graphene nanotubes, continues to develop its first European production facility in Serbia. Based on official company data and information from the investment community, Serbian Economist presents the latest news about the company and its development.
This unique plant is located in Stara Pazova, northwest of Belgrade, on an area of approximately 10,000 m², equipped with nanotube synthesis lines, dispersion and concentrate production facilities, a research center, and quality control laboratories.
The facility’s current annual production capacity is 60 tons of nanotubes, with plans to double that to 120 tons by the end of this year. The plant already provides jobs for more than 200 employees, including engineers, operators, and application specialists. The €40 million project is the largest investment from Luxembourg in Serbia.
OCSiAl emphasizes the logistical advantages of the location, which allows it to supply nanotubes to Europe, Asia, and the US and strengthen the sustainability of the global supply chain.
OCSiAl plans to double production by launching a second synthesis line as early as 2026 and retains the option to rapidly scale up this modular complex.
Nanotubes manufactured under the TUBALL™ brand are used in batteries, coatings, and composites.
South African businessman Errol Musk, father of billionaire Elon Musk, made an exploratory visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia, assessing the region’s potential for establishing an Institute for Gravitational and Space-Time Research, which would focus on gravity, space-time, terraforming, and longevity, Reuters reports.
Musk had previously considered Dubai as a potential location but abandoned the idea after friends from the Balkans persuaded him to personally evaluate the potential of Serbia and Bosnia.
He stated that he was pleasantly surprised by the level of infrastructure, business environment, and accessibility, noting: “the economy, the behavior of people… it’s idyllic.”
Representatives of the Chamber of Commerce of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina presented him with an educated workforce and economic potential and offered facilities for the future institute.
Errol Musk visited Serbia and Austria as part of a preliminary regional assessment and expressed confidence that the Balkans represent a more economical and efficient solution than Dubai.
Musk envisions the institute as a privately-run platform, independent of governments, attracting professionals “not under ideological pressure” and interested in radical scientific research. The proposed research areas include gravity, space-time, nuclear fusion, and longevity — topics that go beyond conventional academic science.
Although no final decision has been made, Bosnia and Serbia are being considered by Errol Musk as more cost-effective locations with better human resources than the alternatives.
The US has postponed sanctions against Serbian oil company NIS for the last time: a key company could be at risk
The United States has postponed for the fifth and final time the imposition of sanctions against Serbian oil company Naftna Industrija Srbije (NIS), which is controlled by Russia’s Gazprom. According to Reuters, the new exemption from the sanctions list has been extended until the end of August. No further extension is planned after that.
Serbian Energy Minister Dubravka Čedović Handanović said that Belgrade wants to keep oil supplies stable and called “the exclusion of NIS from OFAC sanctions a priority.” She said that dialogue between the US and Russia remains an important condition for this.
NIS is a strategically important company for the Serbian economy. It operates the country’s only oil refinery in Pančevo (near Belgrade), as well as the largest network of gas stations and logistics infrastructure in the fuel sector.
According to the ownership structure:
• 44.9% of NIS shares are owned by Gazprom Neft (Russia),
• 11.3% by Gazprom,
• 29.9% by the Serbian government,
• the rest by minority investors.
It was Russian control over the majority of shares that led to NIS being sanctioned by the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). Initially, the company was to be completely blocked in January 2025, but since then it has received four temporary licenses to continue operations.
In July 2025, NIS applied for a temporary license for the fifth time and received it for one month, until the end of August. During this period, Gazprom Neft was again reminded of the requirement to withdraw from the Serbian company’s shareholders.
Analysts note that if the sanctions are imposed in full, this could destabilize the fuel market in Serbia, create logistical disruptions, and cause oil prices to rise.
An alternative could be a transfer of control from Russian shareholders to European or Middle Eastern investors, but negotiations on this issue have not yet been officially confirmed.
NIS is a leader in the Serbian petroleum products market and is actively developing its operations in Romania, Bulgaria, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The company is also involved in oil and gas exploration and production, lubricant manufacturing, and power generation.
Source: https://t.me/relocationrs/1228
Serbia has decided to repatriate all its gold reserves stored abroad and transfer them to the territory of the country. This is reported by Bloomberg agency, citing sources in financial circles. The total value of assets is estimated at about 6 billion dollars at current market prices.
According to the agency, Serbia will be the first country in Eastern Europe to decide on the full return of physical gold reserves from such traditional depositories as Great Britain, Switzerland and the United States.
The decision comes amid increasing geopolitical instability, inflationary pressures and uncertainty in global markets. Serbian authorities view the physical placement of gold domestically as an additional guarantee of liquidity and sovereignty, especially in case of emergency economic or currency shocks.
As of mid-2025, Serbia’s foreign exchange reserves total approximately EUR 25.3 billion, of which:
– more than 40 tons of gold (equivalent to about EUR 2.7 billion),
– the rest are foreign currency assets, including euros, dollars and SDRs (IMF Special Drawing Rights).
Traditionally, a significant portion of Serbian gold reserves has been held at the Bank of England in London, one of the world’s largest repositories of precious metals. This bank serves more than 30 nations, including the Netherlands, Germany, Hungary and others, which have also undertaken partial gold refunds over the years.
The reasons for the return are explained by several key considerations:
– Guarantee of physical control – in the face of possible international sanctions, geopolitical risks or asset blockages.
– Precedents for blockages – including the UK’s refusal to transfer gold to Venezuela, which heightened anxiety among developing countries.
– Strengthening macro-financial resilience – physical gold domestically is seen as a tool to stabilize national currencies in the event of crises.
Gold repatriation is a global trend in recent years. Such steps have been taken by:
– Germany – returned more than 300 tons of gold from Paris and New York;
– Hungary – tripled its gold reserves and transported them to the country;
– Turkey – repatriated the entire volume of gold from the US in 2018.
Serbia’s decision to return gold to its territory is not only a financially logical move, but also a political signal reflecting the growing role of sovereignty and autonomy in the management of state assets. Against the backdrop of global fragmentation of economic blocs and sanctions risks, even small economies are seeking to minimize external dependence, especially in matters related to key reserves.
https://t.me/relocationrs/1208
In the Serbian capital of Belgrade, police detained two men and confiscated about 20 kg of cocaine — the largest such shipment ever seized in the city.
According to Interior Minister Ivica Dačić, following a joint operation by the Criminal Police Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Belgrade High Prosecutor’s Office, the arrest took place during the transfer of the drugs. The convicted men are M.N. (41) and S.J. (24). They have been charged with “illegal production and trafficking of narcotic drugs.” The detainees will remain in custody until the case is brought to court.
According to EMCDDA and UNODC data, cocaine retails in Western and Central European countries for an average of €40-60 per gram, depending on purity and region. In some countries, the price can reach €100-120 per gram.
If sold at retail, the confiscated shipment could have been worth up to €1,200,000.
China’s MINTH Holdings Limited is investing 950 million euros in the construction of new production facilities for the automotive industry in Leskovec and Cuprija, the office of Leskovec Mayor Goran Cvetanovic said today.
The first phase of the project in Leskovec is expected to create 1,000 jobs, and the entire investment cycle is expected to last five years, Beta reports.
The Memorandum of Understanding was signed the day before at the Serbian Government building by the Mayor of Leskovec Goran Cvetanovic, the Minister of Economy Adriana Mesarovic and representatives of MINTH.
MINTH Holdings was founded in 1992 in China and is headquartered in Ningbo.
MINTH is one of the world’s top 100 auto component manufacturers and supplies products to leading automakers: BMW, Mercedes-Benz, VW Group, Tesla, Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Ford, etc.
The company specializes in the production of aluminum, plastic and composite body parts, trim panels, frames, roofs and interior parts. It has plants in China, the USA, Mexico, Germany, Thailand and, since 2018, in Serbia (Loznica).
MINTH is already active in Serbia, producing components for the world’s leading automakers. The new investment confirms the strengthening of industrial cooperation between Serbia and China in the field of high-tech production.
Why Serbia?
– Geographical advantage: Serbia is located at the crossroads of supply between the EU and Asia, making it a logistically convenient base.
– Duty-free access to the EU, EFTA, Turkey and EAEU markets under a number of agreements.
– Low costs: labor costs are lower than in Eastern Europe and Turkey.
– Stable investment cooperation with China: including the One Belt, One Road initiative and Serbia’s participation in the China-Central and Eastern Europe (17+1) format.
The importance of the project for Serbia
– Employment growth in southern Serbia, a region with traditionally high unemployment.
– Diversification of industry with a focus on high-tech production.
– Deepening Chinese presence in the economy – not only infrastructure, but also the real sector.
– Industrial transformation of Leskovets, which was historically a textile center but has lost industrial momentum in recent years.
Risks and challenges
– Dependence on one large investor at the regional level
– Possible dominance of China in strategic sectors, including through subsidies and tax preferences
– The need to ensure infrastructure readiness (electricity, water, roads), which will require efforts from local authorities and the state budget
The MINTH project is not just a local plant, but a strategic element in the supply chain of the global automotive industry. For Serbia, this is an opportunity to strengthen its position on the industrial map of Europe and grow from a subcontractor territory into a European production hub.
Source: https://t.me/relocationrs/1198
