Central Europe / Tech
Estonia and Latvia among first countries to use coronavirus tracing app based on Apple/Google tech
Tracings apps are intended to allow identification and fast isolating of people suspected of carrying the virus and testing of those who might have been in contact with them.
Estonian ride-hailing service Bolt raises €100mn in latest financing round
The capital injection comes in spite of Bolt suffering a severe decline in demand under lockdown. CEO Markus Villig says the long-term drivers of on-demand mobility continue to grow.
EV battery company InoBat Auto acquires site for Slovakia R&D centre
InoBat Auto says the factory will reduce EV manufacturers’ dependence on Asia and contribute to a strong European energy production and storage infrastructure.
Hungary's government rolls out new subsidy scheme for EVs, e-scooters
Price advantage of combustion engine cars to disappear after Budapest announced €141mn of subsidies for purchases of fully electric vehicles and scooters.
Estonia passes law to scrutinise telecommunication service providers for security
The law was passed as the tech-savvy Estonia is gearing up to roll out 5G services, offering unprecedented speed of data transfer but also potentially opening up new possibilities for cyber attacks or espionage.
Police detain 64-year-old Hungarian for Facebook post critical of PM Viktor Orban
Man taken into custody on suspicion of fear mongering as he claims relaxing lockdown will "send thousands to their deaths".
Hungary’s online retailers overwhelmed by upswing in new orders
The coronavirus pandemic has had a huge impact on sales as demand for food, cleaning products, vitamins, and medicines surged.
Microsoft to invest $1bn in building Poland’s “Digital Valley”
US software giant will invest $1bn over seven years to develop a data centre and associated cloud computing services for business in Poland.
Uber Eats exits all but core CEE markets
The express food delivery service will only stay in markets where it is already number one or two in terms of market share, or can see a clear path to achieving this status.
Revolut launches bank in Lithuania
Earlier this year, Revolut said it would shift the management of its payment operations from the UK capital to Ireland and Lithuania because of Brexit.