According to the latest information, the export of ICT services in the first 11 months of 2024 has already exceeded the total export of ICT services for the record-setting year of 2023, when it amounted to EUR 3.44 billion. The director of the Office for IT and eGovernment, Mihailo Jovanovic, specified that the total export of ICT services for the period January-November 2024 had amounted to EUR 3.712 billion, a growth of 20% compared to the same period in 2023.
The hope of Serbia’s economy, IT, seems to be growing faster than other sectors, and the year 2024 was full of significant projects, investments and innovations in Serbia and the region.
Among the most read news on the eKapija portal was information about potential big acquisitions, the development of infrastructure, innovative projects in the field of artificial intelligence and renewable energy sources, as well as new opportunities for investors through tokenization.
From the potential purchase of a regional telecom leader United Group by the Czech PPF Group, to the construction of the first science-technology parks in cities such as Cacak, Nis and Krusevac, this overview brings the key trends and events that are shaping the future of the industry. There are also projects such as the expansion of the Innovation Business Center on Zlatibor and the construction of an artificial intelligence development center in New Belgrade, which points to a strong focus on digital technologies and adaptation to the needs of modern companies and experts.
Below, we bring you the list of the ten investments in the field of telecommunications and IT which drew the most interest from our readers.
1. PPF wants to buy United Group
PPF, the biggest Czech private financial group, is interested in more acquisitions in Southeastern Europe, potentially including the regional telecom assets of Netherland-headquartered United Group, controlled by BC Partners private equity fund and Serbian billionaire Dragan Solak, Reuters reported in November.
As the Vreme weekly wrote in March, the investment fund BC Partners has initiated the process of the sale of the majority stake in United Group. When the group’s CEO was asked to comment, neither confirmation nor denial was given.
United Group, which has annual revenue of EUR 2.9 billion, says it is the leading multi-play telecoms, cable and media provider in South East Europe. It operates mainly in Serbia, Slovenia, Montenegro, Bosnia, Croatia, Bulgaria and Greece, reports the media house bne IntelliNews.
PPF Group sold more than 50% of the shares of its companies in Serbia, Bulgaria, Hungary and Slovakia, among which is the telecommunications operator Yettel, to Emirates Telecommunication Group Company (“e&”) from Abu Dhabi. The transaction is worth EUR 2.15 billion.
2. Artificial intelligence development center in New Belgrade
In March, it was announced that, in New Belgrade, the plan was to build the Center for Development of Advanced Digital Technology and Artificial Intelligence. The center is planned within the residential-office complex along Dr Ivana Ribara Street, as can be seen from the urban plan which the City of Belgrade put up for public presentation.
The investor is the Belgrade-based company NBGEXPO doo which purchases and sells own real estate, and according to the data of the Serbian Business Registers Agency, its majority owner is the concern Srboexport doo Obrenovac.
According to the project with the preliminary design which was prepared by Urbanistiq doo Beograd, within the cadaster parcel 6970 in New Belgrade, the plan is to build an office facility and a residential-office facility. The complex will also have two underground levels for garage space.
3. First solar power plant tokenization in Serbia
After the Securities Commission approved the first project of the tokenization of a solar power plant in Serbia at the end of October, several days ago, the sale of AVR Solar tokens, issued by AVR Solar Park, officially began, announced the first cryptocurrency exchange office in Serbia – ECD.
As announced earlier, AVR Solar Park from Belgrade has received approval for the issuing of 7,250 digital tokens with an individual value of EUR 100. The collected funds will be put into the expansion of the existing solar power plant – the procurement of new panels and the accompanying equipment.
– With this project, Serbia is making an important step forward in combining renewable energy sources and modern financial instruments – announced the Securities Commission in October. It noted that interested investors could learn about all the aspects of the project and the potential risks in detail through the published White Paper, which provides all the necessary information for making an informed investment decision.
4. Serbian-Chinese Industrial Park Mihajlo Pupin
The construction of the Serbian-Chinese Industrial Park Mihajlo Pupin in Borca, a project which is jointly realized by the Government of Serbia and China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), after they got, in a summary procedure, the green light from the Commission for Protection of Competition to jointly found a limited-liability company, has been announced by the highest state authorities for years.
After a long period during which the project was at a standstill, in August, the Government of Serbia adopted the decision determining the public interest for expropriation, that is, the administrative transfer of the real estate, to the end of the construction of the Mihajlo Pupin heating plant, in line with the Decree on Determining the Spatial Plan of the Special-Purpose Area for the Realization of the Project “Serbian-Chinese Industrial Park Mihajlo Pupin”.
Let us remind that, in 2018, the Ministry of Finance signed the agreement on the construction of this park with China Road and Bridge Corporation in Beijing. Then, in November 2019, those in charge announced that the construction of the industrial park in Borca should begin at the end of March 2020 and added that the financing of the project had been discussed at the meeting with representatives of the Bank of China, which had confirmed that it would finance all the companies arriving from China to the industrial park. However, the coronavirus pandemic followed.
5. Croatian Aircash to arrive to Serbia
Aircash, the first Croatian multi-currency cash wallet which is operational in EU states and Switzerland and has a million users, announced its arrival to the market of Serbia back in April.
This has been confirmed by Hrvoje Cosic, the company’s director, for Bloomberg Adria.
The issuer of the Aircash Mastercard prepaid card is a licensed institution for electronic money with the license from the Croatian National Bank which is valid in all EU states. They are registered in the EU register of electronic money institutions by the umbrella regulator EBA (European Banking Authority).
6. Innovation Business Center on Zlatibor expanding
In February, the Municipality of Cajetina published the tender for the preparation of the technical documentation for the building of the Innovation Business Center (IBC) Zlatibor.
The expansion of the Innovation Center on Zlatibor, which is currently located in the building of the Cultural Center of Zlatibor, was announced last summer, because, as the Municipality of Cajetina said, the demands of digital nomads exceeded the existing capacities.
According to the preliminary design, the parking lot is planned in front of the facilities for 15 users and a garage with 45 parking spaces is planned as well.
The coworking space for nomads, startups and business people will have a capacity for around 30 users, on an area of 210 m2. A conference hall with 100 seats, with an area of 160 m2, is also planned.
7. Buy Treesury token and invest in hazelnut plantation
Have you ever thought of investing your money in a business, but don’t have a clear idea or resources? Are you perhaps interested in agriculture, primarily fruit farming? If so, you’ve certainly read about hazel as a promising solution whose fruit brings excellent earnings. Since recently, you have an opportunity to invest from the comfort of your own home, without much trouble.
At the beginning of September, the Securities Commission approved to the issuer Treesury d.o.o. Beograd the publishing of the white paper for the initial offering of 28,301 Treesury Tokens, with a nominal value of EUR 106, in dinar countervalue as per the middle exchange rate set by the National Bank of Serbia on the day of the sale. The initial offering of Treesury security tokens (STO) was officially launched on October 8, at a special price for early buyers.
The offer is available to all persons, both natural and legal, which are not on one of the international lists of sanctioned persons: UN, USA, EU and UK. For certain investors, such as investors from the USA, special rules, dictated by US laws, apply.
– If it can be said that a good beginning makes a good end, we can already say that the issue will be successful, because we are getting inquests on a daily basis from interested investors from both Serbia and the region and from other countries as well – Jovan Paunovic, the CEO of Treesury, said for eKapija.
8. First robot for maintenance of solar systems in Serbia
Many owners of photovoltaic power plants do not know that, in the long term, the filthiness of the panels can affect the production, so after a few years, they start being dissatisfied with the operations of the power plants due to the reduced production. That’s where SolarROBOT pro comes into picture, the first robot for the maintenance of solar systems in Serbia by Energy Support Services.
The robot has several advantages, and the most important one concerns security, Nemanja Panelic, the founder and CEO of Energy Support Services, said for eKapija.
– The robot eliminates the possibility of the person who used to be in charge of maintenance falling off the roof. In addition to that, there is no risk of an electric shock if the installations of the rooftop solar power plant are damaged. Also, due to the lack of knowledge, people walk on the panels, thereby damaging them permanently, which is not possible in the case of a robot, because it is designed to evenly distribute its weight. It is important to note that the technology used so far, which entails hand washing with brushes, involved various chemical products which can corrode the frame of a panel or damage the insulation with time. Our robot uses no chemical products and “takes care” of the environment that way. Instead, it uses exclusively osmosis-processed water which we generate on the spot, or regular drinking water after it is tested for suitability for our purposes – explains Pantelic.
9. Construction of Innovation District begins in Kragujevac
In Kragujevac, in February, the foundation stone was laid down for the construction of the Innovation District and the expansion of the State Data Center, which is an investment worth around EUR 168 million, as announced by the city administration of Kragujevac.
The district will spread on 4.5 ha, with close of 62,000 m2 and another 23,000 m2 of garages.
The Innovation District is the new, third phase of the construction of the State Data Center and, as announced, it will be a unique complex of information, innovative, creative and digital industries in Serbia and the region.
The investment will be realized in several phases, and EUR 20 million is to be invested now in the construction of the first building.
10. Construction of science-technology parks in Cacak, Nis and Krusevac begins
At the beginning of the year, it was also announced that, during the year, the construction of science-technology parks in Cacak, Nis and Krusevac, worth EUR 70 million, would begin.
In Nis, the cornerstone was laid down for the construction of the second phase of the Science-Technology Park in February, and the then prime minister of Serbia, Ana Brnabic, announced that the task was for it to be completed by October 2025. Brnabic added that the state would invest EUR 25 million in the construction.
Only a month later, the cornerstone was laid down in Krusevac too, marking the beginning of the works on the Science-Technology Park. EUR 16 million will be invested in that project, and the works will be completed in October 2025.
In August, in Cacak, the cornerstone was laid down for the construction of the new facility of the Science-Technology Park. As announced, the new building will spread on nearly 13,000 m2, and 50 companies will be located in it.
This post was originally published on here
