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The sources of financing start-ups have changed considerably over the last few years. The accessibility of EU funding via national institutions is growing. Venture capital funds are also gaining in importance. A relatively new form of financial support is equity crowdfunding. This year, limits for obtaining funds under this model have been increased to as much as EUR 1 m. Poland and eastern-European markets are becoming more attractive for investors.

The development of private equity funds in Poland is gaining momentum. In 2017, the value of investments on our market reached nearly EUR 7 bn. But compared to developed markets we’re still going through the stage of early growth, says Michał Staszkiewicz, Vice-President of the Management Board, Private Equity Managers and MCI Capital TFI. The funds, which invest in private companies, are a good alternative to low-interest deposits and to the volatile stock market. They are more resistant to economic fluctuations, and they rely on long-term strategies and diversified portfolios. But this form of investing is not for everyone.

Italian cuisine has become Poles’ cup of tea. The Mediterranean diet has become the second most popular food type, second only to our own, traditional cuisine. This is translating into growing imports of Italian food, which recorded an almost 46 percent increase over the last 5 years. The EUR 826 m worth of exports of Italian food to Poland includes mainly coffee, chocolate and cocoa products, olive oil, pasta, tinned vegetables and fresh grapes.

The Polish event industry is becoming more and more professional, gaining increasing recognition internationally. It is also a growing factor in the national economy. A total of 150 major international conferences have already been scheduled to take place in Poland by 2021. Yet, the event marketing industry is still struggling to live up to international standards and having issues with the competitive bidding procedures involved in procuring these services.

“While the current number of passenger sea routes to Scandinavia is not impressive, ferry transport is becoming increasingly important for tourism. Tricity has a major chance for tapping this segment of the market,” said Marcin Osowski, Vice-President, Port of Gdańsk. With a massive EU-co-funded investment programme in place, the Port is also committed to growing tourism. As a first step, it will add more ferry services to Sweden.

For several years now, direct sales companies have been doing very well on the Polish market. In 2017, they recorded a nearly 5-percent increase in revenue to PLN 3.3 bn, and the number of their customers increased by 2 percent to reach almost a million. A few years back, Poles would generally buy cosmetics, while now they tend to purchase dietary supplements and products and home appliances.

Washing gels already make up half the laundry products market in Western Europe. In Poland, their share amounts to approximately 15 percent, but is increasing rapidly. The 100-million-zloty Henkel project consisting of a new gel production line in the Racibórz plant is the company’s answer to the growing demand. The laundry products manufactured in Poland will be exported to the markets in Central and Eastern Europe.

Green bonds, where all the money must be directly used for environmental support measures, are growing in popularity. In 2018, the value of green bonds issued might reach USD 200 bn, compared to USD 13 bn in 2013. Poland has been the first country in the world to issue government green bonds, but worldwide a great majority of such bonds are issued by the private sector. Companies should make environmental protection a permanent fixture in their business models, argues Marcin Petrykowski from S&P Global Ratings.

The National Broadcasting Council is still interested in going digital with the radio. Currently, it is working on a strategy to expand its services and launch new radio stations, with special focus on local commercial ones. The available frequencies for local, urban multiplexes in 34 towns and cities are to be announced in the second half of 2018.

In March inflation was only 1.3 percent in annual terms and it was the slowest increase since December 2016 – the first month to have recorded an increase after 2.5 years of deflation. Such low figures are so surprising that they might even be incorrect, claimed Piotr Kuczyński, CAO at Xelion. But there is no risk of going back to deflation. The continuing slight increases in prices are delaying increases in interest rates.

Energy poverty, which affects up to 4.6 m people in Poland, the problem of smog in towns and cities, cyber-security of power plants and the digitisation of the power industry as a whole – these are only some of the challenges that can be addressed through energy sector innovation. Start-ups provide completely new solutions and perceive business in an entirely different way compared to traditional, conservative energy businesses.

A well-developed business culture, rapid technological sector development and highly-educated IT personnel – these are the factors that made Warsaw the desired choice for locating the new technological centre for Hargreaves Lansdown. The British investment market leader opens its first technological centre outside Britain. It will host the development of new software for modern customer service and will facilitate financial operations for investors all over the world.

Luxury cars are now a more and more popular sight on Polish roads. By 2022 their number can grow by up to 10 percent a year, Deutsche Bank statistics suggest. In 2017, as many as 176,000 premium cars were registered in Poland. There were much less luxury cars with prices above PLN 215,000 – only 140+. But their number is likely to grow, as is that of affluent Poles, who spend more than half of all their luxury goods expenditure on cars. Clients are now becoming more interested in using than in owning. That is why Poles are more and more often opting for a lease.

Digitalisation has become a necessity and a priority for business, regardless of the size of the organisation and the industry. It is a condition for keeping up with the market, making it possible to create new business models and to provide an improved real-time response to customer needs. Digitalisation also impacts consumers themselves, whose awareness and expectations are rising. It exerts the strongest impact on the sectors which are closest to customers: services, retail trade and marketing. Every third business in Poland has already defined its digital strategy.

Scientists from the Medical University of Warsaw have discovered that oleaceine, found in extra-virgin olive oil, has a unique ability to prevent the atherosclerotic plaque in the neck artery from breaking and hence reduce the high risk of death due to a stroke or heart attack. However, Prof. Marek Naruszewicz, leading the research, stressed that these valuable properties can only be found in bitter, greenish and cloudy extra-virgin oil. The yellow oil, less expensive and milder in taste, has a much lower content of beneficial substances.