07 Dec 2025

Portugal will fast-track its public housing programme and now plans to build 150,000 new homes by 2030, a major increase from the earlier target of about 59,000. The EUR 9-billion initiative aims to support low-income households struggling with soaring property prices and rents. Funding will come from EU recovery funds, the national budget and European Investment Bank loans. With public housing making up only 2% of Portugal's six-million home stock-one of the lowest shares in Europe-the government is also offering incentives for private landlords, including a reduced 10% rental income tax for lower rents. The move comes amid severe shortages, especially in Lisbon, where prices have surged dramatically.Read more

07 Dec 2025

Balfour Beatty expects its 2025 order book to grow by about 20%, supported by more than GBP 3.5 billion in new power-generation contracts won this year. The company said it will deliver full-year results ahead of last year's GBP 252 million operating profit, helped by solid performance in UK construction and support services. Demand for power transmission and distribution projects, driven by national low-carbon goals and higher public infrastructure spending, has strengthened margins. Shares touched a record 726.5 pence following supportive government measures. New CEO Philip Hoare said the firm aims to expand earnings-based contributions through 2026, with additional share buybacks planned for next year.Read more

06 Dec 2025

Clariane SE is set to sell nine real estate assets in Belgium to Care Property Invest, valued at EUR 143 million, with Clariane's portion estimated at EUR 74 million. The deal aims to reduce the group's debt and financial leverage. Korian Belgium will continue operating all facilities under 20-year leases. The move reflects Clariane's ongoing strategy of optimizing its European real estate portfolio by monetizing assets while securing long-term operational income. This approach follows past measures focused on debt reduction and portfolio rationalization.Read more

06 Dec 2025

Saudi Arabia's 2026 budget forecasts a deficit of 165 billion riyals (USD 44 billion), reduced from this year's 245 billion riyals shortfall, amid a focus on diversifying the economy. The government is entering the third phase of Vision 2030, emphasizing effective implementation of reforms. Spending priorities are shifting from large real estate projects toward logistics, technology, minerals, and religious tourism. Expenditure is projected at 1.31 trillion riyals, with revenues at 1.15 trillion riyals. The Public Investment Fund is recalibrating projects to ensure they meet strategic goals.Read more

06 Dec 2025

Dubai's real estate sector sustained its remarkable performance earlier this week, with November activity pushing full-year property sales past last year's record despite one month still remaining. The latest market figures from fam Properties and DXBinteract indicated strong growth across apartments, villas, commercial units and plots, supported by higher price levels and continued global and regional investor interest. Off-plan transactions once again dominated, and several emerging and established communities led activity. High-value deals, rising median prices and a broad spread of sales across price bands underscored the depth of demand shaping the emirate's ongoing property cycle.Read more

06 Dec 2025

Singapore Land Group has proposed acquiring a land parcel at 6 Raffles Boulevard for SGD 99.1 million, reinforcing its strategy to expand holdings in prime urban areas. The move is seen as part of the company's effort to strengthen its portfolio and prepare for potential future developments, possibly in commercial or mixed-use formats. This acquisition follows the group's consistent approach of investing in high-demand locations to support long-term growth. The parcel adds to its central business district assets, reflecting a careful and strategic land investment pattern.Read more

06 Dec 2025

Fairstone Bank has agreed to acquire Laurentian Bank in an all-cash deal valued at about CUSD 1.9 billion, offering a 20% premium over Laurentian's previous closing share price. The transaction, expected to close by late 2026, will strengthen Fairstone's commercial real estate presence, especially in Quebec. Laurentian, which had completed a strategic review in 2023 and later undertook restructuring, sees the acquisition as supporting its shift toward commercial specialisations. Fairstone will buy all outstanding shares at CUSD 40.50 each. In a related move, National Bank of Canada will acquire Laurentian's retail and SME portfolios, which together hold loans and deposits worth over CUSD 12 billion.Read more

06 Dec 2025

Axiado, a Silicon Valley startup developing a compact chip to reduce space and energy consumption in AI data centres, announced earlier this week that it had secured USD 100 million in fresh investment. The company aims to replace multiple legacy board-management components with a single, smaller chip capable of overseeing server coordination, enhancing security, and reducing cooling needs. With AI server density rising and operators making room for liquid-cooling systems, Axiado's approach comes at a critical moment. The chip's AI-driven capabilities also allow it to detect anomalies and adjust cooling loads, potentially cutting energy use by up to 50%.Read more

06 Dec 2025

Arlandastad Group AB's subsidiary has signed a lease with Ramirent for a 4,000-square-metre space in the F60 Foretagspark development. The deal follows detailed discussions on facility needs and strengthens the tenant mix in the growing business park. Ramirent, a major equipment rental provider across the Nordic and Baltic regions, is expected to add stable activity to the area. F60 Foretagspark has been drawing interest due to its location and flexible operating potential, and Arlandastad has already leased several units in the wider zone. While financial terms were not disclosed, the agreement expands Ramirent's regional footprint and supports Arlandastad's strategy of building well-organised commercial clusters.Read more

06 Dec 2025

UK house prices recorded a modest increase in November, rising by 0.3% on a seasonally adjusted basis, according to Nationwide. This followed a smaller rise in the previous month and came despite concerns linked to the finance minister's recent budget. The average house price reached 272,998 pounds (USD 360,739.56). Annual growth eased to 1.8%, the weakest since mid-2024, partly due to strong gains seen a year ago after interest rate cuts and policy changes. Supportive mortgage approvals and expectations of lower interest rates have given economists confidence that affordability may slowly improve.Read more