Recent months have been kind to Western European corporates—or at least kinder.

No other digital payment system has achieved such market penetration in Poland, according to BLIK CEO Dariusz Mazurkiewicz. He lets Acuris Capital Intelligence in on the company’s future growth plans.

For all the talk of SPACs this year, EMEA has been notably absent from the conversation, but that could soon change as interest in the fintech space heats up.

Head to the gym or break a sweat from the comfort of your own living room? For the past 18 months or so, this hasn’t really been a choice—amid lockdowns, consumers turned to home workouts to stay in shape as gyms were shuttered.

Last year, European stock markets offered airliners a welcome reprieve as their planes were grounded and they burned through their cash reserves. As much as 89% of equity capital market activity in the sector was accounted for by follow-ons, with investors throwing incumbents a much-needed lifeline.

Bond issuance is flying. Following an exceptionally busy year in 2020, when borrowers raised cash to steel themselves against the pandemic, big figures continue to be raised.

Shopping centres in Europe may be running out time, if the lack of M&A activity this year is anything to go by.

Private equity (PE) firms and other asset managers can no longer afford to drag their feet on environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues when it comes to their investments. If they decide to back companies that spoil the planet, fail to diversify or cheat society, they will be seen as guilty by association, which does not make for an especially viable long-term strategy.