Daily summary of the Czech economy: Volkswagen, Société Générale, BlackRock, Chinese state-owned bank ICBC, CTP Invest and Erste Group (23 January 2026)

Overview of the latest economic events in the Czech Republic

At the end of the week, the Czech economy saw a combination of stable developments in the financial markets and continued structural changes in the energy sector and long-term household investment. CEZ Energy Group announced that electricity consumption at its public charging stations will reach nearly 15 million kWh in 2025, a fivefold increase compared to 2020. The company also confirmed that it has invested in the development of charging infrastructure CZK 1.8 billion and by 2027 plans further investments exceeding CZK 3 billion. Household interest in the long-term investment product (LTIP) continues to grow, with 219,000 Czechs having already invested in this instrument, according to the Capital Market Association eight billion CZK, of which 88 % went to investment funds. On the fuel market, the price of Natural 95 petrol continued to fall slightly to CZK 32.93 per litre, while the price of diesel stagnated at CZK 32.19. The koruna strengthened during the day to CZK 24.27/EUR and CZK 20.68/USD, Prague Stock Exchange continued its growth and the PX index returned above the 2700-point level.

Foreign investment

In the area of foreign investment, the Czech Republic recorded several significant transactions. German car company Volkswagen confirmed the investment 1.2 billion euros to expand the production of electrical components in Škoda Auto Mladá Boleslav. Bank of France Société Générale via Commercial banks increased the volume of corporate financing in the Czech Republic by CZK 18 billion, especially for the industrial and logistics sector. American Fund BlackRock entered the Czech renewable energy market by acquiring a 40% stake in the company Enerco Renew For 220 million euros. Japanese Panasonic Energy announced the investment CZK 9.5 billion into the development of battery systems in Central Bohemia. Dutch logistics group CTP Invest expanded its industrial portfolio by purchasing land and halls worth CZK 6.1 billion. Austrian Erste Group also issued corporate bonds of Czech companies in the volume of 750 million euros.

Significant events outside the Czech Republic with global impact

Global markets were dominated by rising precious metals prices, with gold breaching the $4,900 per troy ounce mark for the first time, which also influenced the investment strategies of HSBC and JPMorgan, that increased their positions in commodity funds by more than USD 4 billion. Armaments group enters the main market of the Amsterdam Stock Exchange Czechoslovak Group (CSG), whose shares rose by 30 % above the level of 32 euros and the company received from the IPO 3.3 to 3.8 billion euros. American technology company Microsoft announced global data centre investments of USD 10 billion, of which part of the funding goes to the European offices. China's state-owned bank ICBC has entered into credit agreements with European industrial companies worth USD 6.5 billion, while the oil giant Saudi Aramco finalised the acquisition of a stake in a refining company TotalEnergies For USD 11 billion, which has a direct impact on energy prices in Europe.

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