Business News & Financial News

Spanish economy 24th April 2026

Spain only spends 45% of NextGen Funds received since 2021

According to calculations by Funcas and Analistas Financieros Internacionales (AFI), Spain has only spent €39 billion of the €71.366 billion received, representing an execution rate of barely 45% for a program that launched in 2021. Furthermore, nearly the same amount remains to be requested, as the government expects to receive up to €103 billion after waiving €60 billion in loans to which it was entitled. The entirety of the funds…

In Europe 24th April 2026

Car sales in Europe rise 12.5% year-on-year in March, bringing year-to-date increase to 4.0% and pushing total units sold to over 2.8 million

Bankinter | Car sales rose by 12.5% year-on-year in March. This brings the year-to-date growth to 4.0%, with units sold exceeding 2.8 million. During the month, pure electric vehicles led the growth (48.9%), followed by plug-in hybrids (28.2%) and non-plug-in hybrids (20.1%), whilst combustion engines declined (12.3% for diesel and 9.4% for petrol). Analysis team’s view: Sales of electrified vehicles are gaining momentum and expanding their market share thanks to…

In the World, World economy 22nd April 2026

IMF and World Bank to mobilise additional $150 billion to mitigate energy shock in emerging economies

Norbolsa | Last weekend saw the conclusion of the IMF and World Bank meetings, amid concerns over the impact of geopolitical shocks and the fleeting optimism generated by news of the opening of the Strait of Hormuz. Nevertheless, it became clear that the expectation of the US as a decisive force in resolving global conflicts cannot be sustained, given the increasing frequency of geopolitical impacts. Nevertheless, they committed to mobilising…

“We need to approach negotiations with the U.S. on terms that are completely different from those currently being proposed”

Says Antonio Bonet, president of the Club of Spanish Exporters and Investors. He points out that “Europe has a single tariff applied by all member states, but the U.S. applies a tariff to each country, meaning it can decide that the tariff applied to Spanish black olives is higher than that for Italian olives, as it did at one point. So there is a part of the negotiation between Europe…

“Fifteen years ago, the European economy was larger than that of the U.S. Today, the U.S. economy is one and a half times that of Europe”

“It is a shame that we are able to mobilize economic resources for large-scale projects abroad, but not in our Spanish market”

In an interview with Consejeros magazine, Sacyr’s coordinating advisor, Elena Jiménez de Andrade, explains that now “We have great capacity to win projects, a capacity that until now contrasted with a series of financial limitations and balance sheet size. However, in this strategic cycle, we are going to eliminate those barriers. That is why we have set an ambitious goal for 2033: to triple the value of our assets. We…

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