Foreign direct investment in Bulgaria in the first eight months of 2022 stood at EUR 1.06 billion, the equivalent of 1.3 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP), statistics from the Bulgarian National Bank (BNB) showed on 19 October.
In the same period of 2021, FDI was EUR 1.09 billion, but the original amount reported by BNB last year was EUR 797.1 million, which was revised upward later.
Investment in equity, including in the real estate sector, showed an inflow of EUR 192.7 million (compared to an outflow of EUR 248.8 million in January-August 2021) and re-invested earnings amounted to EUR 779 million, compared to EUR 1.55 billion in the same period of last year.
Net receipts from real estate investments by foreign companies recorded an outflow of EUR 19.3 million in the first eight months of 2022, compared to an outflow of six million euro during the same period of last year. BNB noted that there was a net outflow of EUR 15.1 million of real estate investment towards Russia.
The central bank data showed EUR 92 million in investment inflows as debt instruments, recorded as the change in the net liabilities of Bulgarian companies towards their foreign investor owners, compared to outflows of EUR 208.9 million in the first eight months of 2021. Such financial flows include financial loans, suppliers’ credits and debt securities, BNB said.
By country, the largest direct investment in Bulgaria in January-August 2022 came from Austria (EUR 281.9 million), Belgium (EUR 125.7 million) and Italy (EUR 123.7 million). Notable net outflows were recorded towards the Netherlands (-EUR 140 million) and Luxembourg (-EUR 103.9 million).
According to preliminary figures, Bulgarian investment abroad increased by EUR 226.1 million in January-August, compared to EUR 134.2 million in the same period of last year, BNB said.