Less housing supply and, therefore, rising prices. These are the forecasts for the housing market made by BBVA Research (the research service of the blue bank) for 2026. Thus, the bank forecasts that purchase and sale transactions will fall by 7.3% in the State as a whole, while prices will rise by an average of 12% in Spain.

The shareholders' meeting of the Catalan telecommunications operator Parlem has certified this Friday the change of ownership that gives the majority of the capital to the Inveready fund and Global Portfolio Investments –the holding company of the family that owns Mayoral–. All points on the shareholders' meeting agenda have been approved, with support exceeding 99% for those related to the restructuring of holdings, and a lower percentage for those concerning appointments to the board of directors, according to sources present at the meeting. Thus, even the company's own chairman, Ernest Pérez Mas, would have supported the shareholding changes.

Catalonia is becoming the spearhead of electromobility in Spain. In the Principality, a higher proportion of plug-in cars are registered than in Spain as a whole. In addition, there are two manufacturers who have focused on making plug-in hybrid and electric cars. And it is, by far, the community with the most public access charging points for electric cars.

The famous rocket and feather effect – which states that gasoline rises quickly when oil becomes more expensive, but when oil is cheaper the price of fuel falls very slowly – has occurred again. During the last month, fuel prices in Spain have risen by almost 20%, even though from July 31st until yesterday the price of oil has fallen by 10%.

One in four cars registered in Catalonia during 2026 is electrified, according to data from manufacturers' and dealers' associations. Despite this, non-plug-in hybrids dominate new car sales, and although they have an electric motor in addition to an internal combustion engine, they are not considered electrified because they do not draw power from the electrical grid.

The arrival of foreign tourists in Catalonia has not slowed down despite many voices indicating that the peak has been reached and advocating for a change in model. In the first half of 2026, 9.57 million foreign visitors arrived in Catalonia, a figure that is 3.5% higher than in the same period last year, according to data published this Monday by the National Statistics Institute (INE).

Movements at the top of Grifols in the United States. These movements suggest that the Catalan hemoderivatives company continues with its intention to take part of its biopharmaceutical business in the North American country to the stock market. Another move this week has been the announcement that the director of the State Tax Agency, Soledad Fernández, will leave her post, which has occurred just as the income tax campaign is closing.

Colonial SFL, until now focused on the office markets of Barcelona, Madrid, and Paris, has overcome one of its pending tasks: setting foot in Berlin. For some time now, the top executives of the Catalan real estate company, Juan José Brugera (president) and Pere Viñolas (CEO) had expressed interest to bring its business model to the German capital.

Catalan firms dedicated to the auditing sector in Catalonia have noted that the emergence of new technologies and artificial intelligence is making it difficult for them to attract talent, as the profile of the professionals they need has changed. According to the Catalonia Audit Barometer presented at the Auditorium Forum, 80.3% of companies in the sector consider attracting qualified professionals their main concern.

High-speed rail wins by a large margin in terms of passenger numbers on the main state corridors, but despite this, the number of planes making the same journeys has not decreased, although it is true that the number of seats offered by airlines has fallen. This is the main conclusion of an article prepared by researchers from the University of Barcelona, the Autonomous University of Barcelona, and the Open University of Catalonia, signed by Daniel Albalate, director of the Observatory of Analysis and Evaluation of Public Policies at the UB; Albert Gragera, professor in the Department of Applied Economics at the UAB, and Pere Suau, head of the Sustainability, Management and Transport Research Group (SUMAT), attached to the Research Centre on Digital Transformation and Governance (UOC-DIGIT), and professor of Economics and Business studies.

Less bureaucracy, more administrative agility, and facilitating urban planning and land transformation. This is the recipe from the National Commission on Markets and Competition (CNMC) to increase housing supply and, therefore, reduce housing prices.

Changes at CaixaBank. The long-standing Director of Communication and Institutional Relations, Maria Lluïsa Martínez Gistau, is stepping down. She has been at the helm of the entity's communication for 25 years and for the last 10 years has also been a member of the bank's management committee. Her position will be filled by Jordi Soldevila, who until now was in charge of the entity's real estate business. In addition, the Spanish government has rushed to find a name to replace Cani Fernández to chair the National Commission of Markets and Competition (CNMC). The Council of Ministers approved proposing Juan José Ganuza Fernández to assume the position.

Revolution in the Communication and Institutional Relations department of CaixaBank. The historic Maria Lluïsa Martínez Gistau steps down from leading this department after a quarter of a century, and will be replaced by Jordi Soldevila, until now heading the entity's real estate business as CEO of BuildingCenter and Director of Real Estate for Repossessed Assets at CaixaBank. This was notified this Friday by the entity chaired by Tomàs Muniesa to the National Securities Market Commission (CNMV).

Catalonia has a housing supply problem. This was highlighted by economist Carme Poveda, director of the Economic Memory of Catalonia 2025, a study that Catalan chambers of commerce have been producing for 61 years. This year the report includes a monograph on housing with articles by new experts. According to Poveda, "there is consensus" that there is a supply problem. In this regard, he highlighted that since 2021, 200,000 new homes have been created in Catalonia, while only 62,000 new dwellings have been completed.

Catalonia had 51,305 tourist homes in May, 5,546 fewer than a year earlier, that is, 9.7% less, according to data from the experimental statistics on tourist homes from the National Statistics Institute (INE) published this Wednesday. The number of places in tourist homes in the Principality in May this year was 284,653, 7.8% less than in the same month of the previous year, when there were 308,770 places available.

The British fund Cap Capital will be the owner of the productive unit of the Barcelona-based bridal wear company Pronovias, which had entered into receivership, an operation resolved by Commercial Court number 9 of Barcelona, as reported by the Catalan company in a statement. This new phase aims at the American market, where Pronovias wants to increase its presence, as well as strengthen its positioning in Europe and introduce new technologies and artificial intelligence. Cap Capital's offer retains 552 Pronovias employees, of which 446 are in Spain. For now, the new ownership has already chosen the person who is to bring order to the company to relaunch it.

The war in the Middle East that began on February 28 with attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran has, obviously, had an economic impact. After four months, and with the agreement between the United States and Iran, it is difficult to quantify the total cost of the war in economic terms. But what is clear is that the impact has fallen directly on citizens' pockets and has weakened economic growth in many areas of the world, especially in Asia-Pacific, with greater dependence on Gulf oil.

Spaniards have saved an average of 10 euros on their electricity bills during the energy crisis of recent months caused by the war in Iran, according to the latest study by Ember, the independent energy think tank that advocates for energy transition and electrification. According to Ember's analysis, the savings on Spaniards' electricity bills have been possible thanks to the deployment of renewables and, therefore, the reduced use of gas in electricity generation.

Very busy week at the helm of various institutions and companies. The Court of Auditors, the Mobile World Capital, Abacus and the regulatory council of DO Cava have changed their leadership with a strong female presence. On the other hand, Renault Spain already has a replacement for the Catalan Josep Maria Recasens, the brand new CEO of Indra.

Closing the three nuclear power plants in Catalonia (Ascó I, Ascó II, and Vandellòs II) would cost Catalan industry 280 million euros per year. This is the main conclusion of a study by the consultancy firm Deloitte, presented this Tuesday at the Cercle d'Economia in Barcelona. For the whole of Spain, which is less dependent on nuclear power than Catalonia, the cost would be around 1.4 billion euros. The report is based on the premise that energy costs represent 25% of industry's operating profit, and therefore, the more electricity saved, the more competitive industry will be.