Pronovias begins a new phase with the fund Cap Capital as owner, which is the one that has been chosen in the selection process by the commercial court number 9 of Barcelona. The British fund was the last to enter the bidding for the company founded by the Palatchi family, which was immersed in insolvency proceedings.

Hotels Bestprice has culminated its incentive plan through shares, which includes chambermaids and reception and maintenance staff, in addition to executives. The Catalan hotel chain's program, which extends to practically the entire workforce, has been promoted by the board of directors "as a formula for recognizing the commitment, effort, and extraordinary contribution of professionals who have played a relevant role in the company's evolution in recent years," according to a statement. According to company sources, this measure benefits around 80% of the workforce, which is who could benefit from it. The only requirement to do so is to have been working at the company for one year or more.

Josep Sánchez Llibre (Vilassar de Mar, 1949), re-elected president of Foment del Treball less than a month ago, prioritizes the fight against absenteeism and plans to have a white paper with solution proposals ready by the first fortnight of September. He already has the list of professionals who will prepare it and explains it in this interview with ARA, conducted during a break at the Annual Meeting of the Cercle d'Economia.

The growth of the Catalan and Spanish economy is undeniable. And future estimates, despite a slowdown, confirm that we will continue to be the champions of GDP growth. The President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, did not fail to mention this during his speech at the annual meeting of the Cercle d'Economia in Barcelona, where he surprised the audience by announcing the steps to present the State budgets for 2027, which sound more like an electoral program than a real possibility.

Spain gained 13,100 millionaires last year, reaching 259,700, which represents an increase of 5.3%, according to the latest World Wealth Report by the consulting firm Capgemini. This category includes individuals with investable assets of more than one million dollars (equivalent to 860,000 euros today), excluding their primary residence, collectibles, and consumer durables.

Sercortel has surpassed the barrier of one hundred managed hotels this 2026. It works to invoice 360 million in 2029, compared to the 200 with which it will close 2026. José Rodríguez (Barcelona, 1967) is the CEO of this company, which is in the hands of the Landon society, belonging to the Gallardo family, main shareholders of Almirall. It has no debt thanks to the management contract model, enjoys high occupancy rates all year round, and in 2027 will study expanding abroad. Rodríguez explains to ARA the keys to growth since before the pandemic – since then it will have multiplied turnover by 4.4 – and analyzes the challenges and strengths of the current tourism industry.

There was great interest in seeing the surprise that Pedro Sánchez was preparing in his speech at the closing of the annual meeting of the Cercle d'Economia, that is, the rabbit he would pull out of the hat. At last year's edition, for example, he announced an unprecedented consultation on BBVA's takeover bid for Banco Sabadell, a merger that failed last October.

The European pharmaceutical sector is losing competitiveness compared to the US and China. This was warned by the president of AstraZeneca in Spain, Laura Colón, during a round table within the framework of the Annual Meeting of the Cercle d'Economia, in Barcelona. This situation, influenced by issues such as excessive regulation and bureaucracy, is combined with the lengthening of life expectancy which, in large part, is due to new drugs. "We must ensure that governments realize the value of drugs and that they are not just a cost," she warned.

Spain is "better positioned" than others in the energy crisis due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, due to the war in Iran, but it will not be able to escape its effects. This was stated by the presidents of Repsol, Antoni Brufau, and Naturgy, Francisco Reynés, during a round table within the framework of the Annual Meeting of the Cercle d'Economia, held in Barcelona.

The leader of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, did not come willing to approach the Spanish government in his speech to the audience of businessmen at the annual meeting of the Cercle d'Economia, which is celebrating its second day. Despite the request from the president of the Cercle, Teresa Garcia-Milà, to reduce disputes while awaiting judicial rulings and to prioritize consensus on essential issues, from housing to the defense of Europe's strategic autonomy, the popular president went his own way. Of course, without painting as bleak a picture as he did a year ago at this same meeting, with a speech that some businessmen have described as "flat".

The Cercle d'Economia has the gift of opportunity. Its traditional annual meeting, which brings together the political and economic world for three days, usually coincides with unexpected events. In 2018, when it was still held in Sitges, under the presidency of Juan José Brugera (Colonial), the day was practically devoid of politicians due to the motion of no confidence that brought Pedro Sánchez to La Moncloa. Eight years later, in the current edition, the 41st, which began this Monday and lasts until Wednesday, under the presidency of Teresa Garcia-Milà, the one who arrived at La Moncloa then is the one who lives with his position questioned, in a pre-election atmosphere, be it via a motion of no confidence or an early call for elections. Sánchez will close the sessions on the last day and the leader of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, will precede him this Tuesday in the search to capture the interest of Catalan businesspeople.

The tsunami that caused the 2008 financial crisis made hundreds of bank branches disappear and left many Catalan municipalities without these services. As a consequence of this process, in 2021 there were 502 Catalan towns with no access to banking services, 53% of the total, with a population of over 305,000 inhabitants, 3.94% of the total. At the end of 2024 – the latest available data – there were 38 municipalities, 4% of the total, with a population of 11,381 people, 0.14% of the total. The number of municipalities with no such services has been reduced by 92% in this period.

All advances and new technologies generate concern and fear. We have seen this throughout history. And this is what is happening with artificial intelligence (AI). There are many studies pointing to the loss of hundreds or thousands of jobs, and the potential of this new technology is still in its infancy. But we have already seen many headlines like that of the weekly The Economist a few days ago, "The jobs apocalypse". The impact it can have cannot be denied, and not just on repetitive and low-value-added tasks.

Pere Mier (Figueres, 1952), a prominent figure in the technology world, with origins in the family business Mier Comunicacions and former president of employers' associations Ametic and Proespacio, among other roles, has been president for a few days of Open Cosmos, the company founded by a Majorcan, Rafel Jordà, and two Catalans, Aleix Megías and Jordi Barrera, and dedicated to the design, production, and operation of satellites. Mier explains from the company's headquarters in the Sant Andreu neighborhood of Barcelona that his role will consist of consolidating a group that is "among the fastest growing in Europe," based on "the democratization of access to space" to make it easier and cheaper. He adds that he will also play a role in the development of the defense and security industry within the Old Continent's objective of gaining strategic autonomy, because "space technologies are dual by definition."

Bad times are coming for holders of variable-rate mortgages. The daily 12-month Euribor, the main reference for this type of loan for home purchases, has closed the month with an average above 2.8% (2.804%) and is heading towards 3%, according to analysts. Thus, the monthly payment for an average mortgage of 174,132 euros with Euribor plus one point, which was 833.11 euros, will rise to 900.39 euros, an increase of 67.28 euros more or 807.36 euros more per year.

Jonathan Andic, son of Mango's founder and until now vice-president of the Catalan fashion multinational, is temporarily stepping down from his positions at the company to focus on his defense. Andic's temporary withdrawal comes a week after the Mossos d'Esquadra arrested him, accused of the homicide of his father, Isak Andic, who died in Collbató in December 2024. The eldest son of Mango's founder, who avoided provisional prison after paying a one-million-euro bail, has sent an open letter to the staff in which he defends his innocence and expresses his "frustration" with the situation he is in.

Family business specialists recommend separating business from family relationships. This is not just a thesis constructed in a laboratory, but one that has a reflection in reality. The case of Mango, the textile empire founded by Isak Andic, is a good example. The company closed the past year with historic figures, despite the sudden death of its founder in a fall from a cliff in the Montserrat area. This same week, the Mossos arrested his eldest son, Jonathan, who was accompanying him on that excursion, for allegedly causing him to fall. Subsequently, he was released after paying a bail of one million euros.

In August, holidays. The Spanish Federation of Professional Associations of Tax Technicians and Tax Advisors (Fettaf) has asked the Ministry of Finance to declare this "month an inoperative period for tax and administrative deadlines". This organization, made up of 12 associations from across the country, has written to the ministry, but also to the Secretary of State for Finance and to the different parliamentary groups in the Congress of Deputies, to request several matters. These include, in addition to requesting a break in August, also adjusting the IRPF tariff to inflation (indexation) – which has only been approved on two occasions in the last 20 years – or extending the objection period from 10 to 25 days.

Rarely (very rarely or never) do you attend the presentation of the same budget project twice in a year. This is what has happened on this occasion in Parliament, where the accounts for the remainder of the fiscal year have been submitted, after they were withdrawn last February due to disagreement with ERC.

The co-founder and managing partner of Asabys, Josep Lluís Sanfeliu, has been endorsed by the Barcelona Global supervisory board as the new president, an appointment that will be ratified by the partners' assembly on June 19. Sanfeliu, who will succeed Ramon Agenjo (Damm) for the new term until 2028, will have as vice-presidents Rafael Fontana, lawyer and honorary president of Cuatrecasas; Lluís Seguí, co-founder and CEO of Miura Partners; and Carmina Ganyet, corporate director general of Colonial, the only one to repeat in the same position. The supervisory board has endorsed Sanfeliu's candidacy and the board.