€100M+

Portugal Authorizes €410.68 Million Railway Modernization Project for Alentejo Line

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The Portuguese government authorized Infraestruturas de Portugal to implement a phased payment schedule for the modernization of the Alentejo Railway Line. The project involves a 410.68 million euro investment to replace and electrify 63 kilometers of track between Casa Branca and Beja, enabling speeds of up to 200 km/h for passenger trains and 120 km/h for freight. Disbursements will run from 2027 to 2033, with the government seeking additional European funding through Portugal 2030 and other EU financing instruments.

Portugal Consolidates AI Gigafactory Plans in Sines, Scraps Secondary Pego Hub

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Portugal’s Iberian candidacy for a European Commission AI gigafactory project will concentrate all operations in Sines rather than establishing a secondary hub in Pego. The €8 billion investment from public and private funds will create an AI infrastructure facility with 150 MW computing capacity, expected to be fully operational by 2028. Spain’s location is Tarragona in Catalonia.

London Payments Platform Primer Secures $100m Series C to Expand AI Capabilities and US Market Presence

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London-based payments infrastructure provider Primer raised $100m in Series C funding led by Sofina. The company, founded in 2020 by ex-PayPal employees, provides a platform allowing large e-commerce merchants to connect their entire payments stack and manage multiple payment service providers. Primer will use the funding to expand AI capabilities of its Primer Companion agent and accelerate US expansion, targeting US revenue to exceed one-third of total business by 2028.

Dunia Innovations Unveils €280 Million Berlin GigaLab for AI-Driven Materials Discovery

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Dunia Innovations unveiled plans for Berlin GigaLab, a €280 million facility to industrialize AI-driven materials discovery. The 6,000 m² facility will integrate autonomous experimentation, AI-guided design, and industrial-grade characterization. Backed by an industrial consortium including Siemens, ABB Robotics, NVIDIA, AWS, and ILS, the facility is expected to create over 200 jobs and begin operations in 2028.

Charlotte Tilbury Founder Threatens Contract Renegotiation as Puig Acquisition Talks Complicate

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Charlotte Tilbury’s founder is threatening to renegotiate her contract with Puig, which owns 78.5% of the British makeup brand. The founder holds the remaining 21.5% stake and is invoking a change of control clause ahead of potential acquisition by Estée Lauder. In 2024, Puig valued the entire brand at approximately 4 billion euros when it purchased an additional 5.4% stake for 215 million euros. The founder’s remaining stake could be worth around 850 million euros at current valuations, which may deter Estée Lauder from proceeding with the acquisition of Puig.

Portuguese pulp mill developer pushes energy self-sufficiency argument to revive €1 billion Galicia project

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Greenfiber, a subsidiary of Portuguese multinational Altri, presented new arguments to unblock its €1 billion industrial pulp mill project in Palas de Rei, Galicia. The company claims the future factory is energy self-sufficient and proposes alternative power supply solutions including cogeneration systems. This move contests the Galician authorities’ decision from February to archive the project due to lack of guaranteed electrical supply.

Euronext Reports Strong Q1 2026 Results With 16.7% Profit Growth Across European Exchanges

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Euronext, Europe’s leading continental stock exchange operator, reported strong Q1 2026 results with 16.7% net profit growth to 192.3 million euros and 15.3% revenue growth to 528.5 million euros. Equity market revenues surged 28.1% to 138.9 million euros, driven by high volatility and strong ETF growth, including contributions from the recently completed Athens Stock Exchange acquisition completed in late 2025. The company also noted benefits from the largest defense IPO in history (Czech Republic’s Czechoslovak Group) in January 2026.

EDP Renováveis to Exit Brazil Operations Through €683 Million Sale to Parent Company

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EDP announced the integration of EDP Renováveis Brasil (1.8 GW installed capacity: 1.1 GW onshore wind and 0.7 GW solar utility scale) into its subsidiary EDP Brasil for approximately 4.1 billion reais (€700 million equity value, €1.5 billion enterprise value). This restructuring allows EDPR to concentrate on higher-growth markets in the US and Europe, increasing the weight of A-rated markets from 90% to over 95% of EBITDA. The transaction is expected to close by end of 2026.

Benfica Prepares to Block American Investor Tim Leiweke’s Stake Acquisition Over Competing Club Interests

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Benfica is considering blocking American investor Tim Leiweke’s €10+ per share acquisition of a 16% stake in Benfica SAD, citing article 13 of club statutes that allow rejection of acquisitions by investors with competing interests. Leiweke and his daughter lead a consortium that recently invested €100 million in Italian club Venezia FC.

Sweden Orders Four Frigates from French Naval Group in Historic 3.5 Billion Euro Defense Deal

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Sweden has ordered four FDI-class frigates from French defense company Naval Group for over 3.5 billion euros, marking the country’s largest military investment since the 1980s. The first frigate is expected to be delivered in 2030. This order comes as Sweden, which joined NATO in 2024, seeks to strengthen its armed forces to secure the Baltic Sea amid Russian threats following the invasion of Ukraine. Naval Group is also competing to supply frigates to the Portuguese Navy.