Economy News in English

Remote Trevinano gets a hotel, cultural center, padel court and electric bikes thanks to Covid fund: 'I hope tourists will come now'

Apple profit surges in final quarter under outgoing CEO Tim Cook

Apple reported a significant increase in revenue and profit for the final quarter, driven largely by strong iPhone sales. This marks the last financial report issued under the leadership of outgoing C...

Fruit will be smaller and more expensive this autumn due to drought in Europe

Fruit in the Netherlands is expected to become smaller and more expensive starting this September due to ongoing drought conditions across Europe. This forecast was provided by John Kusters, chairman ...

Football is the biggest victim of Infantino's World Cup stake: 'Could be a turning point'

FIFA president Gianni Infantino's proposal to allow investors to buy shares in the World Cup has sparked concerns regarding commercial influence on the sport. Critics suggest the move could prioritize...

Leaked Odido customer data already misused dozens of times in phishing campaigns

Customer data stolen from telecommunications provider Odido in a February data breach has been repeatedly exploited in at least thirty phishing and spam campaigns. Researchers have identified that the...

Haarlem wants to hear your take on the new euro bills: are you team bird or team human?

Residents of Haarlem are being invited to share their preferences for the designs of upcoming new banknotes. The public can provide input on which themes, such as nature or historical figures, they wo...

Shell refineries running overtime as shareholders benefit from billions in profit

Shell reported a second-quarter profit of 10 billion dollars, nearly tripling its earnings compared to the same period last year due to high oil prices. A significant portion of these record profits w...

At least 96 fines issued to trucks and coaches on Merwede Bridge

Authorities have issued at least 96 fines of 500 euros each to trucks and buses that traveled across the Merwedebrug. The enforcement action was confirmed by the Centraal Justitieel Incassobureau as o...

Eurozone economy grows slightly despite Middle East conflict

The Eurozone economy experienced a modest growth of 0.4 percent during the second quarter. This economic expansion occurred despite the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, according to official data ...

Major festival shrinks site without notice while claiming to be ‘sold out’: how is that possible?

Attendees of the Milkshake Festival in Amsterdam's Westerpark noticed that the festival grounds were smaller than in previous years. Despite the event being sold out on Saturday, the reduction in size...

ING grows on recovering housing market despite global unrest

ING reported a significant increase in profit during the second quarter, driven by a growing customer base despite global instability. The bank's performance improved due to the recovering housing mar...

Hardball: union accuses Kruidvat of intimidation

The trade union FNV has accused the drugstore chain Kruidvat of fostering an unsafe working environment and using intimidation tactics. While the union describes the situation as alarming, academic ex...

Magnum prevents empty shelves during heatwave and grows by 4.7 percent

Ice cream manufacturer Magnum reported a 4.7 percent increase in sales during the first half of 2026. The company benefited from hot weather across Europe, with particularly strong sales growth in Fra...

Over 11,000 Enexis customers are waiting for a new or upgraded connection

Grid operator Enexis reported that its waiting list for new or upgraded electricity connections grew by 734 requests in the first half of the year. Despite doubling its newly constructed grid capacity...

AI-generated photos on Vinted give a misleading impression of secondhand clothing

Vinted sellers are increasingly using AI-generated model photos to showcase second-hand clothing instead of photographing themselves. However, the platform prohibits this practice because it can lead ...

Shell profits from high oil prices due to Middle East war

Shell reported a significant increase in second-quarter profits, reaching 9.8 billion dollars compared to 6.9 billion dollars in the first quarter. This growth was driven by rising oil prices resultin...

Dutch economy grows primarily due to higher household consumption

The Dutch economy grew by 0.4 percent in the second quarter of 2026, according to Statistics Netherlands. This growth is driven primarily by increased household consumption, representing a slight rise...

Dutch economy grows faster in second quarter, driven by higher consumption

The Dutch economy grew by 0.4 percent in the second quarter compared to the previous quarter, according to Statistics Netherlands. This growth, which was primarily driven by higher consumption, repres...

Meta revenue surges but profits fall due to high AI costs

Meta Platforms reported an increase in quarterly revenue driven by higher advertising prices. However, the company's overall profit declined due to significant investments in artificial intelligence a...

KLM profit rises on higher ticket prices despite Iran conflict and high fuel costs

KLM reported increased profits for the last quarter despite the impact of the Iran conflict and rising jet fuel costs. The airline successfully offset these expenses by increasing ticket prices for pa...

Building permit fees vary significantly by municipality

A yearly study by the Vereniging Eigen Huis shows that building permit costs vary significantly between municipalities in the Netherlands. In some cases, residents may pay tens of thousands of euros m...

Amsterdam designer Joost Grootens in the running to design new euro banknote

Amsterdam-based designer Joost Grootens has been selected as one of ten finalists to design the new series of euro banknotes. His proposed designs, which focus on humanizing European icons, are compet...

Labor market remains tight despite fewer job vacancies

The labor market in the Netherlands tightened slightly in the second quarter, with 95 vacancies for every 100 unemployed individuals. Meanwhile, the number of self-employed workers has declined for th...

To spray with salt water or not to spray? Potato farmers struggle with drought

Potato farmers in the southern part of North Holland are struggling with drought and rising salt levels in irrigation water, forcing them to choose between using harmful water or letting crops wither....

Sellers with asking prices that are too high forced to lower them: average price drop of 41,551 euros

In the past quarter, one in eight home sellers in the Netherlands were forced to lower their asking prices, marking the highest rate in two and a half years. On average, these sellers reduced their pr...

More homes offered and sold in Amsterdam at a lower average transaction price, but a turnaround seems imminent

High number of sick leave reports in healthcare sector costs at least 5.8 billion euros annually

The healthcare sector in the Netherlands faces annual costs of at least 5.8 billion euros due to high employee absenteeism. With an average absence rate of 7.5 percent, healthcare workers have the hig...

Will the plane you take on holiday have folding wings in a few years?

Aircraft manufacturer Airbus is set to test folding wingtips on narrowbody aircraft designed for short to medium-haul flights. This technology, which allows wings to fold, could be implemented on comm...

Beer market slumps, but enthusiasts remain thirsty for unique and foreign brews

While the overall Dutch beer market is currently facing a downturn, some entrepreneurs are finding success by focusing on niche online sales of unique and alcohol-free specialty beers. Businesses like...

Train tickets and subscriptions are generating profit for NS again

NS reported a modest profit in the first half of 2026, supported by an average 6.5 percent increase in ticket prices. Despite the higher costs, the Dutch national railway operator saw a slight rise in...