Wednesday, April 15, 2026

Headlines

The financial burden is being shifted by buyers of vegetables, fruits and berries onto the suppliers

The Competition Council (KP) has completed market supervision regarding the practice of applying payment deadlines in the supply chain of fresh fruit, vegetables and berries in Latvia, concluding that buyers use their economic market power and apply unjustifiably long payment deadlines, shifting the financial burden onto suppliers. Several infringement cases have been initiated. The main objective of the market supervision was to carry out an in-depth analysis of the practice of applying payment deadlines in the trade of perishable […]

ERGO acquires Gjensidige in the Baltics

ERGO International AG, which manages the ERGO Group’s international business portfolio, completed the acquisition of the non-life insurer ADB Gjensidige in the Baltic states on January 2. The full merger of the two insurers in the Baltics will take place gradually over the course of this year and is planned to be completed by the end of 2026. All existing insurance contracts with ADB Gjensidige customers will remain in force, and their coverage will not change. Customers will not have to […]

Alternative to traditional funeral services

To make composting of human remains the new normal in the funeral services industry, the company Return Home has attracted millions in investment. “Until now we simply got rid of human remains,” says funeral service provider Katie Houston. During the pandemic, from January 2020 to October 2022, more than a million people died from COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control. […]

“Stiga RM” new employees could have conflicts of interest; a loophole in the law allows the Anti-Corruption Bureau not to assess and not to establish them

At the beginning of this year, longtime deputy director for wood product sales at AS Latvijas Valsts meži (LVM), Andris Meirāns, changed jobs. Mr. Meirāns held a responsible position: he developed auction and pricing rules and regulations, effectively determining what, to whom, for how much, and under what conditions LVM would sell and deliver timber. For this responsible work Mr. Meirāns was accordingly […]

What you need to know about changes in laws and regulations in 2026

Greater support for residents, including families with children, a reduced value added tax rate for certain food products, simplified implementation of small-scale construction projects, the introduction of a unified building registration service, improved queue management for medical examinations – these and other changes will affect the daily lives of Latvia’s residents starting from 2026, the Cabinet of Ministers reports. Support for families From 1 January 2026 […]

At the end of the year, the number of fraudulent calls has quadrupled

The free security solution for combating phone fraud provided by the electronic communications and ICT service provider Bite Latvia blocked almost 660 thousand fraudulent calls in the fourth quarter of this year alone, which is four times more than in the same period last year, reaching the highest intensity level so far. Meanwhile, in the digital environment cybercriminals attack every third mobile device, as recorded by the company’s security service Antivīruss Plus. As […]

Mushroom hunting in your office

Līga and Uģis Zemturis grow mushrooms in their office and then sell them both fresh and processed as a source of vitamins. Right there you can also enjoy a nine-course dinner paired with wines selected by Raimonds Tomsons. What do a financier and a model have in common? Mushrooms, of course! Fashion industry professional Līga Zemture and financier Uģis Zemturis are building a joint business – growing Japanese Eringi […]

Potential not yet discovered

In recent years, Lithuanian business turnover in Latvia has become more noticeable. Data show that investments by entrepreneurs from neighboring countries in companies in Latvia, and the turnover of these companies, grow faster precisely during crises. In just the two years of Covid-19, the turnover of companies in Latvia owned by Lithuanians increased by 56%. But how are Latvians doing in the neighboring country? It was a sunny day in July when my colleague and I, delighted about […]

Rolls-Royce social network

Car manufacturers’ apps, through which you can monitor a car’s technical condition, order various services and communicate with the manufacturer, have long been nothing new. The exclusive carmaker Rolls-Royce has turned this into a multimillionaires’ social network. This August in Riga was Rolls-Royce month – the owners of the antique Phantom model stopped here as part of a trip celebrating its 100th anniversary […]

Soft power ecosystem

In late autumn, when politicians traditionally heatedly debate budget issues, discussions arose on the agenda about whether the Society Integration Fund (SIF) should or should not be abolished. At that time, the association “Civic Alliance” pointed out that such an initiative should be seen as an attempt to weaken civil society and restrict democratic processes. Summarizing data on the organizations and media funded by SIF over the last three years, to the aforementioned […]