Many Slovenian firms report a strong year for M&A instructions, which are predominantly mid-market transactions, often with a cross-border element. With such an active market, market observers are anticipating a potential slowdown in the next 12 months. The recent bankruptcy of Adria Airways has caused some concern among the business community, especially as the airline provided vital connections to several major EU cities, however this leaves space for competitors to make an impact in the regional market.

The real estate market remains buoyant, which is a key driver for many of law firms, and several significant projects are ongoing, particularly in Ljubljana. The ongoing restructuring of large retail companies continues to drive activity for real estate and restructuring specialists.

Mandates relating to the implementation of AI, data protection and other compliance matters are also prevalent, while NPL transactions are decreasing as the majority of the large portfolios have now been sold.

The Slovenian banking and finance sector has seen consolidation and firms noted a spike in activity due to several transactions involving bank assets; most recently, The Republic of Slovenia sold 100% of its shares in the country’s third largest bank, Abanka to NKBM, while earlier in 2019, Société Générale sold its subsidiaries SKB Banka, SKB Leasing and SKB Leasing Select to OTP Bank Group.