Estonia to chair the Nordic-Baltic (NB8) cooperation format as of 1 January 2026
As of tomorrow, 1 January 2026, Estonia will assume the coordinating role as chair of the Nordic-Baltic (NB8) cooperation format, with the aim of strengthening regional cooperation, increasing the international visibility of NB8, and deepening the region’s strategic integration.
According to Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna, NB8 has developed into the most important platform for political coordination in the region. “NB8 must be firmly established as a cross-regional centre of political cooperation through which we pursue our shared objectives,” Tsahkna stressed. During the 2026 coordinating period, Estonia intends to use the NB8 format as its primary international political coordination tool at the level of leaders, ministers, senior officials and diplomats.
Another key objective is to strengthen the global image of NB8 as a group of highly like-minded countries with a strong and unified identity. “Together, the NB8 countries are significantly larger, more visible and more influential than when we act individually. We want to be seen as a unified and strong region that, despite the relatively small size of its countries, is one of the most important economic and political partners in the Euro-Atlantic space,” said the Foreign Minister. In 2026, Estonia plans to raise awareness of the nature of NB8 and to highlight the region’s role in the global economy and international politics.
Read full announcement (external link)
Originally published on 31 Dec
Announcements are published as a service to readers. The sender is responsible for all content. Announcements for publication can be submitted to announcements@thehanseatic.com.
Ship design and construction company “Latitude Construction”, working under the Latitude Yachts brand in the Port of Riga, will establish a new company “Latitude Naval Technologies” with the aim to develop modern offshore platforms for security and defense operations.
Thus, another company will join the innovative and military technology production facilities of the Port of Riga, developing a new direction in the Latvian shipbuilding industry, combining extensive experience in shipbuilding with the growing demand for modern maritime safety technologies. In the current conditions, such a production facility will not only contribute to the economic growth of Latvia but also boost the security of Latvia and its partners.
Read full announcement (external link)
Originally published on 18 Mar
Estonia is no longer just a land of humble startups, as its premier companies are scaling ambitions. This week, Tallinn-based mobility giant Bolt announced that it will partner with NVIDIA to develop an AI-powered platform for autonomous vehicles tailored specifically to European roads.
The collaboration pairs Bolt’s vast amounts of real-world driving data — collected daily across its ride-hailing, carsharing, micromobility and delivery operations in 50+ countries and 850+ cities — with NVIDIA’s latest autonomous driving stack.
Read full announcement (external link)
Originally published on 17 Mar
Iute Group, a leading European personal finance group, begins operations with IuteBank in the Ukrainian banking market on 17 March 2026. The start of operations follows the completion of the transition process and marks an important milestone in the Group’s expansion of its digital banking model into one of Europe’s most digitally advanced financial markets. The transition process was completed earlier than initially expected.
With the start of operations, IuteBank will initially offer a focused set of core banking services, including current accounts, deposits, and instant payments, to its existing customer base. This initial phase is designed to ensure a stable and well-governed foundation. The build-out of Iute’s full digital product capabilities and the launch of a comprehensive value proposition, including mobile banking and active customer acquisition, is planned for early 2027.
Read full announcement (external link)
Originally published on 16 Mar
From March 22 to 24, 2026, Riga will become the center of the European audio industry for a few days, hosting the world’s leading radio, podcast, and digital audio conference, “Radiodays Europe 2026.”
The event will bring together more than 1,500 media professionals from over 65 countries, including executives from major public and commercial media outlets, podcast creators, technology companies, content creators, and audio innovation experts. The conference in Riga will become one of the most significant international media industry events in the Baltic region.
Read full announcement (external link)
Originally published on 16 Mar
Cybernetica joins GovStack’s network of recognised companies, with Unified eXchange Platform (UXP) officially approved by GovStack as a software compliant with the Information Mediator Building Block — a foundational component of the GovStack reference architecture for digital public infrastructure (DPI).
The Information Mediator (IM) is one of the most critical building blocks in the GovStack reference architecture, serving as the central nervous system of a digital government. It enables other building blocks — such as identity, payments, and registries — to communicate in a secure and verifiable manner. Without a robust IM layer, interoperability across government systems remains fragmented and vulnerable.
Read full announcement (external link)
Originally published on 16 Mar
The fairway to Vuosaari Harbour around the west side of Pikku Niinisaari will be opened to ship traffic in spring 2026. The fairway will ensure smoother traffic and make the visit to Vuosaari Harbour even more efficient. Taking the fairway into use will also benefit the environment, being part of the development of the low-emission sea route between Helsinki and Tallinn, the FIN-EST Green Corridor project.
The fairway used to serve the shipyard that operated in Vuosaari 1974–1987. The name “Shipyard fairway” dates back to these times. Minor changes were made to the fairway to expand it slightly, and some dredging work was carried out to ensure the fairway’s efficiency and safety to modern ships. The floating safety devices were upgraded to larger ones in January.
Read full announcement (external link)
Originally published on 16 Mar
On 10–11 March 2026, the first Baltic Sea States Subregional Cooperation (BSSSC) Board Meeting of the year took place in Gdynia, Poland, bringing together representatives of regions, municipalities, experts, and youth organisations from across the Baltic Sea Region. The meeting was hosted by the City of Gdynia and the Pomorskie Region and marked the first Board session led by the Vidzeme Planning Region in its new role as the BSSSC Chair for 2026–2027.
Gdynia, celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, provided an inspiring backdrop for the discussions. The first day of the programme offered insights into the city’s development vision, its approach to sustainable urban planning, and its dynamic creative and cultural ecosystem. This understanding set the stage for the strategic conversations that followed.
Read full announcement (external link)
Originally published on 13 Mar
The development of a CO₂ hub in Malmö has taken an important step forward. The Swedish Energy Agency has granted 31 million SEK to Nordion Energi through the national Industriklivet programme to complete the analytical work required ahead of a final investment decision in 2027.
The funding supports the joint ambition to establish an open-source hub for CO₂ capture, transport and storage for all interested emitters in the region — a project in which Copenhagen Malmö Port (CMP) is a key partner – and where the port in Malmö has been identified as the optimal hub location.
Read full announcement (external link)
Originally published on 12 Mar
Asite, a leading provider of digital transformation solutions for the construction and infrastructure sectors, has been selected through a public procurement process to supply the Common Data Environment (CDE) for Rail Baltica – the high-speed rail project that will connect Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, and indirectly Finland, to the wider European rail network.
The platform will support governance, collaboration, and structured information management across the Rail Baltica delivery organizations, enabling transparent and efficient information exchange across one of Europe’s largest infrastructure programs.
Read full announcement (external link)
Originally published on 11 Mar
Oulu’s position as an international conference and congress city was strengthened by the growth in events held in 2025. At the same time, recent tourism statistics show that 2026 has started strongly for both tourism in Oulu and the Pohjola Route region. This growth is supported by increased event activity, the visibility brought by the Capital of Culture year, and growing international interest in Northern Finland.
According to recent statistics from the Finland Convention Bureau, 36 international congresses were held in Oulu last year, which is five more than in 2024. This result placed Oulu sixth in the comparison of Finnish congress cities.
Read full announcement (external link)
Originally published on 9 Mar