Poland’s $1 Trillion Economy Flexes Its Muscle in Germany
Companies from Eastern Europe’s regional powerhouse are making more and more acquisitions next door.
Warsaw’s skyline reflects the country’s economic boom.
Photographer: Damian Lemanski/BloombergWhen Polish tech executive Jacek Swiderski was studying in Germany in the 1990s, it seemed unlikely that his home country might one day come out of the shadow of its larger, richer neighbor. Poland was just shaking off communism, its economy opening up to foreign investors.
Yet three decades later, the internet company he founded and still runs is expanding by acquiring Germany’s third-largest travel platform. And his Wirtualna Polska Holding SA’s €240 million ($283 million) takeover of Invia Group is just one of a flurry of purchases by Polish firms.