MERGER - HVB Bank and Živnobanka, the latter of the UniCredit group, will begin merger proceedings in March, Euro OnLine reported March 6. Jiří Kunert, the current CEO of Živnobanka, will reportedly be the CEO of the new bank, with the current executive officer for HVB Bank, David Grund, acting as his first deputy.

SAZKA - Sazka Arena was several million crowns in the red last year but should break even this year, Sazka CEO Aleš Hušák was quoted as saying in Hospodářské noviny March 6. Some experts have said there aren't enough large events in Prague to support the facility.

GERMANY - Exports to Germany, the country's largest trading partner, were flat last year at 622 billion Kč, while imports fell 1.1 percent to 548 billion Kč. As the German economy continues to rebound, the Czech Republic could benefit by receiving as many as 30 new investments this year, according to state inbound investment agency CzechInvest.

INVESTMENT - Russia will invest part of its income from oil in science and technology projects in the Czech Republic, Prime Minister Jiří Paroubek said after a March 2 meeting with Russian President Vladimír Putin. The two men discussed new contracts on oil and gas supplies to this country. Following the meeting, Paroubek also said that overall exports to Russia should continue to grow.

PROFIT - Mobile operator T-Mobile saw net profit increase 12.9 percentto 4.967 billion Kč last year, according to the company. Sales reached 27.9 billion Kč, and its client base increased by 274,000 people to 4.6 million. T-Mobile will face strong competition from the country's third-largest mobile operator, Vodafone Czech Republic, in the future, according to analysts.

HOPS - The Czech Republic exported 5,249 metric tons (5,786 short tons) of hops to 63 countries last year, 13 percent more than in 2004. Japan was the biggest customer, buying 33 percent of exports, according to the Czech Hops Association. The Czech Republic has the third-largest area of hops fields behind Germany and the United States.