Kardan, the real estate, financial services and infrastructure firm, reported a net loss of EUR 92 mln in 2009 mainly due to negative revaluation results in its CEE real estate activities and credit losses in its banking activities. However, operating revenues for GTC, Kardan's CEE Real Estate division, increased by 37% year-on-year.

Kardan, the real estate, financial services and infrastructure firm, reported a net loss of EUR 92 mln in 2009 mainly due to negative revaluation results in its CEE real estate activities and credit losses in its banking activities. However, operating revenues for GTC, Kardan's CEE Real Estate division, increased by 37% year-on-year.

Management attributed the growth to the quality of GTC's office and retail assets, inventory of apartments, and its resilient performance despite an adverse economic environment. 'Due to the quality of our projects and low leverage in some of them, we also managed to raise additional debt allowing the development activities of new projects that should come on board as the economies improve. This should give us a competitive advantage compared to developers who stopped all activities due to a lack of funds. Lower estimated future rental rates and an increase of investment yields, led to significant negative revaluations of investment properties.'

The company added that the past year was characterised by gradual stabilisation and the beginning of the recovery of the global economy. 'Although the world managed to avoid a depression, we still experienced one of the sharpest economic declines in modern time. The circumstances in emerging markets remain challenging, as is reflected in the negative results of the Kardan Group for the year 2009.'

At end-2009, the company had assets valued at EUR 909 mln compared to EUR 1.026 bn a year ago.