The CEE Deal of the Year Awards, organized by CEE Legal Matters, recognize the most significant and impactful transactions across Central and Eastern Europe. Established in 2017, the awards honour excellence in legal and transactional achievement throughout the region, with annual award ceremonies held in major European cities including Prague, Budapest, London, Istanbul, and Warsaw.
DGKV has a strong history with the awards. Last year, Djingov, Gouginski, Kyutchukov & Velichkov, together with Karanovic & Partners, Lakatos Köves & Partners, Perkins Coie, Schoenherr, Sullivan & Cromwell, Van Doorne, and White & Case, won the CEE Deal of the Year Award for E&’s acquisition of PPF Telecom’s Bulgarian, Hungarian, Serbian, and Slovakian assets, a landmark multi-jurisdictional transaction valued at EUR 2.15 billion. The same transaction was also awarded Deal of the Year - Bulgaria.
DGKV is proud to be recognized once again in CEE Legal Matters’ 2026 shortlist, with involvement in three out of five shortlisted deals for the Bulgarian market.
Shortlisted Transactions Involving DGKV
- EnduroSat’s USD 104 Million Funding Round
DGKV, together with Goodwin, advised Riot Ventures, which led a USD 104 million financing round supporting EnduroSat EAD, a Bulgarian manufacturer of satellites and related equipment and a leading provider of satellite constellations-as-a-service. The funding will be used to scale production of EnduroSat’s new Gen3 ESPA-class satellites.
The DGKV team, led by Partner Violetta Kunze, carried out full-scope legal due diligence and provided antitrust and FDI screening advice.
Full details of the lawyers and parties involved can be found here.
- Eurobank Bulgaria Covered Bonds
Eurobank Bulgaria’s issuance of covered bonds under Bulgaria’s newly adopted Covered Bonds Act marks a landmark transaction for the local capital markets. Tsvetkova Bebov & Partners, member of Eversheds Sutherland, working with Clifford Chance Pte Ltd, advised Eurobank Bulgaria as issuer.
DGKV, working with Linklaters, advised Citibank as sole bookrunner and trustee on the EUR 500 million issuance. Our team was led by Partners Gergana Monovska and Georgi Tzvetkov.
Full details of the transaction can be found here.
- Renalfa IPP EUR 1.2 Billion Investment and Financing
DGKV advised the lenders on Renalfa IPP’s EUR 1.2 billion renewable energy investment program, covering photovoltaic, battery electricity storage systems, and wind projects across Bulgaria, Hungary, North Macedonia, and Romania, as well as on a EUR 315 million EBRD-led club loan facility.
The lender group included the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Black Sea Trade and Development Bank, OTP, NLB, UniCredit, and Kommunalkredit, with UniCredit Bulbank acting as Bulgarian security agent. DGKV worked alongside A&O Shearman, with leading lawyer on our side Partner Kaloyan Krumov.
Full details of the transaction can be found here.
These nominations underscore DGKV’s sustained excellence and leadership across the CEE region, particularly in banking and finance, corporate and M&A, energy, and telecommunications, and reflect the outstanding work of the firm’s partners and lawyers.
The remaining shortlisted Bulgarian transactions are Enery’s acquisition of a BESS project from Most Energy and the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant Units 7 & 8 New Build project.
The full shortlist for all countries is available here.
The winners of the 2026 CEE Deal of the Year Awards will be announced at the annual awards banquet on 27 May 2026 in Bucharest, Romania. Learn more about the event here.
DGKV congratulates all teams involved and thanks its clients for their continued trust and collaboration, as well as CEE Legal Matters for the recognition.