The Lithuanian government endorsed on Wednesday a financial technology (fintech) sector development plan worked out by the Finance Ministry.

The planned relocation of the Lithuanian Agriculture Ministry from Vilnius to Kaunas is estimated to cost around 1.13 mln euros, with the lessor of new premises in Lithuania's second-biggest city to be named next summer.

The chairman of the Lithuanian parliament's Committee on Budget and Finance has turned to the Financial Crime Investigation Service (FNNT) and the State Security Department (VSD) over the UK-based startup Revolut's activities.

Lithuanian companies' cumulative direct investment abroad totaled 3.7 billion euros in late September 2018, a rise of 19% compared with a year ago.

The Bank of Lithuania and Statistics Lithuania are publishing the indicators of exports and imports of services for Q3 2018, broken down by country and type of service. The data shows that in Q3 2018 exports of services amounted to €2.7 bn, imports of services – €1.5 bn, while the surplus on the balance of services accounted for €1.1 bn or 9.5% of GDP.

AviaAM Leasing, an aircraft leasing and management company indirectly owned by Lithuanian businessman Gediminas Ziemelis, announced plans to invest 20 million euros into the construction of two hotels in Lithuania and Latvia over the next two years.

Lithuania's power and gas supply and trade company Lietuvos Energijos Tiekimas (Lithuanian Energy Suppply, LET) has sold a shipment of LNG to Trafigura, an international commodity trading and logistics company, and plans to continue cooperating with the Dutch company in the future.

Statistics Lithuania informs that, based on provisional data, in November 2018, the turnover (VAT excluded) of retail trade1 enterprises amounted to EUR 960.9 mln at current prices, and against October 2018, seasonally and calendar adjusted, grew by 0.4% (unadjusted – decreased by 4%).

Over the month, the turnover of enterprises trading in food products, seasonally and calendar adjusted, increased by 0.4%, of those trading in non-food products – by 1.6%, of those engaged in retail trade of automotive fuel – decreased by 1.5% at constant prices.

Over the year (November 2018, against November 2017), the turnover (VAT excluded) of retail trade enterprises, calendar adjusted, increased by 7 % at constant prices (unadjusted – 7.1%). The turnover of enterprises trading in food products, calendar adjusted, increased by 4.1, of those trading in non-food products – 8.2, of those engaged in retail trade of automotive fuel – 9.7% at constant prices.

In November 2018, the turnover of enterprises engaged in food and beverage service activities (VAT excluded) amounted to EUR 59.5 mln at current prices and, against October 2018, seasonally and calendar adjusted, decreased by 0.5% at constant prices (unadjusted – 6.1%). Over a year, calendar adjusted, the turnover of such enterprises increased by 9.7% at constant prices (unadjusted – 9.6%).

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Klaipedos Smelte, one of the largest stevedoring companies in Lithuania's port of Klaipeda, owned by international container terminal operator Terminal Investment, will invest into increasing its capacity with a ten-year loan of 80 mln euros from SEB.

German-owned retailer Lidl Lietuva invested 47 mln euros in expansion this year, almost twice as all the other market players whose combined investments plunged by 46 % year-on-year to at least 26 mln euros.