Klarna has become Sweden's next $1bn tech company. Michal Kaczmarski looks at how the company has simplified online payments to the benefit of buyers and retailers alike, and reports on its quest to replicate its existing success in Europe in the competitive US payments market. 

The hotels and tourism sector has been hit hard by the global financial crisis but, finds Michal Kaczmarski, some companies are still expanding, with opportunities in the Asia-Pacific region proving particularly enticing.

When 3M was looking for a location for its new headquarters in the Netherlands, the city of Delft's reputation as a hub for innovation, technology and R&D made the decision a simple one.

Lublin is rapidly establishing itself as a leading business hub in eastern Poland, with companies attracted by the city's large and highly skilled talent pool. Now, it is looking to benefit from the growing nearshoring trend, and is setting its sights on attracting businesses in the business process outsourcing sector.  

For more than a decade, the Medical University of Lublin has been attracting foreign students to the city with its English-language medical degrees. Now, the rest of Lublin's medical sector is catching on to the idea of targeting foreign customers, and the city is positioning itself as a medical tourism hub.

Lublin is working hard to strengthen the links between academia and business, with incubators fostering innovation and co-operation in the technology sector. 

Which industrial parks are set to shine the brightest, and why? Karen E Thuermer surveys the assets of industrially focused areas within free zones around the world and explains why they are ones to watch.