Direct foreign investments in Bosnia have increased by 2.8 per cent in 2018 compared to the year before, amounting to 800 million BAM, the Central Bank said on Monday.

The director of Bosnia’s Foreign Investment Promotion Agency (FIPA), Gordan Milinic, expressed satisfaction over the increase, saying that it came despite a difficult year for investments due to the election campaign rhetoric which usually draws away foreign investors.

An increase of foreign investments is also expected in 2019, considering the number of meetings FIPA held since the beginning of the year. According to FIPA, the investments are expected to create new jobs.