CENTER Deutsche Börse Group plans to hire 40 people this year for a software center in Prague and bring on 110 more by 2008. Michael Gassmann, managing director of the Czech office, said the company is confident it will find enough qualified workers on the domestic market but is also prepared to hire foreigners.

STOCK Development company Orco's stock has risen 64 percent on the Prague Stock Exchange (PSE) this year, making it the biggest gainer on the market. Analysts had predicted Orco would be a hot buy on the PSE this year because the company is expanding.

MERGER The antitrust office (ÚOHS) has approved the merger of K&K Capital Group, owned by Czech entrepreneur Karel Komárek, and Vítkovice Holding, the ÚOHS announced July 14. Komárek, one of the country's richest men, announced his interest in Vítkovice Holding last fall. Vítkovice Holding shelters 26 companies in this country, Poland, Slovakia and Croatia.

DIGITAL The Czech Telecommunications Office will make a final decision in September on when to stop analog broadcasting. České Radiokomunikace, Czech TV and TV Nova would like it to happen in November of 2011, but broadcasters that have already received new digital licenses are pushing for 2008.

BANKS Czech banks have started opening non-cash branches to save on security costs. Komerční banka and Poštovní banka have launched 30 such branches, where customers can only take out money at ATMs. The move comes at a time when banks are facing a growing threat of robbery. There were 182 bank robberies in this country last year, compared with 34 in 2002.

TOLL A six month delay in the launch of an electronic toll system on Czech highways will cost the country more than 1.5 billion Kč, Lidové noviny reported July 14. Kapsch, the company that won a tender to provide an e-toll system, said it will finish the project in January of 2007 but will only begin collecting tolls in July.