Stockholm School of Economics in Riga

👋 Summer is still in full bloom, but September and a new season of learning are just around the corner, not only for students, but for professionals too.

season of at SSE Riga is about to begin. Applications are open!

Choose from:

🔹 Accounting and Finance Essentials
https://www.sseriga.edu/accounting-and-finance-essentials

🔹 Effective Manager Programme
https://www.sseriga.edu/effective-manager-programme

🔹 Advanced Management Programme
https://www.sseriga.edu/advanced-management-programme

🔹 Sales and Marketing Programme
https://www.sseriga.edu/sales-and-marketing-programme

Professional growth is an ongoing habit and our team and lecturers at SSE Riga are ready to guide you along the way. Last study year, 445+ professionals completed SSE Riga Executive Education programmes, giving their experience an average rating of 9 out of 10. 💫

One last spotlight on the Mini MBA in before we head for summer break!☀️

Cohort 6 - delivered in collaboration with the Latvijas Investīciju un attīstības aģentūra - LIAA has officially completed the programme.

These 12 weeks flew by - from innovation and design thinking to AI, leadership and final innovation project presentations, this bunch embraced every challenge with enthusiasm and a willingness to learn.

And perhaps the biggest takeaway of all? Having the courage to see opportunities from a new perspective and building valuable connections.

Congratulations to everyone! 🥳

A special thank you to Līga Brasliņa for being not only an outstanding programme mentor but also, as this group jokingly described you, their unofficial therapist. 😊

This programme is implemented under the ERDF project "Development of Innovative Entrepreneurship of SMEs."

Applications for the upcoming in open on August 13 at 10:00!

Together with Latvijas Investīciju un attīstības aģentūra - LIAA, we are excited to launch a new cohort of this EU-funded 11-week programme tailored for SME owners, innovation professionals, and team leaders operating within Latvia’s RIS3 sectors.

The programme combines practical learning with real-world business challenges, helping participants develop innovation-driven thinking, discover AI-powered solutions, and explore new approaches to business growth alongside experienced lecturers and industry peers.

📅 Programme starts September 23
👥 Places are limited - previous groups reached full capacity within hours!

👉 Register here: https://liaa.business.gov.lv/atbalsta-iespejas/apmacibu-kurss-mini-mba-inovaciju-vadiba

The programme is delivered within the ERDF project “Development of Innovative Entrepreneurship of SMEs.”

33 new Executive MBA graduates. 🎓 A record year.

Congratulations to the largest Executive MBA graduating class in SSE Riga's history!

The diploma is just one part of the experience. The friendships, conversations, study trips, Saturdays in SSE Riga hoodies, challenging assignments and everything in between are what make the journey memorable.

This year’s Executive MBA Class of 2026 chose to mark their graduation by funding a scholarship for the best admitted Bachelor’s student starting at SSE Riga this autumn, continuing the tradition of giving back.

💙

We're still not over Graduation Day! Here’s another batch of photos capturing the joy of our Bachelor Class of 2026. ✨

📊 Latvia’s Shadow Economy remains high – is it time for new initiatives?

According to the latest findings from the SSE Riga Shadow Economy Index for the Baltic Countries presented on June 15, the size of Latvia’s shadow economy increased slightly in 2025, reaching 21.8% of GDP. This represents a rise of 0.4 percentage points compared to 2024.

A similar increase was observed in Estonia, where the shadow economy grew by 1.4 percentage points to 20.8% of GDP. In contrast, Lithuania recorded a decline, with the shadow economy falling to 23.6% of GDP, down 1.1 percentage points from the previous year.

According to the study’s authors, SSE Riga professors Dr. Talis Putnins and Dr. Arnis Sauka, the data indicate a continuing convergence in shadow economy levels across the three countries, following the trend already observed last year.

The SSE Riga Shadow Economy Index has been calculated annually across the Baltic countries since 2009. The full study is available in Latvian and English here: https://www.sseriga.edu/latvias-shadow-economy-remains-high-it-time-new-initiatives

Three years of lectures, deadlines, late nights, friendships and countless memories somehow come down to a single day. Graduation Day! 🎓

But if there is one thing we know about SSE Riga, it’s that graduation is rarely the end of the story. The community built here has a way of bringing people back together.

So while today marks the end of studies, we’re quite certain this is not it!

Congratulations to our 127 graduates this year! Class of 2026, welcome to the SSE Riga alumni community. 💙

Could a US tax on AI become an unexpected opportunity for Latvia?

Dr. Dmitrijs Kravčenko explains why developments in AI policy abroad may have important implications at home:

"AI taxation may seem, at first glance, like a debate for Washington, Brussels, Beijing, and the companies building frontier models. But, for us in Latvia, the consequences may not stop there. If the US adopts some version of a flat “token tax”, the likely response may not simply be lower AI use but changes in routing, caching, billing structures, and inference locations, as providers will look to off-shore compute to lower-friction jurisdictions.

Should this happen, Latvia’s renewable-energy profile, northern location, EU market access, existing and forthcoming data-centre projects, and cybersecurity capabilities could become a source of competitive advantage, but only if we choose to leverage this potentiality and act accordingly."

🔗 Read more about this in the latest commentary from the SSE Riga Exploring Superintelligence programme: https://www.sseriga.edu/sse-riga-associate-professor-dmitrijs-kravcenko-us-debates-taxing-ai-why-should-latvia-care

Our community is growing again! Today, 150 applicants received their acceptance letters to join the SSE Riga of 2029!

Admission to SSE Riga is highly competitive and this year the acceptance rate was 20%. In addition to meeting our academic requirements, applicants complete an entrance examination that assesses mathematics, logical aptitude, and English. This is followed by individual interviews where we are looking not for perfection, but for ambition and passion.

So, here we are, excited to meet our BSc Class of 2029 in August.