  We report recent results on the dynamics of strange hadrons in two-body
reactions relevant for near-threshold production in heavy-ion collisions at
GSI/FAIR and NICA-Dubna. In particular, $\bar K N$ scattering in hot and dense
nuclear matter is studied within a chiral unitary framework in coupled
channels, setting up the starting point for implementations in microscopic
off-shell transport approaches. We focus on the calculation of transition rates
with special attention to the excitation of hyperon resonances and isospin
effects. Additionally, we explore "unconventional" strangeness generation by
meson-meson and meson-baryon interactions in connection with recent HADES
observations of deep sub-threshold $\phi$ and $\Xi$ production.
