Analysts surveyed by Economica.net reveal expectations for an interest rate hike at the monetary board of the National Bank of Romania (BNR), possibly of 50 bp to 2.25%, perhaps accompanied by further widening of the interest rate corridor that would push up further the Lombard interest rate. "We expect the National Bank of Romania to increase the key interest rate from 1.75% to 2.25%. We also anticipate the widening of the corridor formed by the interest rates of permanent facilities around the monetary policy interest rate to +/- 1.00 pp, from +/- 0.75 pp now," said Valentin Tataru, chief economist of ING Bank. Adrian Codarlasu, vice president of CFA Romania Association, believes that Poland hiking the rate by 50 bp this week to 2.25% sets grounds for an increase in Romania's monetary policy interest rate by 0.5% as well, compared to the initial expectations for 0.25 bp hike expressed by the Association. He also warned that the headline inflation might hit 10% YoY in May-June, judging from the factory-gate inflation of 32% (in November) recently announced. Ionut Dumitru, Raiffeisen Bank's chief economist, points out that Raiffeisen Bank's forecast envisages a policy interest rate of up to 2.5% by mid-2022 and 3% by the end of 2022. "We expect the BNR to catch up with colleagues in Central and Eastern Europe and offer a key rate hike of 50 bp to 2.25% at the next January 10 interest rate meeting. The excess liquidity after high public spending at the end of the year should support such a decision. The BNR should remain a net debtor to the banking system for the next two months," he explained.
Daniel Christian Hulea, a Romanian man accused of contributing to the NetWalker ransomware attacks, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit computer fraud and wire fraud, according to a public announcement from the US Department of Justice. NetWalker was a Ransomware-as-a-Service operation launched in 2019, which recruited […]
The new Romanian government, headed by the same Social Democratic prime minister, Marcel Ciolacu, recently made its governance program public. Among its objectives are reducing the level of bureaucracy, maintaining the flat tax rate, and reducing the budget deficit to 7% in 2025. To reach its goals, the government reduced the number of ministries to […]
The European Commission (EC) announced on Monday, December 23, that it disbursed payments under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) to Czechia, Germany, Italy, Portugal, and Romania, totaling EUR 26.8 billion in loans and grants. Under this latest disbursement, Romania received EUR 37.05 million as part of its second payment request. By comparison, according to the...
Romanian film trilogy Moromeții, directed by Stere Gulea, will be presented at the 54th edition of the Rotterdam International Film Festival, taking place from January 30 to February 9, 2025. This renowned European event, which annually presents hundreds of films across more than 20 sections, will feature the three films - Moromeții (1987), Moromeții 2 […]
Romania issued state aid worth EUR 1.3 billion during 2019-2023, with 62% of the projects being granted to foreign companies, according to an analysis conducted by EY Romania. The sectors that benefited the most from aid were the automotive industry, technology, manufacturing (light industry), medical industry, and the food and beverage industry. According to the […]
The Abracadabra – Secrets of Magic interactive exhibition will transform Arcub – Hanul Gabroveni in Bucharest into a magical universe starting December 27, 2024. Running until May 4, 2025, the event offers visitors the opportunity to explore a labyrinth of magic, featuring over 20 interactive attractions and more than 500 live performances by MAGITOT and […]
