The Centre for Alternative Resolution of Banking Sector Disputes (CSALB) received 18,300 requests for resolution between 2016 and 2024, and the benefits obtained by consumers amounted to 14.3 million euros, said Alexandru Paunescu, the representative of the National Bank of Romania within the CSALB College, on Thursday."This year marks 10 years since CSALB was established, but the actual operational activity started almost 9 years ago - almost, because the first request we received in 2016 was on March 1. But after 9 years of activity, CSALB has received approximately 18,300 requests from consumers. We started with small steps, initially with a few hundred requests and many refusals to enter the alternative dispute resolution procedure from professionals, to thousands of requests per year and the transformation of many of these requests into settlement cases. Still, most requests concern financial institutions, banks, and credit institutions, and there are also quite a few requests regarding non-banking financial institutions (NFIs). Unfortunately, non-banking financial institutions have only entered one case. They formed a single case out of the approximately 920 requests we received from consumers," Alexandru Paunescu told a press conference.According to the data presented at the conference, last year CSALB received 3,568 requests from consumers. Of these, 2,644 requests were directed at banks, and 924 requests were directed at IFNs. Banks agreed to enter 1,077 negotiations with consumers, while IFNs turned only one request into a conciliation case. Legal entities sent 6 requests to banks in 2024. The weekly average was 69 requests, compared to 56 requests per week in 2023.In 2024, there was a decrease in the number of requests for the removal of records from the Credit Bureau, with 935 requests, including 377 regarding banks and 558 regarding IFNs, compared to 1,234 requests in 2023.In 2024, there were 989 negotiations concluded with a settlement between the parties out of the total conciliations. In 65 cases, the parties did not reach an agreement. The percentage of settlements from the total negotiations is 94% - the highest in CSALB's entire activity.The number of requests resolved directly by the parties, after being referred to CSALB, decreased in 2024 to 301 cases. These are requests rejected in CSALB negotiations by banks and/or IFNs but in which consumers were offered a direct resolution.While the number of negotiations at CSALB has increased, the number of direct resolutions has decreased over the past three years. Last year, 301 requests sent to CSALB were resolved without the intervention of a conciliator.At the end of 2024, 167 lawsuits were closed because the parties wanted and succeeded in finding an amicable solution within CSALB. Between 2021 and 2024, 669 cases in court were resolved with the help of CSALB conciliators, initiated by the banks and consumers involved in these lawsuits or upon the recommendation of the judges.The average value of the benefits in cases where the parties reached an agreement decreased in 2024 to just over 3,000 euros, down from nearly 5,000 euros in 2023. The total value of the benefits obtained from consumer-bank negotiations was 14.3 million euros between 2016 and 2024.
Romanian deep-tech startup .lumen, the developer of what it says are the world’s first AI-powered glasses for the blind, has secured a new investment from EIT Urban Mobility, the European innovation community focused on advancing sustainable and inclusive urban mobility solutions. The value of the new funding round was not disclosed. The investment aligns with […]
The health spending per capita in Romania was the lowest in the EU, with spending less than half the EU average in 2023, the recently released report, State of Health in the EU - Romania Country Health Profile 2025, shows. At the same time, life expectancy in Romania is 5.1 years below the EU average, […]
Romania’s annual inflation rate stood at roughly 9.8% in November 2025, similar to October, according to data published by the National Institute of Statistics (INS). Food prices increased by 7.6% last month, while services rose roughly 11% and non-food goods climbed 10.7%. The consumer price index rose by 0.42% in November compared with October, while […]
Three French soldiers deployed in Romania as part of NATO’s Multinational Battle Group at Cincu intervened to save a truck driver following a serious traffic accident on the A3 Bucharest–Ploiești motorway, the Romanian Ministry of Defense said. The incident occurred earlier this week as the soldiers were traveling toward Ploiești and witnessed the truck crash...
Eight contemporary art galleries will present the works of the artists they represent at the third edition of the Smallest Art Fair in Town, an event dedicated to works on paper. This edition showcases works “investigating the state of wandering, disorientation, and rediscovery in the face of uncertainty.” Under the title In Dark Woods, A […]
Parents everywhere are asking an important question: What skills will truly prepare a child for a world defined by rapid change, global uncertainty, and the rise of artificial intelligence? For decades, schools focused entirely on academics. Today, research from neuroscience, performance psychology, and leading universities shows a different reality: The students who thrive long-term are […]
