Deloitte:We see a lot of interest from investors in certain service areas, such as financial services

Investors are interested in specific service areas, such as financial services, given that the level of financial intermediation in Romania is still relatively low, Deloitte Country Managing Partner Alexandru Reff told a specialist conference."We see a lot of interest from investors in certain service areas, such as financial services. There is still a relatively low level of financial intermediation - and you have seen that, whenever a transaction with a sufficiently large bank is discussed, there is a lot of interest, including from new players. There is still much to be done in the financial intermediation area, in insurance, savings products, investments, and so on," said Alexandru Reff at the "ZF TOP 1,000 Largest Companies: A Thousand Reasons to Trust Romania" conference.In his view, there is a lot of potential in the services sector, including those that have been neglected by the state so far."In general, there is a lot of potential in the services sector, including those neglected by the state until now. We see investments in education, healthcare. Retail attracts a lot of interest, there is still potential in the evolution of modern retail compared to traditional retail. Purchasing power is increasing and will likely consolidate as a result - we have seen significant investments and new acquisitions. We hope that the reconstruction of Ukraine will follow. Regarding logistics, we are very well-positioned, and many developments are happening in construction and logistics. Anyway, logistics is needed both for the expansion of retail and for the growth of e-commerce, which still has a relatively small share... In agriculture, we have great potential due to the size of the land, soil quality, and water availability, even though we still lack irrigation infrastructure," added Alexandru Reff.He also underscored the need for the state to mobilise resources in various areas, such as construction, infrastructure (including transport and energy distribution), but also in "healthcare infrastructure."The Deloitte representative pointed out that stability is needed in the budgetary area because "this is where fiscal policy predictability derives from.""Look at what happens with budgetary deviations and what we all expect to happen further, aiming for a necessary and unavoidable fiscal adjustment, for exchange rate stability and controlling financing costs. If the state borrows at such high costs, as it does today, it obviously raises the financing costs for the entire economy. We need a state that does not interfere and ensures the framework for economic activity and necessary infrastructure, and in terms of strategy, it would be great if the state could help by encouraging certain industries, including through subsidies for specific investments, which is happening very aggressively in other parts of the world, especially where there is more budgetary space," Reff said.In his opinion, the state should create ecosystems that encourage innovation, "something that is quite difficult to achieve without public support," and encourage, through certain regulations or simply by relaxing some regulations and providing facilities, specific sectors, especially those with higher value-added production, such as innovation, research and development.