The European Commission (EC) has concluded that Romania's EUR 200 million (RON 1 billion) recapitalisation of the wholly state-owned CEC Bank does not constitute state aid within the meaning of EU state aid rules, the commissiom reported on Monday.In September 2024, Romania informed the commission of its intention to recapitalise CEC Bank, with the primary goals of enhancing its lending capacity, developing the CEC Financial Group, and improving operational efficiency by streamlining workflows within the bank. Romania submitted a business plan covering the period 2025-2028, along with a long-term outlook for 2029-2032, and a report on the 'private investor test', all of which were evaluated by the commission.The commission assessed the measure under the EU state aid rules. Following its assessment, the commission found that Romania's recapitalisation of CEC Bank does not constitute state aid. EU state aid rules specify that if a member state acts as a private investor would and is compensated for the risk in a manner acceptable to a prudent private investor, the intervention does not constitute state aid.The commission's assessment of Romania's business plan indicated that the EUR 200 million capital injection would yield returns consistent with market conditions for the Romanian state, CEC Bank's sole shareholder. The business plan forecasts increased market share in lending and deposits, improved efficiency, and robust capital levels.
Representatives of the ruling Social Democratic Party, PSD, gathered for a congress in Bucharest on Friday, November 7, to elect new leadership and to amend the party’s Statute. The only candidate for party leader is Sorin Grindeanu, who held the interim position after Marcel Ciolacu's resignation in May. In his speech at the congress, Sorin […]
The e-commerce sector recorded strong early results on Black Friday 2025, according to real-time data released on Friday, November 7, by PayU GPO Romania from its dedicated Media Center. By 14:10, the payment processor reported successful transactions totaling RON 514 million (roughly EUR 101 million). PayU said shoppers had made roughly 889,000 purchases, with around […]
Contakt Express Logistik, one of Romania’s leading retailers of mobile phone and tablet accessories, with a network of over 235 stores, is set to launch the initial public offering (IPO) between November 12 and December 3, 2025. The company offers a wide range of products, including cases, screen protectors, chargers, and gadgets, both in physical […]
Romania attracts fewer international tourists today than it did during the communist era, making it the only country in Europe in this situation, the National Association of Travel Agencies (ANAT) warned, as reported by news agency Agerpres. According to the organization, Romania received more than 3.4...
InterCapital ETF, the first international ETF provider in Romania, will launch two new exchange-traded funds on the Bucharest Stock Exchange starting November 11, 2025. The new instruments are the InterCapital CROBEX10 TR UCITS ETF, which offers exposure to the Croatian blue-chip equity market by tracking the performance of the CROBEX10tr index, and the InterCapital EUR […]
The Competition Councils of Romania, Bulgaria, and the Republic of Moldova have granted the necessary authorizations and approvals for the completion of the transaction through which Maspex Romania takes over the majority shareholding of Purcari Wineries. The Maspex Group, which has been present in Romania for nearly 30 years, became the majority shareholder of one […]
