The green banking exposure increased starting with June 2015, up to 5.1 billion RON, at the end of June 2021, amounting to 4 pct of the total exposures to the non-financial sector, according to the data published by the National Bank of Romania (BNR)."The strong expansion (320 pct compared to the beginning of the period) of green exposures shows an increasing appetite of banks for green lending and for supporting the transition to a low-carbon economy," is mentioned in the document "The monitoring table of climate risks on the banking sector in Romania", published by the BNR.The green exposure was determined according to the methodology used in the Report of the NCMO (National Committee for Macro-prudential Oversight) Working Group on supporting green financing, being identified the loans granted for activities with the effect of diminishing the impact on the environment or of adapting to climate change, explains the BNR.During the entire period under review, the average green credit interest rate was lower than the average interest rate on loans in the entire sector of non-financial corporations, which may indicate that banks perceive companies and green activities as less risky than the market average.At the end of June 2021, the average interest rate on green loans was 4.22 pct, while the average interest rate on loans to non-financial corporations was 2.25 percentage points higher, or 6.47 pct."After the total number of bonds worldwide in the period 1980-2011 was 6.75 billion euros, since 2012, financing through green bonds has gained a considerable momentum, reaching from 2.23 billion euros in the reference year to 270 billion euros in 2020. At the same time, by August 2021, the sum of green bond issuances amounted to EUR 280 billion, already exceeding that for 2020, which reveals both an increase in the number and size of projects and green activities on the part of governments and companies, as well as an increasing interest in this type of instruments on the part of investors," the BNR document reads.Moreover, between 2012 and 2021, the European Union held the largest share of all green bonds issued worldwide. During this period, the share of green bonds issued in the EU varied between 36 pct (in 2016) and 68 pct (in 2014).At the same time, since 2015, the issuance of green bonds has increased in China and the United States of America, and has reached from 0.84 billion euros and 8.79 billion euros to 16.21 billion euros and 42.72 billion euros respectively, at the end of 2020.In Romania, two issues of green bonds took place on the Bucharest Stock Exchange (BVB), both in 2021, with a total value of 327 million euros, the National Bank adds.
The Japanese premium skincare brand Onshindo Osaka officially enters the Romanian market through its exclusive distributor, Pharma Brands, marking a new milestone in its European expansion strategy. Following its successful launch in Spain, the company aims to capitalize on the growing interest of Romanian consumers in premium skincare products with clinically proven efficacy and authentic […]
Honor appointed Kerr Cheng as the new country manager for Romania, placing him at the helm during a “key phase” of the brand’s expansion in Central and Eastern Europe. The company said Romania remains one of its most dynamic and strategically important markets in the region, and Cheng will be responsible for accelerating local growth […]
Romania has closed its participation in the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale with the conclusion of Human Scale, the exhibition presented in the Romanian Pavilion at Giardini della Biennale and in the New Gallery of the Romanian Institute of Culture and Humanistic Research. Meanwhile, the project’s official catalogue has been made available to the public. The […]
The forests around the mountain city of Brașov and the Postăvaru Massif may be home to the largest densities of large owls in the world, according to a study by biologist Călin Vasile Hodor from Wildlife Management Consulting and professor Dan Traian Ionescu from the Faculty of Forestry Brașov, as quoted by BizBrasov.ro. The study […]
The final version of Romania's national defence strategy 2025-2030, as amended following the public consultations and approved by the members of the Supreme National Defence Council (CSAT), is to be presented by president Nicusor Dan in Parliament, where it will be debated and voted on by lawmakers. The Romanian state must be prepared to manage […]
Romania aims, through its new National Defense Strategy, to become the second military power on the eastern flank and a defense provider in the Black Sea region, according to defense minister Ionuț Moșteanu. The new National Defense Strategy is a paradigm shift, the minister said. “A fundamentally different point of view is that we are […]
