Capital must flow not only from deposits into credits, but also from saving in private companies which create jobs and that is why it is important to have a developed capital and banling market, says Cristian Popa, a member of the Administration Board of the National Bank of Romania at the 12th edition of BVB Awards 2025, the annual ceremony awarding performances in the capital market in 2024. He referred to the increase of the number of stock market investors, mentioning that in 2015 there were 60,000-70,000 investors and 202,000 in 2024. At the same time, Popa reminded that the increase of GDP/ capita seven times and of the number of highway kilometers have grown ten times in the last 20 years. “There are figures that should be mentioned, especially in the context in which we operate now. Figures about the number of highway kilometers in Romania are undeniable: 113 km in 2003, 1074 in 2023, over 1,200 at present, an increase by ten times. GDP per capita was 2,400 euros 20 years ago, now it is 17,000 euros, that is an increase by 7 times. Direct foreign investments were 9.6 billion euros in 2003, 118 billion euros in 2023,”Popa said. He pointed out that Romania has known an important development, sometimes forgotten. “It is a fantastic development we tend to forget sometimes. We simply forget where we forget where we started from and where we are now. The average Romanian lives 80% of the life span of an average European. We must say that being and EU member helped Romania a lot, as well as the money coming from EU, 66 billion euros. These high contributions helped develop Romania by building roads, bridges , hospitals and helped us get where we are. I think it is important to remind those figures, because sometimes we lose the perspective being preoccupied by the present and foregetting to consider achievements,” Popa pointed out.
Romanian prime minister Ilie Bolojan stated during an interview on Wednesday, December 17, that there should be no statute of limitations in cases of serious corruption. The statement comes after a Recorder investigation, which showed that several heads of the major institutions in the Romanian justice system allegedly delayed trials for years until wrongdoings were […]
President Nicușor Dan has challenged, before the Constitutional Court (CCR), the constitutionality of the law that requires that at least 40% of the athletes who play on a team in official national competitions be Romanian. Dan noted that the law violates the principle of non-discrimination and the free movement of workers, enshrined both in the […]
Craiova International Airport will open its new passenger terminal on Thursday, December 18, completing a major infrastructure investment aimed at significantly expanding capacity and improving air connectivity in southwestern Romania. It is part of a broader expansion and modernization project financed through the Large Infrastructure Operational Programme (POIM) 2014–2020, with a total value exceeding EUR […]
Romania is set to be connected to the Western European energy network thanks to grid investments worth EUR 30 billion. The funds will be provided by the EU by 2035, and the project will link Romania to Hungary and Austria in a joint project. Romanian energy minister Bogdan Ivan signaled the signing of the new […]
Franck Bagouet has been appointed managing director of TotalEnergies Marketing Romania SA and managing director of Automotive Southeast Europe Hub TotalEnergies Marketing. He succeeds Didier Grimault, who has accepted a new position within the TotalEnergies company. “I am glad to join this dynamic affiliate and confident that, together with our talented team, we will reinforce […]
Databricks, the data analytics and artificial intelligence company co-founded by Romanian professors Ion Stoica and Matei Zaharia, announced on Tuesday, December 16, that it is raising USD 4 billion in funding at a valuation of USD 134 billion, according to CNBC. The new valuation represents a 34% increase compared to the August round, when Databricks […]
