Romania, largest share of female investors on stock exchange of countries where XTB fintech platform is present

Romania is the undisputed leader in terms of the share of women among investors in countries where the XTB fintech platform is present, with a rate of 20% as of 2023.According to a press release from the specialized platform, sent on last Friday, eight out of ten XTB clients in Romania are on maternity leave or have children and are looking for ways to increase their savings. At the same time, after Romania, the regions with a significant share of women investors are: Middle East and North Africa - MENA region (18%), Poland (13%) and Portugal (13%).Conversely, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, France, Germany and Spain are on the list of countries with the lowest percentage.According to the cited analysis, among the European markets, in 2023, Romania was the leader, although there was a decrease of 6% compared to the previous year. Other markets are growing compared to 2022, with the biggest differences being observed in Germany (+6%), Poland (+5%) and Spain (+5%). However, beyond Europe's borders, the MENA region enjoys the highest share of female investors among start-ups, at 24%."Another notable trend is that investing in financial markets seems to attract younger clients. In Romania, the average female investor is 35 years old, compared to 33 for men. In other countries, women start investing even earlier, with an average age of 34 in Poland, for example. Among the challenges women face in the financial market are lack of confidence in their investment skills, lack of financial education and the lower disposable income they have. The pay gap between women and men is visible if we look at other XTB figures: the average deposit value of Romanian men is 1.5 times higher than that of women. The same ratio can be applied to the average transaction value. Over the years, many stereotypes have circulated about women's activity in the financial markets. Stereotypes have been ignored and women are certainly aware of the benefits of sustainable investments: in all countries where ETF-based investment plans are available, an average of 11% of them are owned by women," the release states.As for other asset classes, Romanian women investors had a preference for stocks with exposure to global markets, such as Tesla, AXA and Palantir Technologies. Women also invested in gold, amid a 13% rise in the price of this rare metal in 2023.In terms of how women conduct their transactions, female investors in Romania have adopted a more conservative approach, with the share of desktop transactions still relatively high (46%).XTB is a global fintech company offering individual investors instant access to financial markets around the world through an innovative online investment platform and the XTB mobile app. Founded in Poland in 2002, it currently supports more than 935,000 clients globally with their trading plans.Since 2016, XTB shares are listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange.