The Romanian banks hold in their portfolio Government papers (bonds and bills) worth 7% of GDP, the highest amount in Europe, and this might bring them significant losses if the interest rates are rising and the yield curve flattens, according to Florian Neagu, deputy head of the macrostability division of the National bank of Romania (BNR), quoted by Economica.net. The losses potentially incurred by banks under adverse scenarios may reach 17.6% of the portfolio of assets and liabilities sensitive to interest rates, he explained. The banking system’s profitability is high, and the solvency ratio is strong, he said, adding that all these can deteriorate under certain circumstances. In fact, the Romanian banks’ profitability (13% return on equity versus 7.6% in EU) is above the EU average, and above the profitability in the real sector, the BNR official stated. The solvency ratio (22% versus 17.1% in the EU) is also above average, and the non-performing loans ratio is still small (3.7%) even if above the EU average (2.5%). However, the solvency ratio can lose 2pp from distributing dividends, another 2pp when building up provisions next year. The losses generated by adverse developments of the interests and yield curve would come on top of these two effects.
The HALO Events Center in Bucharest is set to open the largest event space in Europe equipped with a 360° panoramic LED display within the Romexpo complex. The new location is designed for large-scale, fully digitalized events, and it is the result of an EUR 4 million investment. The venue has a maximum indoor capacity of […]
The concept of the mega-project DraculaLand, a privately funded development exceeding EUR 1 billion that aims to become the largest entertainment, retail, and technology destination in Europe, was recently unveiled. The investment is planned for a 160-hectare site not far from Bucharest and aims to position Romania as a new global hub for large-scale entertainment, […]
FEPRA has opened new PET and glass recycling facilities in Brad, Hunedoara county, an initiative expected to boost the recycling capacity of both the region and Romania. The two units, inaugurated on December 1 in the presence of local authorities, come as Brad–Hunedoara continues to search for long-term economic alternatives after years of industrial decline. […]
Ukraine’s Security Service, or SBU, announced on Wednesday, December 3, that all its “Sea Baby” maritime drones engaged in operational missions in the Black Sea region have been identified, that it has not lost any of them, and that none entered Romanian territorial waters. The announcement came after Romania’s Defense Ministry said in a press […]
Rescuers part of the Brașov County Salvamont Service spent the night in the Bucegi Mountains on Wednesday to Thursday, December 3-4, to continue searches for missing 18-year-old British citizen George Smyth. In the morning, the team of 17 mountain rescuers who slept in a chalet resumed the search in the Țigănești area despite difficult conditions […]
Roughly nine in ten Romanian employers plan to award Christmas benefits to their staff this year, according to a new survey conducted by leading online recruitment platform eJobs. The findings show that 89.7% of employers have prepared holiday perks for December, while 10.3% reported having no budget available for this purpose. As in previous years, […]
