Savings instruments are the favorites of Europeans, and Romanians and Britons are the most concerned about them

Saving instruments are the favorite of Europeans (27%) and the Romanians and the British are most preoccupied by them (36%) according to a study made by Dynata among 8,032 interviewees from eight European countries, out of whom 1,000 Romanians.According to a press release of Revolut, the pandemics lessons and financial instability and energy crisis of 2022 have their effect, and the financial behavior of the Europeans is careful, over the next 12 months. In 2023, the Europeans seem rather preoccupied to protect their goods and real estate properties, health or even life rather than invest in new financial instruments or increase the level of endebtedness through loans and credits. 27% of the interviewees intend to save and the British and the Romanians are most interested to save money (36%), followed by the French (35%).The representatives of both genres are similarly interested to save (27%) while the age category most preoccupied with saving, at European level is represented by that of 18 to 24 years old (33%).In Romania, men and women have a high interest in saving, savings deposits being the first in their options regarding financial instruments taken into consideration for 2023, with 35% of the interviewees, among women, namely 36% of the men. As regards the top on regions where Romanians are driven to savings, first is the south-east part of the country (42%), followed by Bucuresti-Ilfov (39%) and south-western part of the country, including Oltenia (38%).The Revolut study and Dynata show that the good times of the mortgage loan seem to have disappeared. This proves that it would be the least wanted financial instrument taken into consideration in 2023 by the Europeans, including the Romanians. Only 3% of the interviewed ones would be interested by getting such a product, with the least interest in France (0.6%) or Romania (1%) and the highest in Lithuania or Spain (5.4%).The age sector 25- 34 still offers a chance to this financial instrument (5.1%) at European level, the same category which registers a superior percentage to the average of the market in Romania as well (1.50% against 1%). This low interest is kept both by the regime of property and the costs of residence acquisition. Romania is a European country with most residence owners (95% in 2021, according to Eurostat) while Germany has the lowest rate of owners (49.5% against 50.5% renters), the European average being 70% owners vs.30% renters.The Europeans are more preoccupied in 2023 by the protection of their present wealth rather than by its increase through high risk investments or the satisfaction of needs. Insurances are among the top three financial instruments to be adopted in 2023, especially on more mature markets, while on the Eastern-European markets their place is taken by riskier instruments such as cryptocoins. Similarly, 18% of the European interviewees take into consideration to keep money as cash, available, rather than to place it in different financial-banking instruments. Four out of ten Europeans intend to acquire house and car insurances in the new year. House insurances (18%) together with car insurances (22%) are second, namely third in the list of financial products for which the consumers prepare to allocate funds, in 2023.As regards funding of immediate needs, the credit card continues to be the most attractive products for the Europeans (13% of the interviewees).This product is very popular among the Italians (19%) and the British (18%) and is preferred by generation Z (17%, the third financial products as purchasing intention in 2023, after the savings accounts – 33% and cryptocoins 22%).When referring to the local market, the study shows that women prefer cautious behavior and based on prevention (17% opt for house insurances and 16% for car insurances) while men are more drawn to risk. Car insurances (26%) and credit cards (19%) are surpassed by cryptocoins (27%) in the top of financial instruments considered by the Romanian men in 2023. The interviewees in the northern-western part of the country and those in the category 18 – 24 are more interested in cryptocoins which are second among the financial instruments included in the plans on 2023 with 31%. By far, the Romanians with 21% are the Europeans with the best attitude to cryptocoins, in 2023, followed by the Poles and the Italians (11%). At the same time, the study shows that the Romanians get more towards a cashless economy. Thus the fact that the average at national level regarding the intention to own cash is inferior to the European one – 13% of the Romanian interviewees take into consideration to keep money at home, against 18% at European level. The biggest percentage of favourable answers to this behavior is in Germany (26%) and the lowest in the UK (11%). At European level, women prefer cash more than men (19% against 17%) and the option ‘ money in the mattress’ is, as expected, influenced by age – the percentage increases from 15.6% (18 – 24 years old) to almost 20% (over 45 years old).In Romania, the difference between the two genres in this respect is higher (16% against 10% with men) but the averages are inferior to those registered among European consumers, for each genre.Surprising is the change of preference for cash with age groups where, contrary to the European trend, the younger (18 – 24) prefer to keep money in the mattress in a larger proportion (18%) rather than those over 55 (11%). A possible explanation is that more mature sectors of the population are more preoccupied with saving and more familiarized with financial-banking products or investment instruments.At regional level, the Romanians in the western part of the country are rather supporters of money on card or in the bank, only 8% showing that money in the mattress is one of the variants to manage their funds in 2023. At the other end are, with 14% the interviewees in the northern-eastern part of the country and Muntenia.Even so, keeping a favourable trend for saving with the help of advanced financial technologies is encouraged, on the local market by the high rate of penetration of fintech type solutions, such as Revolut, the diversification of the solutions offered banking type, including through instruments for teenagers and children, Revolut under 18 type, the generalization of connectivity services of high speed and, not last, appetite for e-commerce, insurtech, cryptocoins or trading, as much accessible on a platform or app as possible.