Lei depositors are penalized by low interest rates, which is a reason why BNR will have to increase interest rates further to prevent a migration to the euro, the so-called Euroization of the economy, Valentin Lazea, chief economist at the national Bank of Romania (BNR), said recently at a specialized conference. The BNR official said that the rate between loans and deposits is kept subunit both for the lei – 0.82 in April as well as for foreign currency – 0.51 in April. ‘In other words, there are fewer loans both in lei and in foreign currency than deposits in banks. What does it mean? It means that the banks have sufficient funds for lending, but they do not find enough possibilities to place them – and this is happening as almost 40% of the Romanian companies are non-bankable – a story which has been lasting for 30 years – nobody wants to deal with it. What is 40% of the non-bankable companies? It means lower capital than 200 lei or negative capital. Lending could exist, but first you need to exist the capitalization of the companies’ Lazea said.As regards lending, the first five months of 2022, despite the war in Ukraine, lending has increased in nominal terms, both the governmental one and the non-governmental. As regards the profitability of the banking system, the BNR head economist said that, after four months, namely between January – April, the cumulated profit is 2.9 million lei, being approximately similar to the previous year, when it was almost 8,2 billion lei, for the whole year.
Romanian prime minister Marcel Ciolacu said on Monday, February 24, that a "lasting peace" in Ukraine cannot be achieved without the involvement of the United States, and argued that Romania does not have to choose between it and the European Union. The statements come as the Trump administration is currently negotiating a resolution to the […]
Romania's acting president, Ilie Bolojan, has invited leaders of parliamentary parties to consultations on Wednesday, February 26, to prepare the country's stance for the extraordinary European Council meeting on March 6 in Brussels. The summit, convened by European Council president Antonio Costa,...
Roughly 40 searches took place in the Port of Constanța and other locations on Monday, February 24, in an investigation by the Anti-Corruption Directorate, or DNA, targeting influential local businessmen, former customs officials in the port, and one of the leaders of the Constanța branch of the governing Social Democratic Party (PSD). The prosecutors’ accusations […]
The Bucharest Community Foundation has announced funding for two new projects aimed at enhancing climate resilience in the Romanian capital by implementing sustainable ecological solutions to improve urban infrastructure and environmental quality. The projects were selected through the sixth round of the Environmental Platform for Bucharest initiative. Out of 16 eligible proposals, the jury chose […]
One of the hostages released on Saturday, February 22, by the terrorist organization Hamas also holds Romanian citizenship. The exchange took place before another setback in negotiations and exchanges. Hostages Tal Shoham and Avera Mengistu were released during a staged event in Rafah, and hostages Eliya Cohen, Omer Shem Tov, and Omer Wenkert were released […]
Polish company Scallier, who is expanding its network of Funshop Park retail parks in Romania, is set to open a new shopping center in the Arad region. The opening date for the roughly 10,000 sqm retail park is March 6. The decision to build a retail park in the Arad region in western Romania was […]
