World Bank Group President David Malpass will arrive in Bucharest on Wednesday, April 13, 2022, for a two-day visit. This will be Mr. Malpass’ first trip to Romania as World Bank Group President. The visit reaffirms the World Bank Group’s commitment to partnering with Romania in support of sustainable economic growth and shared prosperity. “The World Bank Group has a strong partnership with Romania. We are committed to support further progress in Romania toward growth that builds on macroeconomic stability, inclusion, and strong institutions,” said World Bank Group President David Malpass. “In these turbulent times in the region, we are ready to support Romania as it hosts refugees fleeing from Ukraine and work with the authorities to improve living standards for all Romanians.” During his trip, David Malpass will meet with the authorities and partners of the World Bank Group in Romania. Mr. Malpass will have the opportunity to visit a World Bank-supported project in the education sector with a focus on supporting the Roma population. Joining Mr. Malpass on his visit will be Anna Bjerde, World Bank Vice President for Europe and Central Asia, Gallina A. Vincelette, World Bank Country Director for the European Union, and Ary Naim, IFC Regional Manager, Central and Southeast Europe. The World Bank’s active portfolio in Romania is composed of 9 investment projects totaling US$1.78 billion, and Advisory Services and Analytics tasks amounting to US$124.62 million. As of February 15, IFC's committed portfolio was $1.04 billion in over 30 projects, of which 55 percent represented investments in financial institutions, and the remaining 45 percent in the real sector. IFC’s outstanding portfolio stands at $954.48 million and its committed own account portfolio in Romania ranks 1st in the newly created IFC Europe region.
The number of people in Romania at risk of poverty stood at 3.59 million people in 2024, 375,000 fewer than in 2023, representing a 9.4% decrease, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics, or INS. Despite the improvement, nearly one in five Romanians was affected by poverty last year. According to INS, 19% […]
The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Cluj-Napoca carried out multiple searches on Tuesday, July 1, at the Sibiu International Airport and the Sibiu County Council as part of an investigation into suspected fraud involving a EUR 54 million EU-funded infrastructure project. A total of 24 locations were searched across Bucharest, Brașov, and Sibiu county, […]
A Romanian taxi driver who scammed 90-year-old Nigerian Nobel Prize laureate Wole Soyinka was detained by police on Sunday, June 29, according to media reports. On Friday, June 27, the venerable Nigerian arrived at Bucharest's Otopeni Airport. He got into a taxi and asked to be taken to a hotel downtown. At the destination, the […]
Costin Șerban, a Romanian entrepreneur, is digitalizing the construction sector in the United Kingdom with an ERP (enterprise resource planning) solution developed over 12 years and an investment of GBP 1.6 million (EUR 1.86 million). Șerban’s cloud-based ERP platform is called Abilo, was developed by the Romanian IT company Obi Systems, and is dedicated to […]
Border checks between Bulgaria and Romania have officially been lifted on July 1, as part of the implementation of the Schengen Agreement. The lifting marks the end of the transitional period of heightened control at the internal border, which had remained in place for six months following their accession to the Schengen area by land […]
Remus Vulpescu became CEO of the Bucharest Stock Exchange (BVB) on Tuesday, July 1, taking over from Adrian Tănase as the stock exchange grapples with a market dominated by government bonds. Vulpescu, 53, is a graduate in political and legal sciences from the University of Bucharest and holder of an EMBA obtained in 2017. He […]
