Romania
Romania’s public debt-to-GDP ratio up 12.4pp y/y to 47.7% at end-2020
Public indebtedness increased amid the government's efforts to support the private sector and address the health crisis.
Romania expects to get €720mn from sale of 5G licenses this year
Revenues for the state budget from the sale of the entire 5G frequency spectrum could "easily" exceed €720mn, regulator said.
Emerging Europe strong on women’s economic opportunities but dragged down by low pensions
Different retirement ages for men and women lead to lower pensions for women despite reforms in 2019-2020, says World Bank report.
Hidroelectrica becomes Romania's most profitable company ahead of potential IPO
Hidroelectrica replaced oil and gas group OMV Petrom as the country's most profitable company, reporting a 5% rise in net profit to almost €300mn in 2020.
Romania: Demography, labour force and pandemic
There were many changes during 2020, but for Romanians it is quite clear that 2021 will not be a year of plenty.
Romanian IT company Bittnet enters FTSE Russell indices
Romania will now have four companies in the FTSE Russell indices following its upgrade to secondary emerging market status last year.
Online is in vogue in Romania
eSales by online fashion sites are gaining on those of major retailers in Europe’s fastest-growing e-commerce market.
Abuse and hate speech against LGBTI people rises across Europe and Central Asia
Crackdown on democracy and civil society during pandemic accompanied by increase in hate speech by politicians finds ILGA-Europe report.
Romanian property rental platform Milluu raises money to expand in Poland
Largest-ever crowdfunding through Seedblink platform allows Milluu to replicate its business model in Warsaw.
Resilient emerging Europe labour markets to bounce back post-crisis
Unemployment growth has been modest and a return to tight labour markets is expected as economies recover from the coronacrisis.
ING: Romania’s 2021 budget plans – as good as it gets
Romania's 2021 budget plans could hardly have been more ambitious after being constrained by the high share of rigid spending in the last few years
Romania’s construction works up 16% in 2020
In a year marked by a 3.9% GDP contraction, the sector has been one of the few pockets of growth.
Romania’s economy doing better than expected after surprisingly strong Q4
BCR and ING Bank significantly improved their forecasts for Romania's 2021 GDP growth.
Romania’s external debt rises by 7.1% of GDP in 2020
Romania added €15.6bn to its external debt in 2020, pushing the total up to €125.4bn or 57% of GDP.
Romania’s industry returns to growth in December
Romania's industrial production index posts positive growth for only the second time since May 2019.
Romania’s exports strengthen in Q4 after three quarters of decline
1.3% rise in exports in 4Q20 wasn't strong enough to offset the sharp contraction of exports during the lockdown.
Romanian digital currency ELGD triples capitalisation in seven days
The market value of Sibiu-based Elrond Network's ELDG currency passed the $3bn threshold on February 8, after surging by $1bn in 24 hours.
Romania’s government to slash spending to rein in budget deficit
Florin Citu's government to defer pension hike and cut expenditures to meet 7%-of-GDP deficit target in 2021 budget.
RBI net income falls by 35% to €804mn in 2020
COVID-19 lockdowns hit income as Raiffeisen raises provisioning ahead of pandemic's after effects.
M&A deals in CEE fall 22% by volume but rise 29% by value in 2020
Annual Wolf Theiss survey shows private equity investors are expected to take advantage of post-COVID business environment.