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Romania is a fantastic investment opportunity on a market with a well-trained workforce, with an abundant portfolio of natural resources and an excellent geopolitical positioning in terms of economic corridors and movement of goods, Chairman of the Financial Oversight Authority (ASF) Alexandru Petrescu told a specialist conference on Thursday.
"In Romania, there is a Macroprudential Confidence Indicator, which is a true compass for everything that is said, done and thought in business terms. We thank CFA Romania for their hard work and amazing contribution to promoting safe investments in Romania. There has been, of course, a tendency to talk about vulnerabilities and risks, especially in the last two years. We tend to position Romania as a great country from a geographical perspective, but I would say that Romania has much more than that, being a growing market. It is a developing economy. Romania is a fantastic investment opportunity, we have a highly trained workforce, an abundant portfolio of natural resources and an excellent geopolitical position in terms of economic corridors, movement of goods and beyond. Last but not least, one of the largest markets in Central and Eastern Europe, so here are all the ingredients for a successful investment," Petrescu said.
He added that private pension funds represent an investment model that has proven that Romania can grow in a sustainable, consolidated and resilient manner.
"Today, May 9, we celebrate 74 years since the Schuman Declaration, the French Prime Minister who, on May 9, 1950, had a vision of a Europe united with values and principles. After 74 years, we are still talking about uniting Europe's values and principles (...) We are moving towards transformation in corporate governance now that we are close as a country to becoming a full member of the OECD. We have a private pension scheme that almost reaches 9% of GDP, we have a stock exchange that exceeded RON 300 billion at the beginning 2024. Things are getting better and, with the support of everyone in CFA, we can bring even more stability. I believe that in Romania we manage - despite the risks and vulnerabilities - to keep up a very stable and resilient banking system. We are working very actively with the Ministry of Finance to improve tax incentives so that an appetite is created for people to continue saving. One of my priorities relates to occupational pension funds. We need to create a certain portfolio fiscal facility there and we hope to see it operational very soon," the ASF head said.
Finance and banking professionals, business representatives and public administration officials from Central and Eastern European countries participated on Thursday in the 10th edition of the "CFA CEE Investment Conference," organized by the CFA Romania Association.
