Romania | News

Romania’s future retirees, or 7.6 million people who pay 3.75% of their monthly gross income into a pension account have become – unknowingly for most of them, the largest investors on the Bucharest Stock Exchange with significant stakes in listed companies.

The perception of the CFOs in Romania regarding the evolution of the main financial indicators of their companies has changed dramatically in only several months as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to CFO Survey Romania, conducted by Deloitte in April-May 2020 based on opinions expressed by CFOs in our country. Their main concern for this year is the drop in demand, as 73% of the survey participants estimate a decrease of the internal demand, and 45% of them, of the external demand. The share of those who expect revenues reduction is 67%, while at the end of 2019, 78% of them estimated increases in revenues, according to the survey.

For the last three decades, Romania has enjoyed unprecedented growth. Since 1987, the country has increased its GDP by a staggering amount of $200 billion. Its main trade partners include Germany, Italy and France and its main trade exports are vehicles/vehicle parts and insulated wire, retaining however significant market share in the international food supply chain with grains (wheat, corn) and pig meat. The services industry however is accounting for 55% of GDP and employs two thirds of the labor force. Retail aside, a very high impact in the services sector is delivered by the model of shared services centers established by global corporations harvesting the benefit of highly skilled personnel at a cheaper labor cost within the security of EU and its regulatory framework. What would be the dynamic of the Romanian opportunity in the future?