Mid-corporate companies in Romania need more than financing to expand, they need structure, know-how, mentors and partners to be with them in the long term. Sorin Suciu, executive director, Regional Corporations and Public Sector, Raiffeisen Bank Romania, says that this is the philosophy by which Raiffeisen Bank Romania operates in its relationship with entrepreneurs and companies in the scaling stage. «The MoonShotX program is in its second edition and that is exactly what it aims to do, to have an x-ray of the companies that have not yet taken this step, because there are companies that are already there and operate very well in foreign markets. On the one hand, we are talking about identifying those companies that really want to take this step, and through this program we support exactly that, but in a structured way, in an articulated way. Many times companies that had a value proposition may not have been successful because they were simply not prepared. These are matters that may seem minor, but which can make a difference when you want to approach a mature market, especially in Europe,» he said in an interview. The MoonShotX program is an initiative of Raiffeisen Bank Romania, in partnership with InnovX, and is aimed at Romanian companies with turnover between 5 and 50 million euros, which are preparing for international expansion. The second edition of the program was launched in October and will run over eight months, including visits and learning sessions in key markets such as the United States, Austria, the United Kingdom and Japan. The 2025–2026 edition of MoonShotX includes an intensive one-week bootcamp, one-on-one personalized diagnostic sessions and access to events dedicated to scaling processes, all tailored to the specific needs of participating companies. «That's exactly what we're trying to do, to bring mentors to the table, people who know what it's all about, in different segments of a company's activity, not least large, multinational companies, who have expertise, know-how and can serve from their expertise. At the same time, we're talking about capital, some that don't necessarily have to be bank financing, we're talking about the equity market, and here this program catalyzes these needs on the one hand and resources on the other,» detailed Sorin Juice. Beyond specific initiatives, Raiffeisen Bank's long-term strategy is based on the idea of long-term partnership with companies. «I think we have quite a few examples and it fits very well with the bank's philosophy of being a long-term partner when we talk about companies, not just mid-corporate, but especially mid-corporate, without necessarily customizing the MoonShotX program. We already have successful Romanian companies, mid-corporate, whether we are talking about the service area, or whether we are talking about the food industry area, in production, which are beyond good years and do it at another level, some even reaching have more than half of their turnover from outside the country.» These success stories are the result of relationships built over time, over periods of 10, 15 or even 20 years. «Here we are talking about partnerships for over 10, 15, even 20 years in which we practically grew up together. I think that this is the key to success, to be close to the companies at any time and when it may seem that things are not going so well. We have really consistent examples within the bank that, over time, from a region inside the country, a city where they operated, ended up being European players, some even global», Sorin added Juice. As for the main obstacles mid-corporate companies face when trying to expand, he cites legislative differences between states and the complexity of adapting to various jurisdictions. At the same time, the lack of experience in the area of cross-border skills and, sometimes, access to capital remain important challenges. «The main obstacles that we've noticed are primarily the legislative framework and the quite large differences between the states in which they operate. On the other hand, maybe I should have started with what's called ambition. In terms of our historical ambition to not necessarily go out of our comfort zone, I like to think that's evolved a lot. A lot of companies already want to step outside, so that ambition was, it is no longer. It may be the lack of expertise and experience that Romanian companies have in terms of cross-border skills, adaptation to different jurisdictions and, last but not least, the capital. And here we believe that we can be close to these companies», concludes the representative of Raiffeisen Bank Romania.