♦ Romania controls about 37% of the assets of the domestic banking system, and the share of assets of banks with foreign capital exceeds 63%. The discussion related to the share of domestic capital versus foreign capital in the economy, including in banks, remains relevant, and not only in Romania. The large share of assets of banks with foreign capital was seen in turbulent, crisis periods as a vulnerability, in the context of dependence on the decisions of groups from other countries, and in recent years some states, including those in the region, have applied strategies to increase national capital in relation to foreign capital. One of the visible changes in recent years, including on the Romanian banking market, was that of reducing the weight of foreign capital and increasing the weight of Romanian capital. A trend that will probably continue, considering the international context marked by the rise of sovereignty and nationalism. You might also be interested: In the banking sector in Romania, if a decade ago, for example, the share of assets of banks with majority foreign capital in total assets was around 80%, in recent years the level has gradually decreased towards 60%-63%. The year 2025 brought a slight increase in the share of foreigners compared to 2024, to 63.2% of assets, following the entry of two branches and the consolidation of the banking system, according to the BNR. Romania came to control almost 40% of the total assets of the domestic banking system (36.8% was the share of assets of banks with Romanian capital, public and private, at the end of 2025). In perspective, the rise of assets will also come against the background of the intensification of lending. In recent years, step by step, the BNR has followed a discreet strategic policy of reducing the share of foreign capital in the banking system and increasing the share of Romanian capital. Looking back, before the manifestation of the previous financial and economic crisis at the local level, in the economic boom year 2008, foreign banks, both those that came directly, through acquisitions and through branches, reached a weight of even 88.2% in the assets of the Romanian banking system, while the weight of the assets of banks with Romanian capital, state and private, was only 11.8% (Dec. 2008). Although decreasing in recent years, most of the assets of the Romanian banking system (about 60%) are still owned by foreign capital, and in this category the largest holdings are recorded by financial groups from Austria, Italy, France and the Netherlands. If we look at the situation from the perspective of the shares in the capital of the Romanian banking system, the situation is reversed, banks with Romanian capital (public and private) having almost 60% of the capital (57.4% Dec. 2025), and the difference belongs to banks with foreign capital (42.6%, Dec. 2025), according to the BNR. The assets of the Romanian banking system have risen to almost 958 billion lei in 2025, and the social capital is almost 32 billion lei.
For other news, analyses, articles and business information in real time, follow NV on WhatsApp Channels