European Payment Cards Yearbook

Romania - Summary

Market Overview

  
Payment Organizations TRANSFOND (National Company for Funds Transfer and Settlement, or Societatea Nationala de Transfer de Fonduri si Decontari) is the interbank company. Romcard is owned by several major banks.
   
Market Structure

Cash remains the predominant payment instrument; credit transfers and cheques are used alongside debit cards, which were first issued in 1997. Debit cards are used principally for cash withdrawals.

Total cards issued rose from 2.1 million in 2001 to 13.6 million in 2008, lifting penetration to 63% of the population.

   
Major Issuers BCR, BRPD, UniCredit Tiriac Bank and Raiffeisen Bank.
   
Consumer Finance Consumer loans, at the equivalent of over Û18 billion by end-2008, were more than double the level at end-2006.
   

Key Statistics 2008

  
Population 21.5 million
Cards Debit: 10.8 million
Delayed debit: 14,000
Credit: 2.7 million
Total payment cards: 13.6 million

 

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Purchase Profile

 

 

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