Profitability of Romanian banks improves in Q2 after weaker Q1

27 August 2026 The aggregated profits of Romanian banks increased by 5.5% y/y to RON 3.9 billion (EUR 748 million) in Q2, after the 9.3% y/y decline in Q1 - resulting in a marginal nominal drop of 1.9% y/y (to RON 7.3 billion or EUR 1.4 billion) for the entire first half of the year. The profitability ratios improved compared to Q1, but remained the second-weakest in four years along a downward trend that remains in the robust profitability range, however. The banking system’s assets rose by 9.7% y/y to RON 981 billion (EUR 187 billion) at the end of June. The banking assets to GDP ratio has hovered around 50% historically, remaining below the benchmark in recent years, indicating rather modest financial intermediation. Despite the nominal stability of the banking system’s profits, the pro