The total net profit of banks increased by 23% and reached about 5 billion lei (in 2024 it amounted to 4.1 billion lei). The main growth was provided by interest income from lending, which increased by almost 22%.
The annual data confirm that the banking sector as a whole maintains financial stability. But this stability is achieved against the background of moderate growth in lending (especially retail lending) and strengthening of the role of large players, while small banks face liquidity and quality borrowers.
There are also expert opinions that central bank regulation slows down growth rates, making the sector more stable but less profitable.
Low profitability
The low profitability against the global picture (return on assets (ROA) is kept at 2.3% and return on equity (ROE) is around 14.3-14.7%) was recently stated by Anca Dragu, the head of the NBM herself.
Nevertheless, according to her words, quoted by the agency, “2026 will be the year of financial stability, and the regulator’s efforts will be focused on the implementation of Basel III standards and digitalization of financial services”. All this will take place “in the context of expectations of further reduction of inflation to the target corridor and moderate acceleration of GDP (up to +2.7%)”.
Stability and risks
The central bank’s analysis confirmed the preservation of banking sector stability under conditions of “continuous monitoring of risks identified at a preventive level”, highlighting the following trends:
– The risk of excessive lending remains at a moderate level as bank lending continues to grow at a rate higher than GDP growth, driven by an increase in credit. A surge in activity was recorded at the end of the year, with new loans growing by 12.3% y-o-y in December 2025 alone, amounting to almost LE 7.8 billion in November.
– The NPL ratio (according to national prudential norms) increased by 0.1 percentage points quarter-on-quarter, reflecting the relatively stable quality of the loan portfolio. According to IFRS 9, the ratio increased by 0.4%, being at a level comparable to the regional average.
– Liquidity and market risks are assessed as low, as banks have sufficient reserves to ensure their liquidity, including in stress situations, and have limited exposure to market fluctuations. Banks maintain excessive liquidity reserves. The liquidity coverage ratio (LCR) for the sector amounted to 291.1%, which is almost three times higher than the minimum requirement of 100%.
– The sectoral concentration index increased slightly, remaining below the high concentration limit, reflecting a low level of concentration risk due to adequate diversification of loan portfolios and balanced distribution of assets across economic sectors.
– The risk associated with the potential impact of difficulties on systemically important institutions remains low. Systemically important banks continue to comply with liquidity and capital requirements, demonstrating high stability.
