News about National Bank

The increase of the prime rate by the National Bank of Moldova from 5% to 6.5% has caused mixed reactions among MPs. Some consider the measure necessary to curb inflation, while others warn of negative consequences for investment, lending and living standards.

The Executive Committee of the National Bank of Moldova (NBM), at its meeting held on May 7, 2026, unanimously increased the prime rate by 1.5 percentage points at once, in order to prevent the risks of increasing inflationary pressure amid the global price situation.

Anca Dragu, Governor of the National Bank of Moldova (NBM), has outlined Moldova’s prospects for capital market and mortgage development. Dragu made a speech entitled “Mortgage lending in Moldova: market perspectives and development directions” in Stavanger, Norway, where she is participating in the 38th plenary meeting of the European Council for Secured Bonds (ECSB).

The number of payments made with cards issued in Moldova continues to grow.

Moldova has saved almost 7 million euros in 6 months after joining the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA), as the commission for transfers has been reduced to 0-3 euros, Anca Dragu, Governor of the National Bank of Moldova, said at the official opening of the event “Bucharest Leaders’ Summit: United for a Better World”.

The independence of the National Bank of Moldova (NBM) will be extended. It will report to the Parliament in an informative format only – without requesting or receiving any instructions. The same principle will be enshrined in relations with the government: cooperation on financial and budgetary issues will be maintained, but without interference.

Parliamentary commissions are discussing a draft law that could change the rules for acquiring large stakes in non-bank payment organizations and strengthen the control of the National Bank of Moldova (NBM).

The official presentation of the Board Leadership Program International took place today. The program is presented in Moldova by the Chisinau Business School in partnership with the Bucharest Business School, the Association of Independent Directors of Romania and with the support of ecoDa. “School students” will be representatives of the financial and banking and other business sectors.

Central banks of the world are preparing for a “stable state of affairs” against the backdrop of worsening volatility in the energy market and are in no hurry to change the cost of borrowing. Many financial analysts come to this conclusion in their publications, considering this position to be fundamentally different from the inflationary crisis of 2022.

As of spring 2026, the foreign exchange market of Moldova is characterized by high volatility and instability. At the same time, the situation with meeting the demand for currency is difficult, but does not indicate a complete deficit.

According to the data of the National Bank of Moldova (NBM), in March 2026, the volume of new loans issued amounted to 9,039 million lei. Of these, 70.8% of loans were issued to enterprises (business sector), and 29.2% to individuals. Lending was performed mainly in Moldovan lei (MDL).

In March 2026, the volume of attracted new deposits amounted to 27,254 million lei, one third of which was provided by the population. Compared to February, the volume of new deposits increased by almost 7%.

In March, according to the National Bank of Moldova (NBM) data, the trend of excess of cash withdrawals over cash inflows continued in the banking sector of Moldova. These indicators emphasize the continuing high demand of the population for cash.

In April, the Moldovan leu showed a moderate strengthening against the US dollar and a slight weakening against the euro.

Starting from April 17, the National Bank of Moldova (NBM) will issue in numismatic circulation a silver commemorative coin in memory of the famine in Bessarabia in 1946-1947.

The National Bank of Moldova (NBM) is tightening consumer credit rules from June 2026 to prevent over-indebtedness of the population. The new measures include limiting the maximum term of consumer loans to 5 years, mortgage loans – to 30 years, and leasing – to 7 years. The list of income to be taken into account when assessing solvency has also been expanded. The relevant regulations have been approved and will enter into force in June 2026.

From this year, the official statistics on household income will be more accurate, thanks to the application of an improved methodology. This is reported by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), citing fresh data. They have also “gotten better”.

For cryptoasset providers, capital requirements are set between €50,000 and €150,000, while issuers are subject to strict disclosure standards and liability for inaccurate data.

The MIA instant payment system, launched in 2024, has become widespread and is now used by almost 50% of the country’s adult population. The number of users exceeds 900 thousand. And the network has been expanded to more than 18 thousand outlets across the country.

The indices of financial stress and vulnerability of the banking sector at the end of last year were below the established threshold, reflecting normal conditions of the financial system functioning. There is no accumulation of systemic risk, although not everything is so unambiguous.