News about National Bank

These days (June 18–21, 2026), finance ministers and central bank governors from the member countries of the Belgian-Dutch subgroup of the IMF and the World Bank have gathered in Varna, Bulgaria. The main goal of the meeting is to turn uncertainty into long-term opportunities for regional economies. Anca Dragu, Governor of the National Bank of Moldova, held a series of bilateral meetings with finance ministers and senior IMF officials during the forum.

People continue to actively withdraw funds from their accounts and deposits for personal needs. According to data from the National Bank of Moldova (NBM), the volume of cash withdrawals from bank vaults in May 2026 exceeded the volume of deposits by 412 million lei. This cash flow imbalance has persisted from month to month, fluctuating between increases and decreases.

Consumers will be able to compare the fees charged by all banks and payment systems for free on a special, unified online platform. The corresponding bill, which requires financial institutions to make their fees fully transparent, was passed by parliament on its first reading.

The National Bank of Moldova (NBM) and the Organization for Entrepreneurship Development (ODA) will conduct joint training and educational activities to improve the financial skills of entrepreneurs, including small and medium-sized enterprises, startups, and the self-employed. The heads of the two institutions—Anca Dragu and Vadim Codreanu—signed a corresponding Memorandum of Cooperation.

At its meeting on June 18, 2026, the Executive Committee of the National Bank of Moldova unanimously raised the base rate from 6.5% to 7% per annum. The reserve requirement ratios for funds raised in Moldovan lei and in convertible foreign currency were maintained at their current levels—18% and 26% of the reserve base, respectively.

In its latest June report on financial stability, the International Monetary Fund recommends that the National Bank of Moldova (NBM) strengthen protections for commercial banks to help them weather potential economic and financial shocks. IMF experts also suggest paying closer attention to foreign exchange risks, maintaining the flexibility of the national currency, and fostering confidence in the banking system and the regulator’s policies as a whole.

Effective June 17, 2026, the National Bank of Moldova will put into circulation a commemorative coin titled “Sergiu Rădeuțanu—100th Anniversary of His Birth,” which is part of the “Science and Innovation” series.

The draft bill on tax policy measures for the coming year, proposed by the Ministry of Finance and submitted for public consultation, contains several proposals to raise personal income tax rates.

By 1%, the income tax rate on dividends, interest payments from banks, credit unions, crowdfunding service providers, and issuers of debt obligations and bonds will increase from 6% to 7%.  It will also apply to income earned by individuals from the supply of agricultural products in kind.

The government is strengthening the mechanism for selecting and monitoring major projects involving public investment.

The Competition Council analyzes the economic concentration transaction regarding the establishment of joint control by “Moldcell” SA and “NCM United” SRL over OCN “Prime Capital” SRL.

In anticipation of the opening of the international stock exchange, Moldova is urgently acquiring European stock market standards. The capital market legislation is complemented by a reference legal framework for the regulation of financial benchmarks (benchmarks) used in the calculation of the value of financial instruments, loans and investment contracts. This initiative is aimed at implementing an analogue of the EU Benchmark Regulation (BMR) within the framework of harmonization of the national legislation with the European Union norms.

The official reserve assets of the National Bank of Moldova (NBM) at the end of May 2026 amounted to €5,188.27 million. Compared to April 2026, when the reserves amounted to €5,209.83 million, there was a decrease of €21.56 million. The decrease in official reserve assets in May was mainly due to domestic financial liabilities and seasonal servicing of external debt. According to the official data of the NBM, the key factors of the balance change were mainly payments on external debt in the amount of 30.07 million euros and net outflow on required foreign exchange reserves of licensed banks in the amount of 20.42 million euros.

Over the past ten years, the National Bank of Moldova’s sanctions policy has gone through several phases: from targeted fines of tens and hundreds of thousands of lei in 2017–2020 to individual sanctions amounting to tens of millions of lei in 2022, and subsequently to a more systematic tightening of supervision in 2025–2026.

The debate about whether the orthodox methodology of central banks’ containment of inflationary pressures should be followed in view of the “hard times” in the world is heating up with renewed vigor. Experts are questioning whether the role of money should be given so much importance and when it should be done. And what is more important here – canons or common sense.

How far does our banking autonomy extend? This and other questions were answered by the Governor of the National Bank of Moldova (NBM) during the Conference of Heads of Central Banks of Francophone Countries, which is taking place in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. The conference is dedicated to the theme: “Autonomy of the central bank in the conditions of state and public expectations”. The Moldovan governor’s position is understood by the head of the European Central Bank, Christine Lagarde, which was confirmed by both sides in the Memorandum of Understanding and Cooperation between the ECB and the NBM, as well as in a personal meeting.

Accelerating the digital transformation of the financial sector will be the main topic of the international conference of the Group of Banking Supervisors of Central and Southeastern Europe (BSCEE), which is held by the National Bank on May 28-29. The event will bring together governors and experts of central banks of 24 BSCEE member countries, as well as representatives of international and European financial institutions.

On the eve of the International Children’s Day, the National Bank of Moldova (NBM) will organize on Sunday, May 31, the event “În lumea lui Bănuț” (“In the World of Coins”). It will be held on Sunday to facilitate the participation of children and families from localities outside the capital.

The dollar fell on Monday as rising hopes led to lower yields and increased risk appetite. The weakening dollar and rising risk appetite was driven by recent news of progress in the US-Iran peace agreement, lower geopolitical tensions and falling oil prices, which reduced expectations of prolonged inflation.

According to the National Bank of Moldova (NBM), in April 2026, cash withdrawals from commercial banks’ cash offices exceeded receipts by 776 million lei. This cash flow imbalance continues for several consecutive months. For comparison, in March 2026, net issuance exceeded receipts by 275 million lei, and in February – by 1,028 million lei.