Romania ranks last in EU in terms of financial intermediation

A mere 23 percent of adult Romanians use financial intermediation services, as opposed to the Netherlands, ranked first in the World Bank list, with 100 percent coverage.

The low ranking is also visible in terms of the banking assets segment, with the total value of assets amounting to just about half of Romania's GDP. Bankers are expecting a 25 percent increase in banking assets this year, up from the €50 billion registered last year.

The degree of financial intermediation, calculated as the ratio of non-governmental loans in GDP, is set to climb to 30 percent, up from 27 percent registered in 2006. In 2005, the degree of financial intermediation in EU15 amounted to 114.1 percent.

According to World Bank data, Romania has 1,207.88 bank deposits per 1,000 inhabitants, with average deposits amounting to one quarter of GDP per capita. The World Bank's calculations are based on data from 2003, when Romania’s GDP per capita was of $2,719.