Even if this figure is only about half of that registered last year, Romania’s situation is better than that of other countries in the region. The top ten capital increases in the first eight months of this year gathered €815 million, according to the National Trade Register Office (ONRC).
The capital increase made by the U.S. Ford carmaker ranks first in this top, by some €202 mln in January. Two companies in the Romanian financial industry, Groupama (with €175 mln) and Bancpost (with €157.4 mln), rank second and third.
On the whole, the Romanian financial sector attracted foreign capital injections worth over €723 mln in the first eight months of 2009, according to ONRC data. The capital injections operated by Groupama and Bancpost make up almost half of this amount.
The decline in capital flows is no surprise in the current economic context. Even so, Romania is in a better position than some countries in the region. According to BNR data, foreign direct investments in Romania fell 48 percent after the first seven months, to €3.1 billion. In Turkey, one of the most attractive countries for foreigners, investments plunged 57 percent at the end of the first seven months of 2009, while in Poland, once one of the region’s champions in terms of investments, foreigners brought only €962 mln in the first six months, about 83 percent less year-on-year.
