Aurel Bernat, Executive Director, Financial Institutions and Investor Relations at Banca Transilvania, took part in the ZF Capital Markets 2025 conference, where he emphasized the importance of a diversified shareholder base and highlighted BT’s essential role in supporting and developing the Romanian economy.

On balancing investor types: 

• It is best for a company to have a full range of investors. First, the anchor investors: if you are large enough or sufficiently attractive, supranational anchors are welcome.
   
• Institutional investors bring stability and keep you constantly answering the question “what’s next?” At the same time, individual investors — retail — are needed, because they create not only liquidity but also momentum around the brand and the share.
  
  
• Retail investors are highly reactive, while institutional investors teach you to be transparent.
  
  

On the presence of international capital:

• We know who the local investors are and what their landscape looks like. With international investors, the Romanian market still has some way to go. To be on the map, more and more companies need to put themselves out there and show they exist. Ultimately, this comes down to economic diplomacy we all need to pursue.
  
  

On BT’s role in financing the Romanian economy:

• Things at Banca Transilvania have gone very well so far, and looking ahead the outlook is equally positive, especially when we look at the areas where we can grow our banking activity.
  
  
• Looking at the numbers circulating in the market — from financial intermediation to the banking sector’s leverage in terms of funding attracted versus the existing stock of credit — there is still a long way to go.
  
  
• BT’s network of subsidiaries: they are making strong headway in segments such as leasing, pensions, investment funds, brokerage and others like these — microfinance, for example — where, thanks to the large number of clients we have at group level and at the parent bank, we can expand the business.
  
  
• I believe our story overlaps with Romania’s broader story. We’ve had growth, there is growth, and there is still growth potential from here. It just takes work — probably ever more work as prosperity rises — but we are positive.