Aurel Bernat, Executive Director for Financial Institutions and Investor Relations at Banca Transilvania, was a guest on the online show Ce faci cu banii tăi?, produced by Ziarul Financiar, where he discussed his outlook for 2026, saving and the relationship with money.

The interview, recorded in the first week of the year, can be watched in full here, and the article summarizing the discussion is available here. A few highlights from the interview:

On 2026:

• Romania is a market worth being in, doing business in, and investing in. We have strengths and, of course, factors that can make investors wary. Over the long run, Romania is an interesting proposition: a large market with a sizeable population and regional relevance.
• For Banca Transilvania, the objective remains financing the local economy — a commitment that provides coherence and stability.
  
  

On his first investments in the early 2000s, a time of extreme volatility on Romania’s capital market:

• They shaped me.
• I learned what volatility means, and what a stop‑loss is. Unfortunately, you learned and experimented the hard way; it wasn’t a time when someone would guide you.
  
  

On the move from managing mutual funds, where he led BT Asset Management, to his current role at the parent bank:

• I could say the transition was almost plug‑and‑play, because investment funds and managing them are not all that far from investor relations.
  
  

On the dominant feeling after two decades at the bank:

• I’m still the twenty‑something kid who first joined the bank. I’ve been through many transformations and developments, and that continuous evolution keeps you sharp.
  
  

On money and saving:

• There are people who aren’t driven by money; they’re driven by performance. At the end of the day, the numbers follow from a job well done.
• If I earn my income by working, then my investments should be simple and quick: in funds, indices, etc.