Ömer Tetik, CEO of Banca Transilvania, gave an interview to Ziarul Financiar in August 2025, in which he spoke about Via Transilvanica, one of the bank’s most high-impact projects. A few highlights:

• The Via Transilvanica project creates opportunities for social and economic development, gives visibility to people in rural communities and villages, and encourages young people to stay.
  
  
• Without development, living standards in rural areas cannot reach those of Western European countries, and a project like this is very important — it contributes to that development.
  
  
• This is the purpose of Via Transilvanica: to create a sense of unity. The trail was launched with the aim of bringing people together and has been called “the road that unites” from the very beginning.
  
  
• The scale it has reached has exceeded the expectations of those involved in the project and of the communities that host parts of the route. Various municipalities and authorities, once they saw the scope and importance of the project, approached the association — and us — to ask what more they could do.
  
  
• The numbers point in the right direction, but the project is only at the beginning: 30,000 hikers a year is not enough; we need to get to 100,000-150,000 travellers.
   
• We should recognise that it’s not a few dozen but hundreds or thousands of businesses that have been set up and are growing around the trail and, if we can, we should extend the project to other parts of the country as well.
  
  
• Via Transilvanica is clear proof that a partnership between the public and private sectors — with the right people, relevant, transparent budgets, mutual trust and integrity — can deliver good results.

Via Transilvanica is the trail that connects communities, identity and sustainable development. It is the first 1,400 km route to cross the country, passing through 10 counties and 12 UNESCO World Heritage sites, initiated by Asociația Tășuleasa Social to be travelled on foot, by bike or on horseback. It is for anyone who, regardless of age, wants to discover places, history, culture and communities, as well as to enjoy outdoor activities.

The partnership between Banca Transilvania and Asociația Tășuleasa Social goes back more than 10 years, starting with tree-planting initiatives that mobilised over 15,000 volunteers to plant 450,000 saplings.

Since 2023, Banca Transilvania has been the association’s strategic partner in the sustainable development of Via Transilvanica, supporting the project through funding, volunteering and promotion. The shared goal is to unlock the value of Romania’s cultural, historical and natural heritage through sustainable investment in communities.

Recently, Banca Transilvania celebrated alongside Via Transilvanica 7 years since the project was initiated, marked by the inauguration of a symbolic milestone on Șimian Island and the launch of the Via Transilvanica Membership Program.