The study found that investor confidence is recovering due to a more balanced economic sentiment, expectations of increased availability of debt finance, and stable market activity levels. The Confidence Survey Index rose to 133 points, up from 119 points in the winter of 2024. This recovery is attributed to the settling of uncertainty caused by the new US administration's economic policies.

A significant 41% of private equity investors in the region anticipate an increase in the availability of debt finance, a 10-percentage point rise from 20245. An impressive 53% expect it to remain unchanged. This marks the highest level of optimism in a decade and suggests a favourable lending environment, with growing funding sources available from both banks and alternative lenders.

Radu Dumitrescu, Advisory Partner-in-Charge, Deloitte Romania, said: "The growing size and potential of the Romanian private equity market is confirmed by the transactions we saw over the past two years in various sectors such as healthcare, energy, financial services, retail, and real estate, which were significant both in terms of volume and of value, especially due to the two large exits of MidEuropa Partners - from Regina Maria and Profi Rom Food."

Regarding market activity, 61% of study participants (up from 47% in 2024) expect it to remain constant, while 28% foresee an increase. When it comes to investment targets, established businesses remain the top preference, with 55% of respondents expecting market leaders to attract the highest competition. Middle-sized companies are the second most sought-after, with 39% of respondents favouring them, while start-ups are seen as the most competitive by only 5% of respondents.

The Deloitte study also examined the impact of the current US administration's policy on PE firms. The results indicate a moderate effect, with 54% of respondents seeing no change in their relationship with US investors and companies in the EU and Central European region.