ING forecasts 4.5% inflation for Romania by year-end
Romania's headline inflation rose to 9.6% in January 2026, a figure slightly exceeding market expectations due to a significant surge in utility costs.
Romania's headline inflation rose to 9.6% in January 2026, a figure slightly exceeding market expectations due to a significant surge in utility costs.
The Romanian economy is entering 2026 on a fragile footing, prompting ING analysts to significantly lower their growth expectations for the year.
Romania's inflation remained at 9.7% at the end of 2025, with mixed pressures across different spending categories in December.
Inflation will increase over the planned fiscal package announced by Romania's Government, which includes the increase of fuel excises.
Romania's GDP is projected to expand modestly from 0.9% in 2024 to 1.2% in 2025, though significant downside risks, including geopolitical tensions, cloud this outlook, finds new research by ING Romania economists.

Bucharest is consolidating its position within the Central and Eastern European (CEE) real estate market, combining rental growth across major asset classes with investment yields that remain well above Western European levels, according to the DNA of Real Estate Europe Q2 2026 report published by Cushman & Wakefield. Across Europe in Q2 2026, prime office rents rose 4.5% year-on-year, retail rents increased 3.0%, and logistics rents grew 2.4%, while investors remained selective as yield movements pointed to a more balanced market following the repricing cycle of recent years.
Energy company Electrica informs investors and the capital market that it has obtained the technical grid connection permits (ATR) for 17 new battery energy storage projects (BESS), with a total capacity of approximately 700 MWh.
The European Retail Banking Radar, Kearney's latest study now in its 18th edition, shows that Europe is entering a period of normalisation following the conditions of 2023–2025. For Romania, the challenge extends beyond the normalisation of interest rates.
Romania's national electricity transmission network operator, Transelectrica, has halted scheduled maintenance shutdowns to ensure the grid operates at maximum capacity during an ongoing extreme heatwave. The preventive measures aim to mitigate operational risks associated with severe weather conditions.
Digi Spain has announced its intention to launch an initial public offering (IPO) on the Spanish stock exchanges, aiming to raise approximately €150 million.