The Bucharest Stock Exchange (BVB) has recorded a 235% increase over the past five years—the largest in Central and Eastern Europe—while the number of investment accounts reached 325,000 by the middle of this year, up from 53,000 in 2020, BVB Chairman Radu Hanga stated on Thursday.

“Despite its modest nature, the Bucharest Stock Exchange has grown by 235% over the last five years. This is the highest growth in Central and Eastern Europe. If you followed the press a few weeks ago, this was actually a headline. At one point, we were the best-performing stock exchange globally. Last year, the exchange grew by 55%. This year, despite everything we are going through, the year-to-date growth stands at 30%. We have the third-largest market in the region—trailing only Poland and Austria—and surpassing all other Central and Eastern European countries in terms of market capitalization. Liquidity, for instance, has nearly doubled this year in the equities segment compared to last year. Admittedly, there has been a decline in the ‘Fidelis’ segment—funds raised by the Romanian state through the exchange—which stands at 2 billion euros for the first nine months of this year, compared to 4 billion euros for the entirety of last year. But, overall, we have a compelling story—a success that is clearly visible from the outside as well,” said Radu Hanga. Addressing the topic of financial education, the President of the Bucharest Stock Exchange (BVB) stated that public interest in investments has grown significantly, driven by the development of the capital market.

“At the Stock Exchange—where we saw a low of 53,000 open accounts in 2020—we have reached 325,000 as of the middle of this year. The figure for the third quarter should be released today; it has increased by another 20,000. This represents an annual growth rate of 25–30%. It signifies financial literacy—people are opening accounts and learning what an investment fund is,” Hanga stated.