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Steven van Groningen (Raiffeisen Bank Romania): Credit will continue to grow; the level of financial brokerage is much reduced
Credit will continue to increase but the level of financial brokerage is much reduced in Romania and we can only hope to get closer to the European Union average, stated, in an interview offered to Agerpres, the chairman and the general manager of Raiffeisen Bank Romania, Steven van Groningen.
He spoke about the impact of pandemics and mentioned that it is relatively easy to understand how the clients of the banks are affected on short term, but it is harder to estimate which will be the impact on a long term.
‘The measures to support the economy had a positive effect, not only through IMM Invest, but such measures as the implementation of the Kurzarbeit in Romania as well, when all the economic operators realized that we have to work together to survive’ stated Steven van Groningen.
According to him, 2021 was ‘a complicated year, with much noise, tiring. But at the same time we have to be content. It may always be worse. Let us think of those who really suffered, those who experienced the disease, those who lost relatives or friends or suffered differently’.
As regards the evolution of lending to individuals/companies, this will continue to increase, Steven van Groningen said. "The level of financial intermediation is very low in Romania and we can only hope to get closer to the EU average (if we grow faster than the EU average). We need massive investment in modernization, in efficiency growth, in sustainable economy, etc. But we cannot expect higher salaries, at the level of the developed countries in the EU, if we don’t increase productivity, and this needs not only to simplify bureaucracy but to invest in state of the arts technology’.
When referring to credits offered through IMM Invest, Steven van Groningen said:’ What I can say is that we see growth on the activity of lending, on the one hand, and on the other, a very good payment behaviour on the part of our clients, which shows we have surpassed the first pandemics waves. In the first nine months of 2021 our portfolio of net lending increased by 13% (year per year) – 12% for natural persons, 17% for IMM (SMEs) and 14% for big and medium companies, as we adapted our offer and we support our clients as much as we can. As for IMM Invest the situation is good, we offered thousands of such credits’.
When asked if the banking sector is prepared to finance the projects in the new European programmes, he answered: ‘I think so, but we should not underestimate what we have to do. The needs are big and there are many criteria and conditions to be met. We have much to learn as a banking system, together with our client companies. There is money, the problem is to know how to adapt to the conditions which are imposed’.
Steven van Groningen also stated that he does not think we will ever go back 100% to the situation before the crisis and thinks that we adapt, every time something changes. ‘This is by far the most difficult question. Surely we are talking about remote work, from home, digitization, shopping online, but the key question is if and how the inter-human relations are going to change and how we will be affected and that is what we have to prepare for, to learn, to be open, to be flexible; this is the only way to survive'.