Austria’s Addiko Group, a consumer and SME-focused bank active across Central and South-Eastern Europe (CSEE), is set to enter the Romanian market in the first quarter of 2025. The bank will begin with digital personal loan offerings, according to a report from Economedia.ro.
Despite the launch, Addiko does not expect the Romanian expansion to significantly impact profitability before 2026.
The bank’s interest in Romania dates back to 2022, when Profit.ro reported its plans to enter the corporate lending segment, particularly targeting small firms and microenterprises. However, the bank has since shifted focus and now plans to prioritize the consumer lending market.
The Romanian market shows strong momentum in this segment: the volume of new consumer loans surged by 64% year-on-year in 2024, reaching RON 47 billion (€9.5 billion). While corporate loans grew modestly to RON 49 billion (+14% y/y), new mortgage loans rose by 60% to RON 50 billion — much of it through refinancing.
In 2024, Addiko finalized preparations for its Romanian launch by leveraging the cross-border banking license of its Slovenian subsidiary. The bank now confirms it is ready to introduce fully digital lending services.
“Addiko will leverage its current digital platform, risk management expertise, and business practices for its digital launch in Romania with an initial personal loan product. The implementation phase has already begun, currently focused on IT integration and planning for upcoming tests. The group plans to initiate a pilot phase in the first half of 2025 to stabilize the system and refine its value proposition,” the bank said.
Addiko Group reported a profit after tax of €37.7 million for the first nine months of 2024, driven by solid performance in the Consumer segment and disciplined cost control. The result includes €3 million in one-off costs related to takeover bids in Q3 2024. Excluding these, net profit rose 35% year-on-year.
While consumer lending remains strong, the SME segment underperformed, slowing overall loan book growth. The group now anticipates this trend will continue, affecting its mid-term target of >6% CAGR for 2023–2026. Additionally, with regional interest rates expected to fall below previous forecasts, Addiko is currently reviewing its mid-term financial targets.
The Group comprises Addiko Bank AG, the fully licensed Austrian parent institution headquartered in Vienna and listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange. It is supervised by both the Austrian Financial Market Authority and the European Central Bank. Addiko operates through six subsidiaries in Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina (via two banks), Serbia, Montenegro, and Romania.
Across the region, Addiko Group serves approximately 0.9 million customers through a network of around 155 branches and robust digital banking channels.
