The National Bank of Moldova reported that Governor Anca Dragu spoke at the 38th plenary meeting of the European Covered Bond Council in Stavanger, setting out Moldova’s perspective on capital market development and the role of financial markets in supporting access to housing. In her keynote on Moldova’s mortgage lending market and development direction, she presented capital market development as a priority for diversifying funding sources for the economy, supporting long term investment and advancing the country’s European path. In that context, she identified covered bonds as a potential tool to refinance mortgage portfolios and widen the investor base, which could improve conditions for housing lending. The speech also highlighted that Moldova’s mortgage market has expanded in recent years, while housing affordability should be approached through the lens of financial stability, market development, energy efficiency, lending standards, consumer protection and effective supervision. Dragu linked housing finance to sustainability, pointing to green financial products such as loans for energy efficient homes and housing stock renovation. She also cited progress in financial market infrastructure, including the strengthening of the Single Central Securities Depository, the creation of the new Moldova International Stock Exchange in partnership with the Bucharest Stock Exchange, broader public access to government securities through the e-VMS platform and the Moldovan government’s recent approval of the national taxonomy for sustainable finance.