National Bank of Moldova highlights EUR 6.59 million in SEPA savings and inflation back within target in Bucharest summit speech

The National Bank of Moldova published remarks by Governor Anca Dragu from the opening of the Bucharest Leaders’ Summit in Bucharest, where she highlighted Moldova’s progress in financial modernisation, European integration and macroeconomic stabilisation rather than announcing new policy measures. The speech pointed to Moldova’s integration into the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA), the rollout of the MIA Instant Payments system, strengthened financial supervision and the return of inflation to the 5% target range at the start of 2026 as key developments. According to the speech, SEPA has already generated EUR 6.59 million in savings in its first months of operation by reducing transfer costs by more than 90% to an average of EUR 1.26 per transfer, with zero-fee transfers possible, and more than 70% of cross-border euro transaction volume is now processed through SEPA. The MIA Instant Payments system, launched by the National Bank of Moldova in spring 2024, is used by every second citizen with a bank account in Moldova. Dragu also linked prudent monetary policy and structural reforms to stronger external confidence, including a cumulative three-notch sovereign rating upgrade over the past two years, and cited support from the National Bank of Romania, the Financial Supervisory Authority and the Insurance Guarantee Fund in institutional strengthening and alignment with European practices. The Bucharest Leaders’ Summit opens a series of more than 20 thematic conferences scheduled to run until 4 June 2026.