National Bank of Moldova publishes governor interview citing 94% SEPA fee cut and MIA instant payments rollout for businesses

The National Bank of Moldova published an AGERPRES video interview with Governor Anca Dragu covering the early impact of Moldova’s integration into the Single Euro Payments Area and recent upgrades to the domestic MIA instant payments system, alongside updates on banking-sector reform work and macroeconomic projections. Dragu said SEPA processing began in October and has reduced euro payment fees by around 94%, with average charges falling from over EUR 20 to about EUR 1.3 and total savings of more than EUR 5m by end-February, while transfer flows increased by about 30%. On domestic payments, MIA now supports person-to-person transfers, business-to-business payments implemented on Monday, and payments to around 120 public institutions via a business-to-government component launched in summer 2025, with transfers executed in up to five seconds and low or zero fees for some retail payments. She also reported that an European Banking Authority legislative equivalence assessment of Moldova’s banking framework has completed a first stage with positive results and is expected to be finalised by mid-year or early autumn, and that the National Bank plans to include supervisory and anti-money laundering reforms in a forthcoming International Monetary Fund precautionary programme without financing, intended to support implementation of Moldova’s EUR 1.9bn EU growth plan. The interview cited over 20% investment growth in 2025, credit-to-GDP rising to about 30%, a 2026 average inflation projection below 5% at around 4.6% to 4.7% within a 5% target and plus or minus 1.5 percentage point corridor, and economic growth around 3% in 2026.