- Event brings together Romanian business leaders, investors and capital markets experts
- Discussions focus on expansion strategies, corporate resilience and investment choices in the food and agribusiness sector
- Speakers examine capital market options for financing business growth during geopolitical uncertainty
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) brought together senior Romanian business leaders, investors and capital markets experts in Bucharest to discuss how companies can strengthen their business and finance future growth of the food and agribusiness sector.
The event, “Building resilience, unlocking capital: Financing the future of business”, included two panel discussions and focused on the practical challenges facing Romania’s private sector.
Opening remarks were delivered by Victoria Zinchuk, EBRD Regional Director, Head of Romania, Bulgaria and Greece, who highlighted that sustainable economic growth is driven by a strong and innovative private sector. Panellists included representatives of Romania’s leading food and agriculture companies and investors, including Agricover Holding, Cris-Tim Family Holding, Lantmännen Romania, Morphosis Capital, NN Private Pension Fund, PwC and Valvis Holding.
Romanian businesses are operating in an environment shaped by geopolitical uncertainty, evolving supply chains, volatile energy and commodity markets, increasing sustainability expectations by consumers and rapid technological change.
The first panel examined how companies are growing in an ever-changing operating environment, through adapting their business strategies in response to evolving consumer behaviour, geopolitical uncertainty, and supply chain shifts. The second panel focused on how capital markets can help companies finance expansion and strengthen their long-term competitiveness.
Across both panels, speakers highlighted the importance of finding opportunity amid uncertainty, investing in people and looking beyond the current business cycle. Discussions explored how Romanian companies are pursuing growth through innovation, international expansion and digital transformation, while adapting to evolving market demands. Panellists emphasised that access to capital markets can strengthen corporate visibility, diversify funding sources, broaden the investor base and support the long-term sustainability of the business across generations. They also stressed that strong governance, transparency and early preparation are essential for companies considering an initial public offering (IPO) or bond issuance, while highlighting the growing role of green bonds and sustainability-linked instruments in financing future growth and expansion.
The gathering reflected the EBRD’s focus on private-sector development in Romania and provided a forum for food and agribusiness companies, investors and market participants to exchange views on managing uncertainty, making investment decisions and accessing new sources of capital.
The EBRD is a leading institutional investor in Romania, having invested almost €13 billion in the country across more than 600 projects to date. Most of the Bank’s investments in Romania have been in the private sector.
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