Romania has one of the lowest penetration rates of internet banking services in Central and Eastern Europe, of just 4 pc, compared to 42 pc in the Czech Republic, 34 pc in Austria or 13 pc in Croatia, according to a GfK survey. In Europe, only Bulgaria has a lower penetration rate than Romania, of 2 pc. Out of an average 4.5 activities on the internet, 4.2 are aimed at information, communication and amusement, while only a very low number of users access the internet for bank transactions.
Out of total 9.6 million Romanians with bank accounts, only 4 pc check their accounts via internet banking and 3 pc use this instrument for transactions. A similar percentage makes online card payments (3 pc, against 9 pc in Austria) and only 3 pc purchased a financial service on the internet. “Although the penetration rate of the internet is among the lowest in the region, there is still much place for developing digital financial services,” reads the press release issued by the market research company.
More than half of Romanians use the internet on a weekly basis, 80 pc are cell phone users and 13 pc own a smart phone. Furthermore, almost one in three is an enthusiast of new technologies, while another third – though no enthusiasts – say they are open to the new. “Many Romanians still did not find a relevant enough reason to get better informed and make the first step,” said Anca Zamfirescu, Senior Research Consultant and financial-banking market expert with GfK.
