Romania: 2025 analysis of payments and ecommerce trends

an article written by The Paypers

Despite being part of a cash-dominated society, Romanian consumers are shifting towards adopting digital payments, with efforts being made to implement more technologies that cater to changing behaviours. According to Statista, the value of the digital payments market in Romania will reach USD 38.31 billion in 2025. With an estimated annual growth rate between 2025 and 2029 of 24.05%, by 2029, the market is anticipated to hit USD 90.72 billion. 

Although Romania’s population is not fully banked, bank account penetration has been on the rise, with data showing a 76% bank account penetration in 2024 and an estimate of 78% for 2025. As per Banca Naţională a României (BNR, the National Bank of Romania), in June 2024, there were 22.4 million active cards. 

A recent market survey commissioned by the Romanian Banks Association and conducted by the Romanian Institute for Evaluation and Strategy (IRES) shows that the country’s adult financial inclusion rate rose to 71%, a 3% increase from the previous assessment carried out in 2022.

Despite basic accounts being available free of charge, there are some common reasons for not owning one: 37% of respondents mentioned a low income, 20% declared they are paid in cash, 18% stated that they make all their payments in cash, and 7% indicated they do not find it useful. In terms of the type of cards preferred, 70% of the respondents who owned bank accounts stated that they use debit cards, and only 25% credit cards. 

Despite the growing adoption of digital payments, cash is still king in Romania, and cash-on-delivery remains a popular payment method among consumers shopping online. As per data shared by the Romanian Association of Online Stores (ARMO), the preferred payment method for ecommerce orders in Romania is cash, with 60 to 65% of the orders being paid in cash-on-delivery.  

The full analysis here