Aiming to protect consumers from potentially excessive interest rates applied by Romanian non-bank financial institutions (NBFI) and to ensure increased transparency in loan claim assignments, in November 2024, Romania enacted Law 243/2024 on consumer protection regarding the total cost of credit and assignment of claims (Law 243/2024). 

Private equity funds have become an increasingly popular investment vehicle in Hungary since the late 2010s, currently, the register of the National Bank of Hungary shows more than 165 private equity funds registered in Hungary. Although the availability of specific statistics is limited, based on the partial data, it can be estimated that the total assets of Hungarian private equity funds are roughly around HUF 3 trillion, i.e., close to 4% of the nominal GDP of Hungary.

Over the recent years, Greece has taken significant steps in stabilizing its banking sector, owing to several regulatory reforms and a strengthened capital position of its banks. Moody’s revision of the country’s outlook to “positive” in September 2024 is mainly attributed to the recovery of the Greek banking sector and the country’s strong economic performance.

The DORA regulation (Regulation (EU) 2022/2554 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 December 2022 on digital operational resilience for the financial sector) is an essential piece of European legislation aiming to bolster cybersecurity within the EU.

Turkiye has long had one of the lowest non-performing loan (NPL) rates in Europe, but recent years have seen some ups and downs. Between 2017 and 2020, the rate fluctuated between 3.25% and 3.46%. During the pandemic, the rate dropped significantly as borrowers benefited from extended loan payment schedules. Thereafter, the rate rose briefly before falling below the European Union average of 2.27% in 2023. Since the beginning of 2024, however, rising interest rates have pushed the NPL rate back up, to 1.71%. Experts expect the rate to rise to 2.5% by the end of the year, above the EU average and a challenge for borrowers and lenders.

The Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) is a central component of the EU’s Digital Finance Package. The aim is to enhance information and communications technology (ICT) security and digital operational resilience in the financial sector. Financial institutions and ICT service providers have until January 17, 2025, to fully implement the requirements.