There are three ways to pay with a smartphone in Romania: 1. By MasterCard electronic wallet, called MasterPass, an application with your cards information and other personal data that makes mobile payments real simple, with a single tap.
The method was implemented in Romania last year by Romanian company Netopia, through the mobilPay Wallet application, in cooperation with MasterCard. The advantage is that it can be used by customers of any bank and any type of card, not only MasterCard but also Visa;
2. Mobile payments via QR codes, at cash registers of off-line and online retailers, no card needed, just a bank account. This method can be used only by customers Garanti Romania.
3. Mobile payments at a contactless POS with phones equipped with an NFC chip, such as the new iPhone 6, but also some Samsung phones, a payment method that can be used only by customers of ING Romania.
The electronic wallet mobilPay was launched last year, in partnership with MasterCard, initially to pay only phone bills. Subsequently, the innovative Romanian firm Netopia, led by Antonio Eram, extended mobile payment solution for paying road tax, then payments to various online stores, and more recently even in stores (off-line) on the street, such as Flori de Lux in Brasov, by QR codes technology. (See more here)
The neutral nominal rate in Romania has been falling since the start of inflation targeting in 2005. The Taylor Rule clearly shows that interest rates peaked in 2022 and have been on a clear downward path ever since.Furthermore, the model estimates a long-term neutral nominal rate of around 3.9%, which is the equivalent of approx. 1.4% real.Using a more sophisticated model (i.e. New York FED’S HLW model), the real neutral interest rate in Romania is estimated currently at around 1.5% (1.7% 2023 average) and the historical mean at 1.2%.This implies a neutral nominal rate between 4.00% and 4.50%. In the past decade, the NBR real effective rate was below the neutral rate and only over the past year climbed above the neutral mark.Source: Erste Bank
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