BCR Group, H1 2026: A partner of trust and stability for people and economy

Trust in youngsters nowadays and personalized financial planning

‒    BCR supports the development of local communities through Com'ON × ZBOR, the largest national participatory budgeting initiative for young people in Romania. Eighty projects received funding of over 348,000 lei to be delivered by young people aged 14 to 24 in their communities.

‒    More than 3 million Romanians have taken part in BCR's financial education programmes, Școala de Bani and Financial Coaching.

o   Over 2 million people have so far received a personalized financial plan through Financial Coaching. Through the George Benefits Programme, the first banking programme to reward customer loyalty in Romania, over 700,000 customers have set financial goals, with almost 6 in 10 goals dedicated to saving, evidence of a growing interest in building a financial buffer and improving financial health.

o   To date, more than 1.4 million BCR customers have benefited from discounts under the Benefits Programme and over 500,000 have accessed loans and deposits at preferential rates.

o   In George, within the FinCoach financial advice section, BCR has introduced an area dedicated to Naționala de EduFin, the initiative through which the bank aims to help Romania move up from last place in the European Union on financial literacy. Customers have access to educational content and to tests based on the Eurobarometer methodology, which contributes to this national objective.

‒    Approximately 1.1 million children, teenagers, young people and adults have taken part in Școala de Bani courses and projects over the past ten years, of whom over 91,000 in H1 2026 alone.

‒    BCR's financial inclusion programme for rural and small urban communities, under which the bank operates two mobile units, of which one 100% electric, has so far covered 30,000 km and reached 60 communities, supporting over 8,000 people through financial education sessions and personalized banking services. In H1 2026 alone, the programme reached 10 small communities and covered 3,000 km.

Accelerated digitalization and customer experience transformation

‒    2.38 million active users of the George mobile app and over 1 million BCR retail products sold in H1 2026 directly through George, in a simple and fast digital experience.

‒    Over 40% of BCR customers took out a mortgage through a 100% digital flow in George in H1 2026, up from 17% in the same period last year. BCR is the only bank in Romania to have digitalized the most complex retail lending product, offering in George a fully digital approval flow for both home purchase and refinancing, including from other banks. In George, all property documents can be uploaded directly from a mobile phone and validated immediately, giving the customer predictability at every step and control over the timing of their home purchase.

‒    BCR continues to accelerate the democratization of access to investment: 98% of retail investment transactions in H1 2026 were carried out through the fully digital flow in George. The number of customers holding at least one investment product advanced by 25% against H1 2025, and recurring Capital Plan investment plans rose by 61% over the same period. BCR has also launched an investment advisory service, fully digital in George and available to all the bank's customers. The programme is part of BCR's investor education work, designed to help every investor understand the mechanics and specific features of the products they invest in. To date, over 107,000 customers have completed the Investment Knowledge and Experience questionnaire.

‒    Financial protection across the whole life cycle, through support for take-up of insurance and private pension products.

o   The total insurance portfolio grew by 11% against H1 2025, and the share of digital new sales of insurance products reached 93% of total sales. BCR combines the commercial side with financial education and prevention work: 70% of customers taking out unsecured loans also hold life and unemployment cover, and 90% of customers with secured loans hold life cover.

o   98% of customers joined the BCR PLUS Voluntary Pension Fund (Pillar III) through the digital flow, directly in George. The digitalization of the experience drove a 13% increase in new enrolments in H1 2026 against the same period of 2025, and the BCR PLUS Voluntary Pension Fund has reached over 185,000 participants building their financial future with BCR Pensii.

‒    Approximately 1.5 million BCR customers, users of the Moneyback loyalty programme, which rewards card payments with cash back, have to date received over 40 million lei in cashback.

‒    BCR continues to expand its George Store partner network to bring customers benefits that are relevant to their everyday life. Partners include brands such as Vodafone, UBER, Freshful, OMV and Kaufland, while the partnerships with Orange and Petrom round out an offer spanning mobility, shopping, services and entertainment. Voxa has also returned to the portfolio as a partner, and Vola recently joined George Store, strengthening the offer for experiences and travel.

BCR’s impact on economy and society

In the retail banking business, BCR granted new loans to individuals and microenterprises totaling 7.3 billion lei in H1 2026. The mortgage loan portfolio grew by 18.2% year on year, of which standard mortgage loans (Casa Mea) recorded a 37.7% year on year increase, partly offset by repayments of Prima Casă loans. At the same time, the stock of unsecured consumer loans (including credit cards and overdrafts) registered a slight decline by 2.3% year on year, reflecting a high comparison base driven by the exceptionally strong level of new loan production in the same period of last year.

In the corporate banking business, BCR approved new loans worth approximately 6.5 billion lei in H1 2026, nearly half of which are allocated to investments. The corporate loan portfolio grew by 11.7% year on year. Out of total financing granted, 3.2 billion lei was directed towards strategic sectors of the economy (energy, agriculture, real estate, infrastructure and construction), reaffirming BCR's role in supporting the real economy and projects with long-term structural impact.

BCR consolidated its leading position in the syndicated finance market, with total participation of approximately 1.25 billion lei (240 million euro) in H1 2026. The bank also allocated approximately 900 million lei in the first half of the year for public and local infrastructure projects, contributing to better-connected communities and a more competitive economy.

George Business, the smart banking platform for SMEs and large companies, currently has over 11,000 customers and processes monthly transactions worth 12 billion euro, the equivalent of approximately 3% of Romania's annual GDP. Since Q2 2026, over 8,800 customers have had access to FX Pro, the currency exchange feature offering a rate negotiated directly in the platform across 66 currency pairs. In June, 85% of the FX volumes placed in George Business were executed through FX Pro.

BCR Leasing financed 37% more customers in the first half of 2026 compared to the same period in 2025, with growth driven primarily by the micro-enterprise and SME segments. At the same time, financing for heavy commercial vehicles recorded a 45% increase, confirming strong demand from the transport and logistics sectors. BCR Leasing customers are making increasing use of digital channels, both during the sales process and in the post-sales stage. The number of interactions with the virtual assistant LEA increased by 35% compared to the first half of 2025, while the Self-Service platform surpassed the threshold of 13,100 active users, reflecting the growing interest in fast, accessible, and self-managed solutions for interacting with the company.

BCR Social Finance has supported more than 1,218 micro-enterprises, including 556 operating in the agribusiness sector, through financing worth EUR 23.5 million, contributing to the preservation of more than 2,300 jobs. In the first half of 2026, the institution financed 28 NGOs and social enterprises with EUR 3.5 million, supporting the well-being of more than 67,000 beneficiaries and contributing to the preservation and creation of over 270 jobs. These initiatives contribute to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), SDG 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities). In addition, BCR Social Finance granted 164 StudyUP loans, worth more than EUR 300,000, to support lifelong learning through undergraduate, master's, doctoral and specialization programmes, encouraging continuous education.

Between January and June 2026, BCR Social Finance continued to develop and expand its programmes dedicated to strengthening Romania's impact ecosystem.

• Youth Agri Scaling (YAS), the initiative launched by BCR Social Finance in 2026 to support young agribusiness entrepreneurs through training, mentoring and access to financing, started with approximately 100 beneficiaries from the Central, South Muntenia and South Moldova regions. Participants took part in training sessions, practical management courses and study visits to high-performing farms.
• The AmpliFY Network organized NGOs Night Out in 12 cities, bringing together more than 1,500 participants with events aimed at connecting non-governmental organizations, civic initiatives, companies and everyone interested in contributing to the development of local communities.
• The Marc Impact Program brought together, in June, impact entrepreneurs from six countries in Budapest during the annual Re:Marc event. Romania was represented by Origin BCI and Rongo Design, with Origin BCI winning the Innovation Champion Award and a EUR 15,000 grant. A new edition of the Marc Impact Program will be launched in September 2026 for another 15 impact-driven businesses. The programme is an initiative of ERSTE Foundation, ERSTE Social Finance and Simpact IFUA, implemented in Romania by BCR Social Finance and Synerb.

Financial highlights of BCR Group in H1 2026

BCR delivered a resilient financial performance in H1 2026, reporting a net profit of RON 1,205 million (EUR 234 million). The result was underpinned by continued growth in customer business volumes across key segments, despite a challenging market environment.

Operating result increased slightly by 1.6% year on year to RON 2,116 million (EUR 412 million) in H1 2026, supported by higher operating income, partially offset by increased operating expenses.

Net interest income amounted to RON 2,365 million (EUR 460 million) in H1 2026, marginally below the level recorded in H1 2025. This evolution reflects ongoing margin pressure in a highly competitive market.

Net fee and commission income grew by 15.5% year on year to RON 632 million (EUR 123 million) in H1 2026, driven by stronger transactional activity as well as intensified acquisition of insurance and investment products by the customers. This performance highlights the continued relevance of diversified income streams.

Net trading & FV result increased by 8.9% year on year to RON 300 million (EUR 58 million) in H1 2026.

As a result, operating income rose by 3.1% year on year to RON 3,315 million (EUR 645 million) in H1 2026, driven by the increase in fee and trading income.

General administrative expenses increased by 6.0% compared with H1 2025 to RON 1,199 million (EUR 233 million) in H1 2026, reflecting the impact of inflation, increased VAT and local currency depreciation, together with continued investments in strategic initiatives. These effects were partially offset by ongoing optimization measures and the absence of Deposit Insurance Fund contributions in 2026.

Consequently, the cost-income ratio remained at a solid 36.2% in H1 2026, underscoring sustained focus on operational efficiency.

Risk Costs and Asset Quality

The net result from the impairment of financial instruments amounted to RON 352 million (EUR 68 million) in H1 2026, as compared to a provision allocation of RON 104 million (EUR 21 million) in H1 2025. The current result reflects the periodic recalibration of credit risk parameters amid a more challenging macroeconomic and geopolitical context. The loan portfolio quality remained fairly stable, with regular NPL formation, partially offset by recoveries, including proceeds from the sale of a selected unsecured portfolio.

The NPL ratio for BCR Group, calculated according to Erste Group methodology, increased moderately to 2.9% as of June 2026 against December 2025, albeit slightly down vs March 2026 due to targeted NPL management actions. NPL provisioning coverage stood comfortably at 133% as of June 2026.

Capital position and funding

Total (Tier 1+2) capital ratio of BCR Group stood at 24.0% as of June 2026 (preliminary, own funds including profit), well above the regulatory requirements of the National Bank of Romania and clearly reflecting BCR’s strong capital and funding positions.

Net loans and advances to customers remained fairly stable compared with 31 December 2025, reaching RON 73,015 million (EUR 13,924 million) as of 30 June 2026. While both the retail and corporate segments recorded growth, this was outweighed by the maturity of a large short-term loan previously booked under Other segments.

Deposits from customers slightly increased by 0.8% compared with 31 December 2025, reaching RON 93,806 million (EUR 17,889 million) as of 30 June 2026, driven by the increase in retail deposits.