Loan Interest Rates Edge Down – Good News for Seniors with RON Repayments

Good news for Romanian seniors and pensioners with RON-denominated loans: the three-month ROBOR reference rate has fallen to 6% per annum, marking a downward trend that is beneficial for borrowing costs. This reduction, confirmed by the National Bank of Romania (BNR), directly affects the calculation of interest rates on consumer and mortgage loans.

The decline is reflected across other reference indices as well, with six-month ROBOR reaching 6.11% and twelve-month ROBOR at 6.29%. Although current values remain above the 5.92% level recorded at the start of last year, the downward trend offers hope for a continued easing of credit costs.

Large gap compared to neighbouring European countries

Unfortunately, Romanians — including seniors who have taken out loans — continue to pay significantly higher interest rates than borrowers in other countries in the region. In Bulgaria, borrowing costs are below 4%, whilst in Slovenia they barely exceed 3%. This substantial difference can add approximately 200 euros to the monthly repayment on a loan of 100,000 euros.

The disparity is due to the BNR's monetary policy interest rate being three times higher than that of the European Central Bank, and domestic inflation running at five times the European Union average.

Hopes for 2026

For the 400,000 Romanians whose loans are calculated using the IRCC index, the start of 2026 brings a slight reduction in repayments. This index was set at 5.68% based on transactions from the third quarter of last year.

Forecasts for the early months of 2026 indicate that IRCC will stabilise at around 5.67%, whilst fixed interest rates are estimated to fall towards an average of 5.55%. Although the average variable rate remains elevated at approximately 8.17%, this represents one of the lowest values seen in the past three years, suggesting a slow but steady improvement for those with active loans.