ROBOR Compensation Law Delayed by Two Weeks in the Senate

The bill providing for compensation of bank customers harmed by anti-competitive practices or erroneous interest rate calculations has been delayed by two weeks in the Senate's Economic Committee. The initiative was put forward by PSD senator Daniel Zamfir and targets in particular Romanians who paid higher instalments on Romanian leu-denominated loans, due to the way in which the ROBOR index was set.

What the bill provides for

Under the initiative, banks would be required to refund unjustifiably collected amounts and to recalculate the loans of affected customers. The bill also proposes the establishment of a special compensation fund, financed from banking institutions' profits, from which damages would be paid. However, senators decided to postpone debates and the vote in order to clarify several provisions and the exact mechanism by which the fund would operate.

Why the bill was delayed

Senators on the Economic Committee chose to delay discussions by two weeks, during which time they are to examine the text of the legislation more carefully and propose amendments. The delay comes as thousands of Romanians with leu-denominated loans continue to pay high monthly instalments, and the bill aims to provide a mechanism through which they can recover overpaid amounts and have their loans recalculated.

The National Bank of Romania's reservations

The NBR does not support the bill in its current form. The institution points out that certain provisions overlap different legal frameworks and warns of the potential impact the new mechanism could have on the functioning of variable interest rates. These observations are among the matters senators must clarify before debates resume, including the legal form of the compensation and how it would apply to the relationship between customers and banks.

The connection to the ROBOR investigation

The bill emerged after the Competition Council sanctioned 10 banks in Romania in June 2026, following an investigation into the way in which the ROBOR index was set. The authority found that artificial coordination had taken place in the setting of the index, a situation that has brought the question of compensating affected customers back to the fore. Senators are to review the provisions and draft amendments before the bill can return to a vote in the Economic Committee.