The percentage of online banking users in Romania went up from 2% to 6% in the last three years, according to a research made for Erste Group and BCR. The percentages apply to the Romanian population over the age of 15, which uses banking services, which is estimated at about 9.5 million people (56% of the active population), according to most recent available data.

This means that about 570,000 Romanians use online banking, compared to less than 200,000 three years ago. BCR didn’t release the actual number of internet banking users in Romania resulting from this research, but says that has some 250,000 active internet banking users of its own. BCR is Romania’s largest bank by assets and had a 17.5% market share at the end of 2013.

When it comes to the interaction with the bank, almost a fifth of Romania’s banked population uses a mix of online banking or mobile banking and visits to the banking units, the study shows. About 69% of those who use banking services are using the self-service zones in the banking units, where they can make deposits or withdrawals or pay their bills and loans installments.

Andrei Chirileasa, andrei@romania-insider.com