NETOPIA Payments announced the appointment of Raluca Micu as its new chief executive officer (CEO), as it advances its licensing process as a payment institution and expands its portfolio of financial services for merchants. The appointment marks a new phase of growth for one of Romania's largest digital payments providers. 

Micu brings more than 15 years of experience in payments regulation, financial innovation, and fintech development. In her new role, she will oversee the company's operations and lead efforts to accelerate growth.

Before joining NETOPIA Payments, Raluca Micu served as deputy CEO of Token Financial Technologies, a BNR-authorized payment institution, where she helped drive the company's European expansion and develop its offline payments strategy.

She previously held several leadership roles at the National Bank of Romania, contributing to the regulation of payment services, risk management, and fintech innovation initiatives. She was involved in aligning Romania's payments ecosystem with European standards, including PSD2, SEPA, and the Instant Payments Regulation, and launched the Fintech Innovation Hub, a dialogue platform between the central bank and fintech companies.  

Raluca Micu was named ‘Fintech Personality of the Year’ by the Romanian Fintech Association in 2023 and 2024. She is also an associate lecturer within the Master in Banking and Finance program at the Bucharest University of Economic Studies (ASE), where she helps bridge the gap between academic theory and current practices in the financial ecosystem.

“NETOPIA Payments is the infrastructure through which millions of transactions from Romanian merchants and consumers pass every day. I accept this responsibility with all the seriousness it demands - and with the firm belief that the company’s most significant growth opportunities lie at the intersection of innovation and the solidity of a mature regulatory framework. Together, we are building NETOPIA 2.0: a platform that doesn’t just process payments, but provides merchants with access to integrated financial services tailored to boost their financial performance,” said Raluca Micu, Chief Executive Officer, NETOPIA Payments.

Under Micu's leadership, NETOPIA Payments plans to expand its offerings for merchants across both online and offline channels. The company said its priorities include developing merchant financing solutions, omnichannel payment services, and integrating account-to-account payments through the Romanian RoPay system, while continuing to strengthen its processing infrastructure and compliance standards.

NETOPIA Payments serves more than 25,000 merchants and processes over 30% of Romania's online card transaction volume, equivalent to approximately EUR 2 billion annually. The company has been active on the Romanian market for more than 22 years and became part of the Innova Capital portfolio following the fund's acquisition of a majority stake in the NETOPIA Group in 2023.

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: the company)