Private pension funds in Romania had assets of RON 220.41 billion (approximately EUR 42.1 billion) at the end of March 2026, up 33% compared with the same period of the previous year and 5.4% higher than at the end of the previous year.

At the same time, as a share of the GDP, the total assets in the private pension system stood at 11.5% at the end of March 2026, according to a report on the evolution of Romania’s private pension system in Q1 2026 published by the Financial Supervisory Authority (ASF) and quoted by News.ro.

The assets in Pillar II funds, which manage mandatory, privately-managed pensions, accounted for 96.4% of the total assets of Romania’s private pension system, while Pillar III, representing voluntary, private pensions, remains relatively small in size.

At the end of March 2026, the assets held by the Pillar II funds totaled RON 212 billion (approximately EUR 40.5 billion), up 33% from a year earlier, while the assets in voluntary, private pension funds (Pillar III) reached RON 7.86 billion (approximately EUR 1.50 billion), an annual increase of 34%.

The number of participants in the mandatory private pension system rose to 8.51 million at the end of March, from 8.46 million at the end of 2025. The average monthly contribution to Pillar II increased to about RON 419 (EUR 79.8) per participant in March 2026, compared with RON 408 at the end of December 2025.

Government bonds and equities remained the main asset classes in Pillar II portfolios at the end of March. Government securities accounted for 63.9% of total assets, down from 65.0% at the end of 2025, while equities represented 28.0%. The latter included shares in Banca Transilvania, OMV Petrom, Romgaz, Hidroelectrica, and BRD - Groupe Société Générale.

Pillar II funds also held investments in corporate bonds (3.75%), investment funds (3.15%), and bank deposits and current accounts (1.13%), the report shows.

simona@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Alexandru Marinescu/Dreamstime.com)