PwC survey: Optimism of Romanian executives at 5-year low
The optimism of chief executive officers in Romania is at the lowest level in the last five years. At the same time, Romanian companies are expanding into new sectors of activity, gaining market share and planning bolder acquisitions than ever, as shown by the local edition of the PwC CEO Survey 2026 report.
Only one in four CEOs in Romania (25%) expressed confidence in the growth of the company’s revenues in the next year, the lowest level in the last five years, and below the global average (30%) and that of Central and Eastern Europe (42%). Also, only 39% are confident in the growth prospects over three years, decreasing compared to previous editions.
However, companies in Romania are not stagnating. The majority (57%) have managed to increase their market share in the last five years, above the global average (42%) and the regional one (46%). Roughly 52% have entered new industries, and 46% plan at least one major acquisition in the next three years.
“Romanian executives are more cautious than their CEE counterparts regarding economic prospects, reflecting the more restrictive conditions on the domestic market. However, they show remarkable ambition and capacity for adaptation. More than half of them have entered new industries in recent years, a proportion higher than the regional and global averages. This combination of caution and action highlights Romania’s role in shaping the CEE region as a whole,” said Agnieszka Gajewska, PwC CEE CEO-elect.
Despite the talk about artificial intelligence, only 12% of executives in Romania say that their organizations have obtained both additional revenues and cost reductions due to AI, the figure being similar to the regional and global average. More than half of local business leaders admit that the use of AI in core processes is still minimal.
However, positive signals exist: almost half (48%) already have a clear AI strategy, two-thirds (67%) say that their organization has a culture open to its adoption, and Romania exceeds the regional average in the use of AI for product development, demand generation, and business strategy.
When it comes to risks, inflation, macroeconomic volatility, and geopolitical conflicts remain the main concerns for chief executive officers in Romania. One third of leaders say that their organizations are strongly exposed to economic instability, respectively, price increases compared to last year. Almost as many (28%) see a high risk from geopolitical conflicts.
As a result, 43% say that geopolitical instability has reduced their appetite for major investments, and 32% anticipate decreases in profit margins due to trade tariffs, both percentages being higher than at the global or regional level.
More worrying is that only 18% of executives in Romania perceive a high risk from cyber threats, while globally, almost one third (31%) of CEOs see cyber risks as a significant threat to their organizations.
(Photo source: Vesalainen|Dreamstime.com)
