The initiative is presented against the background of a critical analysis of the current banking system. The authors argue that despite its profitability and high level of digitalization, the sector does not meet the strategic development needs of the national economy.
The authors of the bill – deputies of the Communist and Socialist Bloc, representing PSRM – point out that 95% of Moldova’s banking market is controlled by foreign investors. At the same time, the EBRD group alone owns 51.47% of the market through controlling stakes in maib and Victoriabank. According to the authors, this concentration of capital has led to a situation where lending is mainly directed to the consumer needs of the population, while sectors requiring industrial modernization – such as agriculture, strategic infrastructure and scientific research – remain chronically underfunded. Statistics confirm this imbalance: in 2025, the volume of new loans to individuals grew by 29.5% to 28.3 billion lei, of which consumer loans accounted for almost 60%. At the same time, lending to legal entities grew much slower – only by 14.4%, amounting to 54 billion lei.
According to the project, the new development bank will not compete with private commercial banks and will not attract deposits from individuals. It will specialize in attracting and redistributing external financing, managing large-scale projects and supporting small and medium-sized enterprises in areas considered risky by the traditional banking sector.
Earlier, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Economic Development and Digitalization Eugeniu Osmochescu announced plans to create a Development Bank on the basis of the Organization for the Development of Entrepreneurship (ODA).
It is also worth recalling that Moldova has no restrictions on the presence of foreign capital in the banking system. The National Bank of Moldova acts as the only guarantor of protection of the country’s financial sovereignty.
