pe un eșantion de 1.000 de adulți români, reprezentativ după gen, vârstă și distribuție geografică, digital banking-ul se bucură de tot mai multă încredere printre români, indiferent că e vorba de GenZ, Mileniali, GenX sau Baby boomers.
Thus, 39% of respondents prefer to use digital banking services, primarily for flexibility (26%) and for a better grip on their personal (13%). Only 4% of respondents prefer traditional banking services requiring physical presence because they trust them more than digital banking. Also, 9% of respondents said they prefer physical banks because they can get advice from a consultant.
Differences can also be seen at the level of regional communities. People in western Romania are the biggest supporters of digital banking (49%), while those in southern Romania (the region of Muntenia), prefer a mix of traditional banking doubled by a digital banking app (44%). People living in north-western Romania are in favor of traditional banking (15%), while people living in capital city Bucharest and the surrounding Ilfov County oppose this banking model (5%).
Most Romanians (42%) have at least two bank accounts, but the champions are the Millennials (53%). GenX stands out for having more bank accounts – 28% say they have three to five bank accounts.
Only 3% of respondents have no bank account, and the percentage is the same for both women and men. The most consumers who do not have any bank account are part of GenZ representatives (8%), a percentage higher than the national average, while the age group of 35 to 44 has the lowest percentage of “no bank account” responses (0.9%).
One out of two Romanians from Generation Z prefers digital banking to traditional banking, with 35% of them stating the former offers more flexibility, and 13% saying it strengthens their grip on money. The preference for digital banking is much more evident among Z, Millennials and partly GenX generations, with percentages varying between 45% and 50%. Respondents aged over 45 are in favor of a mixed solution – traditional banking services combined with a digital banking application (the highest value of 49% is recorded in the age group of 55 to 64).
“Revolut always wanted to hear customers’ opinions about the trends in the finance and banking industry. If we look at the preferences of the public aged under 45, digital banking is now outpacing traditional banking in terms of people’s preferences and tends to become the main provider of this type of services for these customers. Flexibility, enhanced control over one’s finances, available to anyone, analytical, budgetary or monitoring tools to keep track of expenses represent everything that active customers look for nowadays and they want to do from everywhere and at any time”, said Gabriela Simion, Italy & Romania Branch General Manager and Head of Lending at Revolut
Gabriela Simion went on saying that “when a digital bank offers an excellent experience, no physical interaction or trips to the bank are needed because everything can be managed quickly over the phone. Thus, when the Revolut Bank branch in Romania has become operational, we will continue to offer customers the same experience – 100% digital. Moreover, customers will be able to easily transfer their salaries directly into their Revolut account in the local currency, to benefit from even more banking products (savings deposits, personal loans), tol make payments to various public institutions, to exchange money in more than 30 currencies, without having to go to a bank office, to adjust their daily agenda or fill out forms. Just as always with Revolut, they will handle all money-related issues directly in the app, using their smartphone.
Almost eight in ten Romanians (78%) believe that keeping a record of expenses can help them manage their personal budgets. 41% already do this and turn to apps and digital banking tools to track their spending. However, 15% of respondents claim they do not keep track of their expenses, either because they do not think this would improve their financial situation (10%), or because they intend to cut spending (5%) without tracking it.