A total of 3,258 calls made to Romania's Financial Supervisory Authority's (ASF) call centre related to private pensions in the first half of 2025, which is almost half of all calls received for non-bank financial services in the period.

The number represents 46.29 per cent of the total calls received in the period for non-bank financial services (7,039) and an increase of 2.32 per cent on the same period in 2024.

ASF said its analysis showed that consumer interest in non-banking financial markets and their level of information remained on an upward trend. The biggest increase in calls during the period was for ‘other information’, which increased by 13.3 per cent, and represented 15.91 per cent of total calls received.

Other areas, such as insurance-reinsurance calls, decreased by 0.33 per cent compared to the 2024 period, while only 171 calls were received regarding financial instruments and investments – a 11.86 per cent decrease. Meanwhile, only 10 calls were in English, a decrease of 41.18 per cent from 2024.

In terms of response time, over 85 per cent of calls were handled by ASF specialists within five minutes, approximately 11 per cent between five and 15 minutes, and almost 3 per cent of calls were responded to over 15 minutes, due to requests involving “highly complex issues”.

A survey of callers to the ASF found that 92.27 per cent were satisfied with the call.

The ASF said consumers who contact its call centre are identified in terms of their level of knowledge and experience in the non-banking financial sector and are then provided with the information requested according to their background and experience.

At the same time, they are informed of the risks they may face if they choose non-compliant financial products and are advised to make investment decisions only when they understand the associated risks and can financially sustain any losses.

The findings follow the Romanian government's adoption of an emergency ordinance in April, which introduced several pension reforms and was highlighted as an "important step" towards joining the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

The act adopted by the government aims to amend the legislative framework governing the private pension markets, as the government works to align the private pension system with the highest international standards.

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