Tens of thousands of Romanian companies already have financial problems. “Many will close their doors in maximum 6 months”

Businessmen in Romania look carefully at the prospects of the economy, in the context of accentuating the financial problems generated by inflation, fiscal changes, expanding the financial blockage and especially of lowering sales.

Tens of thousands of Romanian companies already have financial problems

67% of the managers questioned in a Sierra Quadrant barometer see the delay of payments as a systemic vulnerability for Romanian companies.

Inflation has significantly affected the Romanian business environment, one and so fragile, with over 90% of poorly capitalized companies, many of them in the survival area, without medium and long term financial availability.

According to the results of the barometer made by the Frames consulting company at the command of Sierra Quadrant, between August 10-15, 2025, most of the 1450 respondents concern with concern at the business prospects.

Asked to what extent the economic conditions in the present influenced their business, 82% said that the economic challenges generated by inflation, the decrease of sales and the fiscal changes have largely affected them, 11% to some extent, while only 7% have declared “immunity“At the negative effects of the crisis.

Most respondents (48%) complained to decrease the business by over 30 percent. 23% faced a decrease in business between 20-30%, and 16% marked the decrease of revenues by percentage of up to 10%. Only 7% stated that the turnover was not affected, while 6% avoided responding.

What were the biggest problems

According to the Frames & Sierra Quadrant barometer, the delay in the invoice payment was in the foreground, mentioned by 52% of the managers questioned. In the second place was the decrease in sales (37%), followed by other problems such as inflation, personnel crisis and others.

“The decrease of sales, in volume, feels stronger in economic chains in almost all fields of activity. Under the conditions of poor capitalization in the economy, many of the companies were and are involved in commercial credit/credit supplier mechanisms, and the steep decrease in the consumption of goods and services significantly affects the relations between companies. The financial blockage emphasized and many companies have entered into major financial difficulties once the partners have not honored their obligations on time ”says Ovidiu Neacșu, coordinating partner Sierra Quadrant.

According to Barometer Sierra Quadrant, ask what measures have taken or want to take to protect their business, 58% indicated “Business restructuring” As the main measure, while only 11% said they would not take additional measures. The rest avoided providing an answer.

The main restructuring measures targeted by managers aim to reconfigure offers and services (43%), reduce the provider credit (29%), decrease of operating expenses (23%), personnel reductions (16%) and stop investment (12%).

“During this period, in which the decrease of consumption affects large areas of the economy, the reconfiguration of the business plan must be in the foreground. 2025 is a difficult year, and the prospects are not the most positive.

The depreciation of the leu, the increase of the prices, the accentuation of the financial blockage and the danger that many of the companies enter the blockage are in the foreground. There is a period full of challenges for the business environment, ”said Ovidiu Neacșu.

160,000 companies with problems

Most problems, according to experts, are under construction, retail, pharmaceutical area and in the processing industry.

“We have almost 160,000 companies, with over 650,000 employees, who face big problems. Most of these companies need help, restructuring offers, relationships with partners. Only in this way will they manage to avoid bankruptcy and reintegrate into the business environment ”estimates analysts.

Ask what they would do if the business they run or represent were in difficulty, over 60% of the managers questioned indicated that they would resort to the protection measures provided by the legislation, such as the restructuring agreement, the preventive and insolvency agreement.

According to experts from Sierra Quadrant, the restructuring agreement and the preventive agreement are effective protection solutions in the case of business problems.

And this is because they allow the coverage in time and as much as possible the accumulated debts, in order to avoid bankruptcy procedures.

Companies involved in these procedures may request the provisional suspension of forced executions.

Many companies will close their gates in the next six months

Beyond insolvency and preventive agreement, specialists estimate that many companies will close the gates within the next six months.

“Many of the Romanian companies do not have enough stocks to cover a possible syncope on the supply chain from the suppliers and this can have very serious consequences in carrying out the operations.

The lack of managerial plans to respond to crisis situations, poor digitization of operational production and business processes, as well as lack of financial reserves for such situations, situations present in the economy, are likely to lead to delaying payments and financial blockage. The consequences are inevitable – Suspension of the activity, non -payment of wages, insolvency, etc.”, Says Ovidiu Neacșu.