Small businesses are migrating to the PFA area. Consultant: “It will affect investment and employment capacity”

2026 brought high fiscal pressures, structural changes (the micro ceiling), intensified competition and the need for operational efficiency, which means that small businesses can no longer rely on the state, but only on optimization, speed of execution and real competitiveness. The specialists consulted by “Adevărul” explained what are the main challenges this year, but also what solutions can be applied for business success.

2026 brought big fiscal pressures. Archive photo

“Sthe drop of the ceiling for micro-enterprises to 100,000 euros will push a significant part of entrepreneurs towards the area of ​​PFA or hybrid forms, more flexible from a fiscal point of view, but also more vulnerable from an operational point of view. In this sense, we will see more small businesses, but fewer scalable companies in the micro area, which will affect the investment and employment capacity right where it should be the engine of the Romanian economy”said business consultant Florin Leucă for “Adevărul”.

According to him, in parallel, pressure on margins remains high due to persistent inflation and hard-to-anticipate fiscal costs.

“The state focuses on macroeconomic balancing (deficit, inflation, budget revenues) and less on targeted interventions for SMEs. This means that entrepreneurs can no longer build their strategies based on waiting for rescue programs, but on operational efficiency, cash-flow and real competitiveness“, he explained, adding that pandemic experience is now becoming a real competitive advantage.

The companies that then learned to diversify their suppliers, digitize their processes and control their fixed costs are today more agile, more resilient and better prepared for market volatility, but also more focused on having a business model that works in the medium and long term, explained the consultant.

In his view, competitive tension and development potential come from trade agreements that lead to the integration of the European market with blocs such as Mercosur and continental-scale economies such as India.

“For Romanian SMEs, we will see an intensification of competition, especially by increasing price pressure, but also opportunities for expansion by opening export channels for companies capable of operating in a niche, efficiently and with value propositions adapted to the specifics of foreign markets”, explained Florin Leucă, adding that the financing initiatives proposed by IMM Romania show that the business environment requires capital for micro-enterprises, and the impact will depend on the speed of implementation.

In the opinion of the business consultant, in 2026 entrepreneurs must focus on the speed of execution of their business strategy to consolidate and expand their businesses by: controlling costs, increasing productivity per employee, gaining potential market share in Romania and targeting foreign markets through bold and competitive value propositions.

Florin Pețu: The economy will grow moderately, with no signs of recession

Florin Pețu, vice-president of the IMM Bucharest Ilfov Federation, claims that the global and European economy is in a cycle of moderate growth, under the pressure of external factors such as financing costs and commercial uncertainties, but without major signs of recession. “International forecasts for 2026 estimate modest economic growth, supported mainly by business adaptation, technology investment and the role of the private sector in innovation and exports,” Petu explained.

For Romanian SMEs, this macroeconomic reality means:

– Increasing competition and the need to quickly adapt — entrepreneurs need to accelerate digitization and innovation to remain competitive.

– Cost pressures — labor and energy costs, along with taxation, will remain factors that can erode firms' small profit margins. In this regard, SMEs drew attention to the impact of the increase in the minimum wage on the competitiveness and sustainability of small businesses.

– European funds and access to finance can be a real support if they are managed effectively and reach companies that innovate and export.

“Overall, the SME sector will continue to be the engine of the Romanian economy, but conditional on predictable public policies, access to credit and incentives for technological investments and internationalization. The SME patronage reaffirms its commitment to dialogue with the authorities and to supporting the private environment in directions that generate sustainable growth, jobs and long-term competitiveness”said Florin Pețu for “Adevărul”.

NextUp: Digitization becomes mandatory for those who want to survive

Reviewing the main fiscal changes in 2026, Roxana Epure, CEO of NextUp, added that this year small businesses are under the sign of exigency, “not necessarily of the crisis, but of a harsher, stricter and less forgiving reality with decisions made by feeling”.

Speaking about higher costs, increased fiscal pressure, the elimination of facilities, increasingly complex digital obligations (e-Invoice, SAF-T, e-Transport), more frequent controls and a more sensitive cash-flow, Roxana Epure pointed out that all this forces entrepreneurs to make a fundamental change: from instinct to decision based on real data.

“We are entering a year where you can no longer afford to hope that it works. You must know. See. Measure. Those who do not have financial control and real-time visibility over the business will discover the problems too late“, she declared.

The specialist explained that last year many companies went digital not because “it was trendy”, but because they were losing money and didn't know why. Data was scattered in Excels, emails, WhatsApp and address books. The reports came late. “Decisions were made without a complete picture. This change in behavior was not conjunctural. In 2026, it becomes the rule. “For years, digitization was seen as an extra. Now it is treatment. For lack of control, for invisible losses, for decisions made too late“, explains Roxana Epure.

“2026 will not be an easy year. But it can be a much clearer year for those who choose to see reality exactly as it is. No illusions. No noise. Only numbers, decisions and control”, concludes Roxana Epure.