How investors are informed in 2025: Generations choose different sources and non-specialist influencers gain ground

Romanian investors under the age of 35 adopt a distinct behavior on the capital market: they trade more actively on foreign markets, prefer flexible instruments such as fractional shares and predefined portfolios (PIES1), and their sources of information are predominantly digital and international.

Young Romanians under 35 adopt a distinct behavior on the capital market. Archive photo

While the 46-65 segment prioritizes reputation and age of platforms, young people focus on functionality, cost and performance. This shift in priorities accelerates the maturation of the local market and redefines the criteria for trust in the financial ecosystem.

The data highlights a discrepancy between age groups in the adoption of modern investment tools. Across all age groups, more than two-thirds of users who have the option to invest in fractional shares through their current trading platform have used this option. In the 46-65 years old category, the percentage of those who invested in this way is significantly lower, only 55%, a sign that the interest in this type of instruments is lower compared to the younger segments, the study states “Investment Perceptions“.

The difference is even more visible with predefined portfolios, where 69% of 25-35 year olds who know them have used them, compared to the overall average of 52%. This product removes complexity and enables rapid diversification without the need for advanced technical knowledge.

“We see more and more clearly how investors are becoming more informed and attentive, and at the same time, capital market investments are becoming much more accessible. Features like fractional shares and predefined portfolios are not just convenient tools, they completely change who can invest and how they do it. Today, you no longer need to be an expert to get started, and a diversified portfolio can be built with just a few hundred lei, not tens of thousands. This evolution is also reflected in the top of user preferences, which are increasingly moving towards modern platforms with real functionality and performance. In a word, the local market becomes more connected and better aligned with international trends and standards“, explains Valentina Berevoianu, CEO, Investimental.

The evolution suggests that the barrier to entering the capital market is no longer one of capital or expertise, but of information and access to the right tools. The motivation to invest is also changing. If previous generations were mainly influenced by professional advice or the reputation of financial institutions, young people now rely more and more on the direct experience of close people, such as friends, colleagues, acquaintances from the immediate social environment. The normalization of investing in social circles creates an avalanche effect, and so once someone in a group invests and talks openly about it, the psychological barrier disappears.

“Young people come with a completely different approach. They are constantly informed, from multiple sources, some unexpected, and experiment without getting stuck in the analysis stage. They are open to new things and want to be able to manage everything simply, from the phone, quickly. What seemed complicated or inaccessible to their parents' generation is intuitive to them, and this puts pressure on the entire industry to keep up with their expectations“, declares Gabriel Aldea, Deputy General Director, Investment.

Young people get information from TikTok, Reddit and Discord

Investors use an average of 5 sources of information, regardless of age, but the type of these sources differs radically between generations. The 25-35-year-old segment is significantly more oriented towards video and social platforms (YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Reddit, X and Discord), while 46-65-year-old investors remain faithful to traditional sources such as television, LinkedIn or the local business press.

A notable trend from 2025 is the significant advance of non-financial influencers in the top information sources, becoming the fourth most frequent source of information (the percentage of users who get information from such sources increasing from 20% in 2024 to 34% in 2025). Their informal approach, integrated into everyday content and devoid of technical terms, makes it easier for a wider audience to assimilate financial concepts.

At the level of publications, young people read significantly more international press, where there was a notable increase compared to 2024, while the 46-65-year-old segment prefers domestic publications. International orientation is also reflected in investment behavior, with young people trading significantly more on foreign markets compared to the total number of users.

The evolution that the study shows is clear: the capital market is becoming more open, more diversified in instruments and more connected to global trends, and trust is increasingly built through direct experience, verifiable results and recommendations from the community.

The study “Perceptions about investments” was carried out at the request of Investimental by Exact Business Solutions using the CAWI methodology between March 6-26, 2025, on a sample of 608 respondents from the urban environment, aged between 25 and 65 years, monthly income over 4,500 lei and savings of at least 3,000 EUR. The analysis includes 292 active users, 244 potential investors and 72 non-investors.