Aurel Bernat, Executive Director of Financial Institutions and Investor Relations at Banca Transilvania, was a guest on the online show Ce faci cu banii tăi? (What do you do with your money?), produced by Ziarul Financiar, where he talked about how he sees the year 2026, saving, and the relationship with money.

The interview, recorded in the first week of the year, can be viewed in full here, and the article summarizing the discussion is available here. Some ideas from the interview:

About 2026:

• Romania is a place worth being in, living in, investing in. We have our strengths, of course, but we also have certain aspects that may cause tension for investors. However, looking at the long term, Romania is an interesting place, a large market with a large population and regional relevance.
• In the case of Banca Transilvania, the objective remains to finance the local economy, a commitment that provides consistency and stability.
  
  

About the first investments in the early 2000s, during a period of extreme volatility on the Romanian capital market:

• They shaped me.
• I understood what volatility meant, I understood what stop loss meant. Unfortunately, you were learning and experimenting on your own, it wasn't a time when anyone was there to guide you.
  
  

On the transition from mutual fund management, where he led BT Asset Management, to his current role at the parent bank:

• I would say that the transition was almost plug-and-play, because investment funds and their management are not that far removed from the idea of investor relations.
  
  

On the prevailing sentiment after two decades in banking:

• I'm still that twenty-something kid who walked into the bank. I've been through a lot of changes and growth, and that ongoing growth keeps you sharp.
  
  

About your relationship with money and saving:

• There are people who are not driven by money, they are driven by performance. At the end of the day, the numbers come as a result of a job well done.
• If I earn my income by working, my investments should be simple and quick: in funds, indices, etc.