In February, Banca Transilvania celebrated 32 years of activity together with its founding members. BT Founders' Meeting is an annual event, an opportunity for the bank to honors its beginnings and those who laid the foundations of its history, with confidence, courage and optimism.

Back in time: 1993, the year it all began

The idea of setting up a bank headquartered in Cluj-Napoca belonged to Dan Palagheanu (Radu Dănuț Palagheanu), who, together with his partners from Compexit, also based in Cluj-Napoca, formed the core of the bank's founders, who were later joined by other investors. In the end, the group grew to 46 founders, mostly local entrepreneurs.

The bank set out in 1993 with an initial capital of 2 million dollars and the ambition to build a landmark bank in Transylvania. Hence its name.

Banca Transilvania’s founders who believed in the bank's success from the moment the idea first came about: 

• Avram Vasile Doru
• Badiu Nicolae
• Banciu Adela Roxana
• Beniurushvili Simeon
• Ciorcilă Horia
• Ciurchea Ioan Marius
• Constantinescu Mircea Mihai
• Copândean Alexandru Velu
• Creț Aurel Dan
• Cristea Gheorghe
• Gavrea Aurel
• Ghite Sorin Voicu
• Groiss Iosef
• Gruiță Dan Florin
• Iliescu Cecilia
• Javorszky Imre
• Jeican Constantin Miron
• Joldeș Constantin
• Lupoian Vasile Adrian
• Maier Florin
• Meciu Eugen Alexandru
• Mercean Gligor
• Micoriciu Valentin
• Mitaș Dudaș
• Moga Mircea
• Moga Voica
• Năsui Dorel Vasile
• Năsui Simion Ioan
• Nicoară Marius
• Nistor Dan
• Palagheanu Radu Dănuț
• Pluscal Simona
• Poienaru Ioan Nistor
• Popescu Pihal Dan Constantin
• Pop Iosif
• Rațiu Ioan
• Rotta Răzvan
• Silaghi Claudiu Eugen
• Tiberiu Alexandru
• Trenca Ioan
• Torgie Teodor
• Tothfalusi Janos
• Țăran Florin Eugen
• Țârțan Ioan
• Cluj Chamber of Commerce and Industry
• FPP 1 Banat-Crișana
  
  

Background: Romania in 1994

1994’s Romania was rather grey. Just a few years after the Revolution, we were only dreaming of the European Union. Democracy and Romanian capital were at the very beginning. Banking was completely different back then, especially when it came to loans and deposits. There were no cards or ATMs. There were, however, many opportunities because the economy and the country were transitioning from a centralized system - where everything was owned by the state - to a decentralized model based on private ownership. It was the perfect moment for those who had the courage to see beyond the present, as the bank's founders did.

- this is part of the message of the bank's top management, signed by Horia Ciorcilă, BT founder and Chairman of the Board, for BT #30 years.

Visual identity: the logo that tells a story

The creation of a brand identity for Banca Transilvania was a top priority. The founders wanted the entrepreneurial idea to take shape as soon as possible and the logo to reflect the bank's origins and ambitions.

We designed the logo based on the bank's suggestions, and it took about a month to come up with the concept and make the choice. We chose the logo that best evoked Transylvania's history. The lettering, the halberds and the shield in the logo are all warlike, medieval elements specific to Transylvania and its historical development. They symbolized the struggle for the affirmation of BT, which was to follow immediately after the launch, but also the tenacity of those who joined this struggle. The colors were easy to choose, especially since the printing and use possibilities on different materials were more limited back then than they are now. Black and yellow have always created a nice contrast, and they are also appropriate colors for banking. The yellow actually suggested the gold that the small bank of that time, Banca Transilvania, was to produce and manage.

- Ioana Avram, architect and author of the first BT brand identity.

1994: the first branch, the first team and the first customers

Banca Transilvania started its activity on February 16, 1994, with the opening of the Cluj Branch, in Cluj-Napoca, 36 Bulevardul Eroilor. The team consisted of 13 people, and the first customers were the founders, their families, and their friends. That same year, the bank grew to 5 business offices and 15,000 customers.
 

Banca Transilvania today: the leader on the banking market

Today, Banca Transilvania is the leader of the banking sector in Romania and South-Eastern Europe, a digital banking ecosystem that connects millions of people and businesses to financial solutions. With a 23% market share, the Bank counts 5 million customers, 72,000 shareholders & investors and over 10,000 employees, as well as 530 territorial units.

BT is part of the Banca Transilvania Financial Group, present in three countries, Romania, Italy and the Republic of Moldova, active in banking, asset management, brokerage, leasing, private pensions, microfinance and insurance. The more than 20 companies in the BT Group share the same mission: to make a positive impact on national and regional economies, to contribute to the prosperity of people and businesses, to accelerate business development and to support a sustainable future for communities and the environment.