Western investors regained interest in Central and Eastern European countries after several private and governmental financial institutions announced they would invest several billion dollars in a series of business projects in the region, some of them concerning Romania.
First, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the US Government launched an investment fund worth 150 million dollars aimed at financing small businesses in the Balkan area. Shortly afterwards, American billionaire George Soros and OPIC, an American federal agency supporting private investments outside USA, signed an agreement that set up the Southeast Europe Equity Fund. This fund, with a capital of 150 million dollars is aimed at supporting business, restructuring and privatisation in nine countries: Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Slovenia and Turkey.
At the same time, the International Finance Corporation (a World Bank division) and several private investment funds announced they had set up a fund worth 24.1 million dollars aimed at venture-capital investments in the Balkans area. The largest project belongs by far to Japanese Investment Bank Nomura Securities, which announced on Wednesday that it had settled a 4 billion-dollar ceiling for investments and bond acquisitions on the emerging markets.
"Nomura settled a ceiling of 1.5 billion dollars for investments and bonds in Central and Eastern Europe, in countries such as Romania, Russia and Hungary," a spokesperson of Nomura Securities' subsidiary in London told Ziarul Financiar. According to the above-quoted source, Nomura investors may announce their intention to purchase part of the bond issue that Romania is likely to launch in October this year.
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