Maria joined Kreditano after 5 years on the consumer-credit team at Raiffeisen Bank and a year as a UX consultant at a Romanian fintech platform. Before banking she was a freelance editor for the "Fintech & Banking" column of a financial publication. She has a double background: Economics at the University of Bucharest (2014 cohort) and an informal master's in Economic Journalism through the ANPC Economic Journalism School, completed in 2017. She served as ANPC consumer-education consultant between 2020 and 2022, co-authoring four public consumer guides, one of which (on revolving cards) is still distributed today in partner bank branches.

On Kreditano she writes about how consumers actually choose credit products. Bank vs NBFI differences, when a credit card makes sense, what users ask before applying, and what documents they never read. Her articles start from real questions received via the contact form and the support desk. "The toughest interview I ever did was with a 34-year-old woman who had drained the 8,500 lei limit on a revolving card without understanding that interest applies to the balance, not the use," Maria says. "The card terms document was 11 pages. Since then, every article on cards starts from one question: what would have saved her if she had read it before applying?"

In 2019 she contributed to a press investigation into the rural predatory-lending segment that led to a public notice from NBR and ANPC. On Kreditano she works with Roman Dumitrescu (review on APR-heavy articles) and Bogdan Baicu on the fast-loans side. Recurring topics: the grace period, the hidden cost of foreign use, real vs advertised cashback.

“Every article on cards starts from one question: what would have saved a consumer if they had read it before applying?”— Maria Popescu

Areas of expertise

  • Credit cards
  • Offer comparison
  • Financial literacy

Experience and credentials

  • University of Bucharest: Economics (2014)
  • ANPC School of Economic Journalism (2017)
  • Raiffeisen Bank: Consumer Credit Team (2019-2024)
  • ANPC: Financial Education Consultant (2020-2022)
  • UX consultant at a Romanian fintech (2024-2025)

Contact and profile

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Articles written by Maria Popescu

Articles reviewed by Maria Popescu

Every article signed by this author is reviewed by a second editor before publication and may be updated when regulations or bank offers change.