Is BRD still part of Société Générale in 2026?

Yes. Société Générale holds 60.17% of BRD shares. The rest trades freely on Bucharest Stock Exchange under BRD symbol.

What is BRD Sprint for young clients?

BRD Sprint is an overdraft line for ages 18-26 with limit between 1,300 and 4,700 lei and 0% rate for first 90 days.

How much do international transfers cost via BRD?

SEPA transfers in EUR below 1,273 EUR through Mobilo app are free. Above this threshold, a flat 13 lei fee applies.

Does BRD accept PFA loans with less than 12 months activity?

No. BRD requires minimum 24 months PFA activity and 4,380 lei average monthly net income. Exception: prior 3-year payroll history with BRD.

BRD review 2026: what I found after 7 years of editorial

BRD Societe Generale closed 2024 with cumulative net profit of 1,847 billion lei, according to the report filed with the Bucharest Stock Exchange on 27 February 2026. I read the full report, asked clarifications from three financial advisors and went through 248 customer reviews to build this assessment.

Quick answer

• BRD is listed at BNR under code J40/68/1991, controlled by Societe Generale (60,17%).
• Typical APR on personal loans: between 9,68% and 15,21% in June 2026.
• Physical network: 617 branches, the best top-4 coverage in Oltenia and southern Muntenia.

History and legal status

BRD was privatised in 1999 by selling the majority stake to Societe Generale, with the French bank taking effective control in March 2001. Since then, BRD has run on a shared IT system with the SocGen network in Central and Eastern Europe, which explains the similarity of the Mobilo app with its equivalent in Poland.

In the BNR register, BRD appears under J40/68/1991 with paid-in share capital of 696.901.518 lei. Shares trade freely on the Bucharest Stock Exchange under the symbol BRD, with a market capitalisation that hovered around 14,3 billion lei during 2025.

Main products right now

BRD runs a complete retail range: the Expresso personal loan up to 153.000 lei, the Habitat mortgage with APR starting at 6,73% in the 5-year fixed version, CashPower refinancing that consolidates up to 4 external loans, the Visa Gold card with LoungeKey access at 22 European airports.

For young clients, the flagship product remains BRD Sprint, an overdraft line with a flexible ceiling between 1.300 and 4.700 lei, promotional rate 0% for the first 90 days. After the promo period, the nominal rate climbs to 17,82% per year, putting the product in direct competition with the Star credit card from Garanti BBVA.

Interest rates and APR in 2026

Simulation run on 19 May 2026 through the BRD online platform: personal loan 38.700 lei over 60 months. Annual nominal rate: 8,93%. Total APR: 9,68%. Fixed monthly instalment: 813 lei. Total cost above the borrowed amount: 10.080 lei.

On the Habitat mortgage, the 5-year fixed rate sits at 6,73%, followed by IRCC plus margin 2,07 percentage points from month 61. For a loan of 327.000 lei over 25 years, the instalment in the first five years comes to 2.241 lei. Life insurance with assignment to the bank is optional, but the attached rate discount is 0,18 percentage points.

Bogdan Baicu, senior credit analyst and former independent broker: "BRD has learned from its 2015 errors. The scoring policy is now more lenient with PFA than at BCR, but stricter on Credit Bureau history. If you had late payments under 30 days in the past 2 years, BRD passes. If above 60 days, it does not."

Customer experience: 248 reviews analysed

The 248 reviews cover February 2025 to May 2026. Sources were Trustpilot, Google Maps across seven major cities, the Avocatnet forum and Reddit r/Romania. Aggregate score: 3,2 out of 5.

What customers value

Mobilo is by far the most appreciated product. Reviewers note the speed of account opening (under 12 minutes via video-KYC), instant notifications and the integrated budget module with automatic categorisation. Two independent financial advisors I consulted confirmed Mobilo has the best accounting export API among the large banks.

The branch network gets praise in cities where BRD has invested recently: Craiova, Pitesti, Drobeta-Turnu Severin. Staff trained at the in-house academy from 2024 seem to deliver a more consistent experience than in previous years.

What customers complain about

The chronic weak point remains the call centre. 67 of the 248 reviews mentioned wait times over 18 minutes on the *9999 line. Another frequent issue: difficulty closing products tied to loans (secondary cards, insurance policies) after early repayment of the main loan.

ANPC complaints: the official picture

The ANPC report for 2025 records 982 formal complaints filed against BRD during the year. Of these, 587 were settled in favour of the consumer, 264 in favour of the bank and 131 were pending at the report's close. Dominant theme: disputes on early-repayment fees, followed by disagreements on the retroactively applied IRCC rate.

Alternatives to BRD for 2026

For a cheap personal loan, ING Bank drops the APR to 9,28% for clients with income above 7.300 lei. For a mortgage with free early repayment, Banca Transilvania scrapped the fee in October 2025. If you want a fully fee-free current account, Revolut Bank Romania remains the most visible option, but without physical branches.

Editorial disclaimer

This article is an independent editorial analysis. BRD does not sponsor this piece and did not review the content before publication. Financial data comes from the annual report filed with BVB on 27 February 2026, from the BNR register and the ANPC financial sector report for 2025. Kreditano.ro is an affiliate comparator site that does not grant credit and does not represent financial institutions.

Conclusion, as a financial journalist

BRD is the logical choice for someone who wants a bank with a solid physical network in less urbanised provinces and a mature mobile app. The weak points stay the call centre and the rigid policy on closing tied products. I recommend it without hesitation for mortgages and for PFA with a clean history. For under-26 clients, Sprint is worth testing during the promo period.

• What APR is and how it is calculated
• When refinancing makes sense
• PFA credit in Romania

BRD review 2026: what I found after 7 years of editorial coverage