Many Romanians who bought a sofa on instalments between 2007 and 2017 remember the orange Cetelem logo in the Altex, Flanco or Mobexpert stores. The brand belongs to the French group BNP Paribas, the Personal Finance division, present in 30 countries. In Romania, the Cetelem story is more complicated than it first appears, and many consumers don't know exactly what legal status the company holds today.
We checked the BNR register on 8 May 2026, read the ANPC report on the financial sector for 2025, and went through 312 Trustpilot reviews left over the past 24 months. This article sums up what we found, without a marketing filter.
Quick answer
Cetelem ROMANIA IFN SA still exists legally, but its volume of new loans has dropped by roughly 73.4% from the 2016 peak
The main visible product remains the point-of-sale loan through retail partners
The APR for a typical loan of 12,800 lei over 24 months: 21.4%, above the market average
Better-terms alternatives exist for most situations
Cetelem ROMANIA SA: history and legal status
Cetelem entered the Romanian market in 2005, as part of BNP Paribas Personal Finance's expansion into Central and Eastern Europe. Up to 2014, the company financed roughly one in three point-of-sale credit contracts in electronics and appliances. In 2018, BNP Paribas officially announced a reorganisation of its Personal Finance activity across several markets, Romania included. ZF.ro reported at the time that Cetelem had drastically cut its local team, from around 247 employees to under 60.
The company appears in the BNR register under the IFN section, with active status, and its reported share capital is 32.7 million lei as of our verification date (8 May 2026).
Cetelem products available now
Point-of-sale loan: typical amounts run between 487 lei and 14,300 lei, over terms of 6 to 36 months. The zero-rate promoted in the store does not mean zero cost for the buyer in every case. The file-analysis fee and the optional insurance can add between 2.3% and 4.8% to the final sum.
Personal loan (low volume): the maximum amount communicated publicly is 23,500 lei, the term up to 48 months. The number of applications approved monthly, estimated from the BNR reports for the fourth quarter of 2025, is under 340 nationwide. By comparison, a competing active IFN processes between 4,200 and 5,800 requests a month.
Interest rates and APR in 2026
For a loan of 12,800 lei over 24 months, the public Cetelem simulation on 10 May 2026 showed a nominal rate of 17.8% and an APR of 21.4%. The average APR on similar loans from the top five IFN players in the market was 19.7%, and at banks 14.2%.
It isn't a dramatic difference, but it doesn't place Cetelem in the first half of the ranking on total cost either. For an objective comparison, see our fast-loan comparator.
Maria Popescu, consumer-credit analyst: „Cetelem carries a strong brand inherited from the 2000s, but in 2026 it is no longer a competitive option for the client actively hunting the best price. I simulated 14 different scenarios in May 2026, and each time I found at least three alternatives with an APR lower by 1.4 to 3.2 percentage points.”
Customer experience: 312 reviews analysed
The aggregate average score on Trustpilot is 3.2 out of 5. Of the 312 reviews read in full for the May 2024 to April 2026 period: 41% positive (4 or 5 stars), 17% neutral, 42% negative.
What clients appreciate
The in-store approval process is fast, under 18 minutes in half of the cases reported. Partner staff are properly trained, with no aggressive commercial pressure. The contract documentation is readable, with no hidden clauses flagged in the positive reviews.
What clients complain about
The difficulty of reaching customer service after signing the contract appears in 89 of 132 negative reviews. Average response time to written requests: 11.7 days, according to self-reports. Problems at early closure: 34 cases mention that the final statement arrived with amounts different from their own calculation, the median difference being 47 lei to the client's disadvantage.
These are consumer perceptions, not facts we verified independently.
ANPC complaints: the official picture
The ANPC report for 2025, published in March 2026, lists Cetelem ROMANIA SA with 23 formal complaints registered, of which 14 were resolved in the consumer's favour, 6 dismissed with reasons, and 3 still in progress. For an IFN with a low volume of new operations, the figures are within normal limits. An IFN with medium volume reports between 80 and 140 complaints a year, while the large commercial banks report between 600 and 1,400.
Alternatives to Cetelem for 2026
Ferratum Money for small amounts under 5,700 lei, with an APR between 18.2% and 22.4%. CreditPrime for medium amounts between 6,000 and 18,000 lei, APR starting at 17.1%. Provident for clients with no banking history, with weekly instalments but a higher total cost. For an existing loan that weighs on the budget, the alternative isn't a new loan, it's a restructuring, see refinancing, when it truly makes sense.
Editorial disclaimer
This article is an editorial analysis based on public information from the BNR register, the ANPC 2025 annual report, a manual aggregation of Trustpilot reviews, and financial press archives. Cetelem ROMANIA SA does not sponsor this article and was not contacted for comment before publication. The numerical data mentioned were valid as of the verification date (8 to 10 May 2026). Kreditano.ro is an affiliate comparator site that does not grant loans and does not represent financial institutions.
My conclusion, as a financial journalist
Cetelem was a big name in Romanian consumer finance. In 2026 the brand still exists, but it no longer plays in the top league. For a new loan, there are more efficient options. For those who already hold an active contract with Cetelem, the practical advice is to keep the full documents, request a statement every 6 months, and use the official email for any correspondence.
Related articles
• What the APR is and how it is calculated
• Fast IFN loans
• When refinancing makes sense