InfoMarket Economic News Agency morning review based on the previous business day: key news, important economic indicators and upcoming events. Available by subscription: plus@infomarket.md // +373 79 119 100 // Every day at 7 a.m. - in your inbox.
Macroeconomics
• Expert-Grup estimates Moldova's GDP growth in 2026 at 1–2% unless there is a clear acceleration this fall. In July, the leading indicator fell to +0.08 standard deviations; growth was supported by trade and industry, while services, construction and high borrowing costs held it back.
Energy and resources
• Energocom asked NARE to raise the natural gas tariff for residential consumers by 29.3% - from 18.79 to 24.31 lei/cubic meter excluding VAT, or from 20.3 to 26.25 lei including VAT. The company says that since July 15, the European gas price has risen by 42.15%, while TTF quotations have exceeded EUR 75/MWh.
• The Ministry of Energy says the country's gasoline reserves are sufficient for about 26 days and diesel reserves for 9 days; the ministry expects a global shortage of diesel fuel and kerosene due to disruptions in international markets.
• Igor Makarov said he is ready to invest up to $1 billion in gas storage facilities in Moldova and is considering long-term gas supplies; according to him, supplies may begin no earlier than next year.
External economy and trade
• Exports of services to foreign clients totaled $3.22 billion in 2025, or 46% of total export value; the services trade surplus reached $1.04 billion. Goods exports totaled $3.78 billion.
• In July-August, Moldova exported 378,165 metric tons of wheat worth about 1.4 billion lei - 23% more year-on-year; 73.8% of shipments went through the two terminals of the Giurgiulești hub, while rail exports fell by 94% in August compared with July.
Government regulation
• The government approved an EU-aligned reform of the excise tax regime: by 2030, additional revenue is estimated at 86.2 million lei, including 62.5 million lei from tobacco products and 23.7 million lei from electricity. The bill still has to be approved by Parliament.
• An excise tax of 10 lei/MWh, or 1 ban/kWh, is proposed for electricity used by businesses; households will be exempt. At a price of 4.5 lei/kWh, companies' costs will rise by about 0.22%, according to Ministry of Finance calculations.
• AmCham proposes giving businesses at least 12 months to transition to the new AML/CFT requirements; in some cases, the draft provides for sanctions of up to the equivalent of EUR 10 million or 10% of annual turnover.
International relations
• The government and the European Commission intend to accelerate implementation of the Growth Plan and 20 priority projects for which European funding has been requested. The EU assistance package for Moldova totals EUR 1.9 billion.
Banks and finance
• The NBM found no excessive systemic risk in the financial sector: the financial stress index stood at 0.39 in the second quarter, below the 0.51 threshold. New consumer loans rose to 5.12 billion lei (+16.2% year-on-year), while new mortgage loans fell to 2.95 billion lei (-5.5%).
• Since Moldova joined SEPA, citizens and companies have saved nearly EUR 15 million: from October 2025 through August 2026, about 1.1 million transfers were processed, while the average fee fell from EUR 20 or more to about EUR 1.
Agriculture
• About one-third of farmers are having difficulty meeting their financial obligations, according to the National Federation of Farmers; some farms have debts of 7,000–40,000 lei per hectare. The parties are to submit agreed options for a debt restructuring mechanism to the Economic Council by October 1.
Day in figures
24.31 lei/cubic meter - gas tariff excluding VAT requested by Energocom for residential consumers. | $1 billion - potential investment in gas storage facilities in Moldova. |
$3.22 billion - exports of services to foreign clients in 2025. | EUR 1.9 billion - total EU Growth Plan package for Moldova. |
1.4 billion lei - value of wheat exports in July-August 2026. | EUR 15 million - savings for citizens and businesses after joining SEPA. |
5.12 billion lei - new consumer loans in the second quarter of 2026. | 86.2 million lei - additional revenue from the excise tax reform by 2030. |
AGENDA
• On September 24, the NBS will publish detailed foreign trade data for January-July 2026.
• On September 24, TAXCON'26, AmCham Moldova's taxation conference, will take place.
• On September 24, ASEM / GLIA Impact Hub will hold the event "Skills for Success in Insurance and the Capital Market," with the participation of financial regulators from Moldova and Romania.
• On September 24, Moldova Tourism Forum 2026 will take place.
• On September 24 at 09:00, the NBS, with Eurostat support, will hold an international conference on the use of geospatial data in official statistics and European integration.
• On September 24 at 11:00, the MoldMedizin & MoldDent 2026 exhibition will open at Moldexpo; at 11:30, a strategic dialogue on the future of medicine will take place with the participation of the Minister of Health.