Romanian companies top the list of the 100 largest companies in South-Eastern Europe

SeeNews, a Southeast European business news publisher, today published the SEE TOP 100 ranking of the largest companies, banks and insurers in the region in 2021. More than half of the total participants in the ranking, 56, are Romanian companies.

The Romanian oil and gas company OMV Petrom ranked in the chart, while the winner of the SEE TOP 100 banks ranking is also a company from Romania – Banca Transilvania.

After a seven-year hiatus, Romania’s largest oil and gas producer is again in first place in the SeeNews list, surpassing the traditional leader – the local Dacia automobile manufacturer. OMV Petrom’s sales increased by 60% to 6 billion euros, surpassing Dacia, which had sales of 4.4 billion euros last year. In terms of profit, OMV Petrom is in second place in the top, with 546.3 million euros.

The best-performing company in terms of profit is the local hydropower producer Hidroelectrica, which ended 2021 with a profit of 614 million euros and a profitability of 45%, on the back of increased electricity sales. The company is preparing for an initial public offering next year, which will be the largest in Romania’s history.

The winner in the banking is also a Romanian company, Banca Transilvania. Aided by post-pandemic economic growth, South-East Europe’s largest companies posted double-digit revenue and profit growth in 2021, according to the SEE TOP 100 ranking.

The top 100 companies in South East Europe ended 2021 with combined revenues of €53.8 billion, 28% higher than the total revenues of the participants in the previous year’s ranking, well surpassing the level of 129.3 billion euros reached in 2019. The increase in their profits was even more remarkable – by 83% compared to the previous year to 6.4 billion euros. The oil and gas industry was the best performer in terms of both revenue and profit, displacing the retail sector as the winner in 2020. SEE TOP 100 oil and gas companies whose combined revenue decreased by a quarter in 2020 as a result of the economic crisis, travel bans and low commodity prices, grew its aggregate revenue by 54% in 2021, while profits doubled. In total, 21 oil and gas companies entered the 2021 ranking.