Romanian assets sold in 2008 reached a record level of some EUR 1 million to date, in spite of the impact of the U.S. subprime crisis on local and international financial markets, Business Standard Daily reports.

The depreciation of the national currency and a severe decline of Bucharest Stock Exchange (BVB) quotations, due to the subprime crisis, but also higher inflation and the unfavorable evolution of the current account deficit have failed so far to impact on financial results of local companies, according to declarations for Business Standard by investment bankers and players on the private equity market.

''We have managed to close deals worth some half a billion euro since the end of last year, at a time when the local market, and especially the international market, were hit by the subprime crisis,'' said Raiffeisen Investment Romania’s Managing Director, Ioana Filipescu. There is a decline in the rate and number of deals, Filipescu said.

''If we look at the merger & acquisition and private equity markets in 2007, the volume of deals in the first half was double that in the second half. Raiffeisen Investment Romania had a mandate to sell the Labormed pharmaceutical producer (EUR 123 million) and advised French group Groupama in its acquisition of local Asiban insurer (EUR 350 million),'' added Filipescu.