Morning review by the InfoMarket Business News Agency based on the previous business day: key news, important economic indicators and upcoming announcements. Available by subscription: plus@infomarket.md // +373 79 119 100 // Every day at 7 a.m. - in your inbox.
Macroeconomics
• The NBM base rate rose from 5.00% in April to 7.50% in July. According to Veaceslav Ioniţă, with inflation at 6.50% in Q2, the effect was felt more quickly in household deposit rates and the cost of government borrowing: the average deposit rate approached 5.70%, while government borrowing costs in July reached about 10.00%.
Energy & Resources
• ANRE proposes raising the gas tariff for residential consumers by 40.70% - from 13.35 to 18.79 lei per cubic meter excluding VAT, or to 20.29 lei including VAT. The average gas purchase price was 423.28 euros per 1,000 cubic meters in January-July and is estimated at 623.54 euros for August-December; the accumulated tariff deficit reached 106.80 million lei.
• The Ministry of Energy does not plan to resume electricity purchases from the Moldovan State Power Plant: at the current gas price, estimated generation costs are about 220.00 euros/MWh versus Energocom's average purchase price of 133.86 euros/MWh in July. Converting the plant to coal would require about 9.50 million euros to retrofit each boiler and another 20.00-30.00 million euros for repairs, with work taking 9-12 months.
• The winners of the new wind energy tender are 7 projects with a total capacity of 170.00 MW at prices of 1.24-1.25 lei/kWh excluding VAT; each project must install storage of at least 0.25 MWh per 1 MW of supported capacity. The facilities must be commissioned within 36 months after publication of the government decision.
Foreign Economy & Trade
• Moldova's exports in H1 rose by 12.50% to 1.65 billion euros, including exports of domestic goods up 16.40% to 1.31 billion euros. Imports increased by 6.50% to 4.99 billion euros; the EU accounted for 64.18% of exports and 55.20% of imports.
Government Regulation
• The 2027 tax policy proposes requiring foreign-invested enterprises to pay state social insurance contributions for all employees, including foreign nationals; for budgetary and public employers, the contribution rate is proposed to be reduced from 29.00% to 24.00%. Foreign employees will be entitled to benefits in proportion to the contributions calculated and paid for them, unless international agreements provide otherwise.
• Companies declared 8.40 billion lei in income tax for 2025, up 15.10% year on year. Nearly 9,000 SMEs used the tax deferral until dividend distribution: the deferred amount reached 2.10 billion lei, up 61.50% from 2023.
Investments & Projects
• Moldova HiTech Park in Stăuceni is expected to attract about 600.00 million euros in investment and create more than 21,000 jobs. The campus will cover about 50 ha, with at least 40.00% of the territory allocated to green and public spaces; the zonal urban development plan is scheduled for spring 2027.
• A total of 87.88 million lei excluding VAT is planned for the feasibility study of the Moldovan section of the A8 Ungheni-Chisinau-Odessa highway. Tender bids will be accepted September 4-21, with the contract scheduled to run from October 19, 2026 through September 30, 2027.
Agriculture
• Moldova Fruct is asking the government to simplify urban planning procedures for agricultural infrastructure: current requirements are the same for small facilities and large projects, while documentation costs in some cases exceed the cost of the facility itself. The Ministry of Economic Development committed to review categories of facilities and options for proportionate regulation, taking EU practice into account.
Business & Companies
• Supraten increased sales in 2025 by 8.50% to 1.68 billion lei, with net profit at 1.87 million lei (+1.30%). The company's assets totaled 588.30 million lei, while employee compensation expenses were nearly 240.00 million lei.
Day in Numbers
20.29 lei/m³ - proposed gas tariff for residential consumers including VAT. | 220.00 euros/MWh - estimated Moldovan State Power Plant electricity generation cost using market-priced gas. |
170.00 MW - capacity of the winning wind energy tender projects. | 1.65 billion euros - Moldova's exports in H1 2026. |
4.99 billion euros - Moldova's imports in H1 2026. | 600.00 million euros - estimated investment potential of Moldova HiTech Park. |
2.10 billion lei - income tax deferred by SMEs until dividend distribution. | 87.88 million lei - estimated cost of the feasibility study for the Moldovan section of the A8 highway. |
ANNOUNCEMENTS
• On August 17, the council of the "Power of Farmers" association will review the outcome of executive director Alexandru Slusari's meeting with the prime minister and decide on further action regarding the situation in the grain and oilseed market.
• On August 18, the Supreme Council of the Transnistrian region will consider extending the state of economic emergency until September 12 because of the unresolved gas supply issue and the economic situation.
• On August 19, ANRE will hold a public discussion of the proposed new gas tariff for residential consumers; the published draft sets the price at 18.79 lei per cubic meter excluding VAT, or 20.29 lei including VAT.
• On August 19, the NBS will publish data on industrial producer price indices for July: the release is scheduled for 10:00; at 14:00 - data on tourist accommodation for H1 2026.