How Can Companies from CEE Expand Internationally? Europe Needs to Find Opportunities to Increase Its Global Power
Europe has reached a point where it needs to look around, wake up, and create its own opportunities to increase its global power. Volatility is no longer limited to Central and Eastern Europe—now it’s everywhere. But this is not necessarily a problem. Regional entrepreneurs don’t want to abandon the area, including Romania, because it’s the most dynamic part of Europe. The potential remains high, the bet has already been placed on this region, and we just need to move forward with confidence.
These were some of the conclusions from the fourth edition of the CEE Business Summit held on May 28 at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Bucharest and broadcast live online.
Pierre-Antoine Dusoulier, Founder and CEO of iBanFirst, said during the conference that the Romanian market is very dynamic, companies believe in the future, and there is still significant growth in the country.
“The Romanian market is very dynamic and aligned with our values. Working with iBanFirst is also about mindset. If you have a fixed mindset, part of the old economy, using old systems, then you use your own accounts. But if you believe in the future, you use iBanFirst. We see Romania as a dynamic country, companies believe in the future, and there is strong growth. It’s easier to get new clients here than in Germany, for example,” said Pierre Antoine Dusoulier.
Dinna Temelkova, Executive Director at Telelink Infra Services, believes that the energy sector holds great potential, especially when we look at the power grid issues in Portugal and Spain last month.
“I see great potential in front of us in the energy sector. We all know what happened last month in Portugal and Spain with the power grid failure. Europe needs to wake up, and I know people are thinking about what to do in this area. It’s clear to everyone that China and its companies dominate this sector, and Europe needs to act to achieve stability,” explained Dinna Temelkova.
From the perspective of Andrei Gemeneanu, Co-founder & Managing Partner at Morphosis Capital:, the old paradigm was that Western Europe was stable and Eastern Europe volatile. Now volatility is everywhere, and this is the new normal.
“I think in our part of the world we still have volatility, but with growth. In private equity, we are here to create opportunities regardless of volatility—or even depending on it—to turn volatility into opportunity. If we look at global private equity returns from 2000 to 2023, on average, funds had a net return of 12%, but those that started in 2009–2010 and early 2011 performed twice as well. Expectations are to create opportunities in volatile times. My old corporate boss used to say, ‘Never waste a good crisis.’ There is volatility in the region; Romania reached an important turning point, and I believe we’ve passed it in the right direction, at least in my opinion. Our job is to keep providing capital and creating opportunities,” Gemeneanu said.
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According to Elena Marinova, Co-founder of Musala Soft and IOAI, expansion from the region doesn’t have to follow the same path or logic.
“Regarding the challenges of expanding from the region abroad, we actually started our business in America. We were a company based in Bulgaria, but our first clients were in the U.S. Then we expanded to Western Europe, and only after that started in Bulgaria. So it was a completely reverse path. I think that was an exception, but at the same time, it could be a different kind of path, because the world is much more connected and things are easier despite tariffs and context. It’s much easier to be a global company now than it was 25 years ago,” explained Elena Marinova.
Dragos Dinu, Senior Non-Executive Board Member and Investor at SunWave Pharma, highlighted the company’s strategic approach to regional expansion.
“SunWave Pharma has 12 years of history in the food supplements sector, but the company was taken over at the end of 2021 by two private equity firms, and everything changed. A few months ago, we acquired a supplement company in Bulgaria, Aviron. We also bought a company in Serbia and became the number 2 player in that market. Through our Serbian entity, we have entered the markets of Bosnia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Albania, and recently two partners from Croatia and Slovenia. The company’s main goal is to cover the entire Central and Eastern Europe region in the next two years,” said Dragoș Dinu.
Dr. Valentin Marinov, Global Head of FX Strategy and UK Research at Crédit Agricole CIB, offered an analysis of currency market trends and their impact on CEE companies.
“Currency volatility remains a major challenge for Central and Eastern European companies looking to expand internationally. Effectively managing currency risks and understanding market trends are essential for success in foreign markets,” explained Dr. Valentin Marinov.
Langmár Péter, Chief Investment Officer at STRT Holding Plc, emphasized the importance of local market regulation to support regional entrepreneurs.
“I believe the current environment, along with changing behavior in the U.S., gives us in Europe the opportunity to build tech companies focused only on serving Europe. We need to strengthen our tech capabilities, because we’re a bit behind at the European level—and this is our chance. Our goal is to help regional entrepreneurs because we want to live here, not move to Western Europe. I believe we can achieve this by giving more entrepreneurs a chance,” stated Langmár Péter.
Vidor Kis-Márton, CEO at Continest Technologies Plc., presented his company’s global vision, rooted in Central and Eastern Europe.
“We are a company rooted in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), but our global vision is much broader. Technically, we are a global entity—we’re registered in the U.S. and provide our solutions worldwide. What we offer is temporary infrastructure solutions—we build containers. As I mentioned, we are a global company. South America is the only ‘white spot’ on the map, but we are already in advanced talks with the Brazilian government, and I’m quite confident that this year South America will be ‘covered’ by Continest as well. Then we will be able to say we are present on every continent,” said Vidor Kis-Márton.
CEE Business Summit clearly highlighted that Central and Eastern Europe has the potential and determination to strengthen its position on the international stage. Global volatility is no longer an obstacle—it’s an opportunity for innovation and growth. With an open mindset, adaptability, and strategic investment, companies in the region can turn challenges into competitive advantages and play a meaningful role in the global economy.
This article was published in Ziarul Financiar.