Croatia’s Euro Move: A Big Positive for Eurozone

                                                                                              Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

Croatia is the latest member to accept the Euro as its common currency after being officially approved by the European Union (EU) Council. This marks a historic move for Croatia which has been an independent country since 1991 after its separation from the-federal Yugoslavia. The euro status was granted to the Balkan country after it met several regulatory requirements concerning issues such as inflation, sound public finances, and a stable exchange rate. Croatia has become the 20th member of the Eurozone to adopt the Euro as its official currency. The Kuna, which is Croatia's official currency, will remain the legal tender until the Euro replaces it as the official currency on January 1, 2023. As per the agreement between the EU and Croatia, the conversion rate for 1 Euro is set at 7.53450 Croatian Kuna.

In light of other unpleasant news, such as ongoing tensions with Russia, rising inflation and a weakening euro, many prominent officials see Croatia's entry into the Eurozone as a silver lining. The Russia-Ukraine issue has put a lot of pressure on the Euro, causing it to reach parity with the US Dollar for the first time in 20 years. It has declined sharply since early February, when it was worth $1.13.

What does this mean for Croatia?

Membership in the Eurozone is a no-brainer for Croatia as it can now look forward to a stronger economy and a well-known stable currency. It will also make trading easier by removing the hassle of currency conversion among its EU neighbours. Upon achieving Eurozone membership, the credit rating of Croatia was upgraded by all 3 major credit rating agencies: Fitch, Moody’s, and Standard & Poor. This indicates greater investor confidence and stable economic conditions in the nation, which will allow the economy to reach new heights.

P2P Lending in Croatia: Present and Future

P2P Lending is one of the most popular forms of investment in Europe, allowing investors to earn high returns while ensuring the safety of funds. In Europe, the main players in the P2P space are the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, France and Italy. However, recent years have seen a change in that. In one of the latest studies from Robo.cash, P2P lending platforms across Europe are showing steady growth with lenders in Italy and Croatia leading the race. 

Croatia’s acceptance of the Euro is a win-win situation for both P2P lenders and investors. P2P firms can easily expand their business in neighbouring countries while investors get an opportunity to earn higher returns on their money. Given the rising cost of living and the fact that banks are already providing negative interest rates, some people even believe that P2P lending may eventually replace bonds or deposits. The future of P2P Investing in Croatia and Europe appears to be truly interesting.

Conclusion

The acceptance of the Euro by Croatia is a sign of political solidarity and improving relationships between  EU countries with other states such as Romania and Bulgaria expected to follow suit. The rising inflation and rate hikes by the ECB are expected to dampen consumer sentiment. But, that is the situation in most states around the world. Despite declining sharply in recent times, the Euro still has the potential to grow with the ECB planning to end their eight-year experiment with negative interest rates.