Internal audit approach in banks

Romanian banking system has known in the last years significant changes determined by the implementation of Basel II requirements and governance principles on one hand and assimilation of the EU Directives for the banking sector on the other hand. The function of internal audit is new in the Romanian banks, being implemented as a result of the new regulation established by the Romanian National Bank in the effort to aligne the Romanian banking legislation to the international regulations and practice in the field. In the dynamic banking environment the internal audit has to define and strengthen its statute and role. We can say that in the new context – regulatory environment for banking system and professional requirements – internal audit become one of the most influential and value added function in the bank. The present paper presents the role of internal audit in the Romanian banks and its major areas of interest.