The Bank of Albania bought Euro 139.6 million in the domestic foreign exchange market for the first quarter of this year.

Euro purchases in the domestic foreign exchange market are divided into two groups: those planned in the annual auction calendar, aimed at increasing the foreign exchange reserve, and direct purchases in the market, intended to curb the appreciation of the Lek exchange rate against the European currency.

Planned purchases in the auctions conducted by the Bank of Albania for the first quarter reached the value of 44.1 million euros, an increase of 33% compared to the previous year.

However, the biggest difference was made by direct purchases, with the aim of slowing the decline in the Euro exchange rate. In the first three months of the year (to be precise, in February and March), the Bank of Albania purchased 95.5 million euros within the framework of these interventions.

In the first quarter of last year, there were no such purchases, because generally in this period of the year, the pressures for the depreciation of the Euro have been weak.

However, for the first time this year, the Euro has shown a significant downward trend, and this has forced the Bank of Albania to start interventions in the first quarter of the year.

The purchases of the first quarter of 2026 follow the trajectory of large purchases of foreign exchange by the Bank of Albania starting in 2024. In the period 2024-2025, the purchases reached a value of more than two billion euros. Last year alone, the Bank of Albania purchased 1 billion and 27 million euros in the domestic market.

If the trend of the first quarter continues into the rest of this year, foreign exchange purchases are likely to set a new record this year.

In 2026, the Bank of Albania plans to further increase its planned purchases of foreign exchange, at least in its planned part. It aims to purchase Euro 330-450 million through auctions, with the objective of increasing the foreign exchange reserve. The purchase target has increased significantly compared to the actual level of approximately Euro 300 million in 2025.

The Euro-Lek exchange rate this year is showing further downward trends. According to the official exchange rate of the Bank of Albania, the Euro is currently exchanged for Lek 93.67. Since the beginning of the year, the Euro has depreciated by more than 3%, while on an annual basis, the decline has reached more than 4%.

The Bank of Albania estimates that the main reason for the decline of the Euro is the improvement of the balance of payments, thanks to inflows mainly related to tourism and investments in real estate, while a part of the public perceives a significant role also of foreign exchange flows from illegal activities.