The Governor of the Bank of Albania, Gent Sejko, received in an official meeting the delegation of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), headed by Hannes Takacs, the new EBRD resident representative in Albania, accompanied by Ekaterina Solovova, as well as other representatives of both institutions.

At the beginning of the meeting, Sejko briefed the EBRD representatives on the latest economic and financial developments in the country. He stated that, according to the Bank of Albania’s forecasts, the Albanian economy is expected to continue growing at a solid pace in the coming period.

Governor Sejko emphasized that the prudent and consistent monetary policy pursued by the Bank of Albania has made an important contribution to maintaining macroeconomic stability, creating favorable financial conditions for the sustainable development of the economy.

Regarding the banking sector, Sejko underlined that the system remains stable, with good capitalization, liquidity, and profitability indicators.

Also, he added, the non-performing loan ratio, at 3.7%, represents the lowest historical level since 2008.

According to the Governor, this result reflects the effects of structural reforms undertaken over the last decade, the improvement of the financial discipline of the banking industry, as well as the effectiveness of the regulatory and supervisory framework of the Bank of Albania.

Further, Sejko praised Albania's very good relations with the EBRD and thanked the institution for its continued support in the implementation of projects of strategic importance for the country's economic and financial development.

He highlighted the cooperation in preparing the regulatory infrastructure in the field of climate change risk management, as well as technical assistance for the development of the money market in accordance with international standards.

He also appreciated the EBRD's support in the process of self-assessment of the Bank of Albania's regulatory and supervisory framework in relation to European Union standards, as well as the cooperation in implementing the WE Finance Code initiative, which aims to improve access to finance for women entrepreneurs and strengthen the financing ecosystem for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises.

For their part, the EBRD representatives expressed their appreciation for the close cooperation with the Bank of Albania and for the results achieved within the framework of joint projects. They reaffirmed the EBRD's readiness to further expand this cooperation in other areas of common interest.

At the end of the meeting, Hannes Takacs emphasized that the EBRD will continue to be a strategic partner for Albania, supporting the development of key sectors of the economy, with a focus on strengthening the competitiveness of Albanian businesses, the transition towards a green economy, accelerating digitalization, and supporting entrepreneurship, especially small and medium-sized enterprises.