The Albanian government aims to secure a USD 200 million loan from the World Bank to finance a package of reforms aimed at economic growth and job creation, with a focus on the tourism-based economy.

The loan, scheduled for approval in January 2027, will be administered by the Ministry of Finance through a Development Policy Financing (DPF) instrument.

According to the World Bank document, the financing aims to support the acceleration of economic growth by strengthening private sector competitiveness in the short term and laying the foundations for sustainable growth in the medium term. The objective is to create more jobs and increase wages in Albania's tourism-oriented economy.

The program is based on two main pillars. The first pillar focuses on building a more competitive and sustainable tourism economy. It includes opening the tourism services market to more operators, introducing mandatory quality and environmental hygiene standards for all categories of accommodation, creating a National Single Window for border procedures, and harmonizing food controls with European Union standards.

The package also includes reforms in waste management, the expansion of electronic payments, and improved access to finance for businesses and agricultural producers through the modernization of the credit information system and the electronic registration of collateral.

According to the World Bank, the expected results of this pillar include increasing tourism revenues, formalizing and improving the quality of the sector, facilitating cross-border trade through electronic data exchange, expanding the use of digital payments, and improving access to finance for businesses and farmers.

The second pillar aims to build the long-term foundations for higher-paying jobs and sustainable economic growth. It includes establishing a legal framework for full-time schools in public primary education, creating a National Energy Efficiency Fund to support vulnerable families, increasing transparency in concessions and public-private partnerships, as well as introducing reforms to develop financial markets and expand bank deposit protection.