PRESS RELEASE
Governor Sejko meets with World Bank executives

On 18 March 2026, the Governor of the Bank of Albania, Mr Gent Sejko, met with Ms Xiaoqing Yu, World Bank Division Director for the Western Balkans, and Ms Martha Licetti, Practice Manager for Finance, Competitiveness, and Innovation at the World Bank. The meeting, part of the ongoing efforts to strengthen the collaboration between the Bank of Albania and the World Bank, for advancing financial stability and furthering the development of financial sector in Albania.

At the beginning of the meeting, Governor Sejko commended the ongoing support of the World Bank to Albania, particularly through the technical assistance and projects in strengthening the regulatory framework, enhancing financial stability, and advancing the development of financial markets. During the meeting, the Mr Sejko presented an overview of the latest economic developments in Albania, emphasising that the domestic economy, along with key economic, monetary, and financial stability indicators, are on a positive trajectory.

The Governor also noted that, despite heightened uncertainty in the global economic environment, monetary policy decisions will continue to depend on the analysis of the latest economic and financial data. In this context, decisions of the Bank of Albania will focus on preserving price stability, while simultaneously aligning with the fiscal policy stance and exchange rate developments. The parties also addressed key priorities for financial sector reforms and projects that could be supported under the Development Policy Lending (DPL) program for 2026–2027. The Financial Sector Assessment Programme (FSAP) was another important topic of discussion. The parties shared their perspectives on expectations and priorities related to this process, aimed at further strengthening the sustainability of the domestic financial sector. The discussions then focused on the progress in financial stability, strengthening the supervisory framework and aligning regulations with European Union standards, including the support provided by FINSAC.

Developments in the payment system modernisation and digitalisation, including the tangible benefits following Albania’s memberships in the Single Euro Payment Area (SEPA) and alignment with the European Union acquis in this area, were also discussed during the meeting.  In this context, the parties reviewed the status and next steps for developing the instant payment system, as well as the World Bank's potential to provide technical support.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the parties underscored the importance of close inter-institutional collaboration and reaffirmed their commitment to supporting reforms for the sustainable development of the financial sector and advancing Albania’s European integration process.