PRESS RELEASE
Bank of Albania opens the exhibition “Money talks: 100 years of life and events, Bank of Albania, Tirana, 20 January 2026

Today, the Bank of Albania opens the exhibition “Money Talks:  100 years of life and events, Bank of Albania”, bringing together the Ambassador of Italy in Tirana, H.E. Marco Alberti, and distinguished representatives from public and financial institutions, the diplomatic corps, as well as researchers and academics.

The exhibition is held at a moment of profound symbolic importance, marking the interval between the centenary of the Bank’s founding in 1925 and the centennial of the circulation of Albania’s first national currency in 1926. This exhibition is realized in collaboration with the Italian Institute of Culture and is hosted at Headquarters No 2 of the Bank of Albania —a building of outstanding architectural and historic values for Tirana.

In the opening address, the Governor of the Bank of Albania, Mr Gent Sejko, highlighted that the exhibition aims to expand beyond the institutional history of the central bank, reflecting also the everyday life of Albanian society: how we have been paid, how we have saved, how we have faced economic crises, how we have built aspirations for stability and welfare. Drawing on archival documents, images, and narratives, the exhibition presents a complete reflection of the country’s economic and monetary journey.

The history of the central bank and of the national currency unfolds as a journey through three broad phases—each shaped by political, geopolitical, and economic transformations. Along this journey, the Bank has operated under every monetary regime: by the objective of safeguarding price stability and public confidence, even in difficult or extraordinary circumstances.

Governor Sejko emphasized that the exhibition does not present these moments as closed chapters, but rather as sources of lessons for both the present and the future, underscoring the importance of monetary stability, crisis management, and public financial education. In this context, the exhibition further aims to strengthen the connection between the central bank and citizens through open, transparent, and comprehensive communication.

In his greeting remarks, the Ambassador of Italy in Tirana, H.E. Marco Alberti, expressed his emotion at being in a building designed and restored by Italian architects. “The Central Bank of Albania is a growing institution in a growing country. The number of projects managed by the Bank grows along with its capacity to support the national economy; its integration grows as well, with the recent entry into the SEPA system, another crucial goal achieved thanks to the Central Bank's commitment” Ambassador Alberti noted.

As part of the ceremony, the Bank of Albania unveiled a scholarly work by the distinguished late Professor Aristotel Pano, marking one hundred years of the monetary system and central banking in Albania and offering a valuable academic contribution to the country’s monetary historiography.

One of the exhibition’s distinctive features is its reach beyond Tirana, through accompanying activities and a travelling format designed to bring monetary history and financial education closer to diverse communities. The exhibition is the result of a broad collaboration involving the Bank of Albania, the academic community, cultural institutions, and national and international partners, including historians, economists, architects, and communication experts. Within this framework, it was particularly commented the collaboration with the Central Bank of the Republic of Kosovo, which will welcome the exhibition in Pristine.

In his closing remarks, the Governor invited the public to visit the exhibition, open until 20 July 2026, and to take an active role in the dialogue on Albania’s monetary history in support of a more informed and sustainable future.