CBK marked the 25th anniversary of its establishment – the proceedings of the International Conference “Building bridges across borders, building futures: Integration in SEPA for financial inclusion – strengthening growth and resilience” are concluded

The Central Bank of the Republic of Kosovo (CBK) has marked its 25th anniversary with a high-level International Conference entitled “Building bridges across borders, building futures: SEPA integration for financial inclusion – strengthening growth and resilience”.

This international event was attended by senior leaders of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) led by Mr Kammer, World Bank Group (WB) led by Mr Alam, senior officials of the country and international institutions, governors and deputy governors from the central banks of European countries, the region and Turkey, and leaders of other financial institutions.

The President of the Republic of Kosovo, Ms Osmani – Sadriu, Deputy Prime Minister Bislimi, Minister Murati and other leaders of our institutions honoured the event with their presence.

At the opening of this event, the Governor of CBK, Mr Ahmet Ismaili, addressed the participants with a welcome speech.

The President of the Republic of Kosovo, Dr Vjosa Osmani – Sadriu, also addressed the audience with an introductory speech.

Additionally, the Managing Director of the IMF, Ms Kristalina Georgieva, congratulated the CBK on its anniversary through a dedicated video-message, which was distributed by the official website of the IMF and by Ms Georgieva herself.

Meanwhile, the main speech of this Conference was delivered by the Governor of the Austrian National Bank, Mr Robert Holzmann, who received high praise for his contribution within our Constituency and bilateral support.

This Conference continued its proceedings by presenting three scientific sessions, with the participation of the Governor and Deputy Governor of the CBK, Governors of the region and countries of the European Union, as well as senior leaders of international financial institutions:

– SEPA integration, digital transformation and implications for financial services;

– Improvement of financial stability in the changing landscape; and

– Financial intermediation within the banking sector in the region.

Moderated by the Director General for Market Infrastructures and Payments, European Central Bank, Mr Ulrich Bindseil, in the first session “SEPA integration, digital transformation and implications for financial services”, it was discussed about the role of the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) in facilitating cross-border payments and increasing the efficiency of transactions, strengthening stability and the integration of the Eurozone financial systems.

The panellists in the first session were:

• Boshtjan Vasle, Governor of the Bank of Slovenia

• Gediminas Šimkus, Chairman of the Board, Bank of Lithuania

• Nicolas Marquier, Regional Manager for the Western Balkans, International Finance Corporation (IFC)

• Madis Müller, Governor, Central Bank of Estonia

• Victoria Cleland, Executive Director of Payments, Bank of England

In the second session entitled “Improving financial stability in the changing landscape”, led by Mr Alfred Kammer, Director of the European Department at the IMF, it was talked about the latest changes shaping the financial sector and their impact on stability.

The panellists of this session were:

• Robert Holzmann, Governor of the National Bank of Austria

• Boris Vujčić, Governor of the Croatian National Bank

• Fatih Karahan, Governor of the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey

• Mario Centeno, Governor of the Bank of Portugal

• Ásgeir Jónsson, Governor of the Central Bank of Iceland

The third and final session “Financial intermediation within the banking sector in the region”, was moderated by the Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia, Equitable Growth, Finance and Institutions, World Bank Group, Mr Asad Alam, and the participants in this panel discussed the role of financial intermediation in the banking sector of the Western Balkans and its impact on regional economic development.

In advance, the Deputy Governor of CBK, Mr Dardan Fusha, made a presentation on the topic, thus paving the way for the start of the panel.

The panellists of the third session were:

• Anita Angelovska-Bezhoska, Governor of the National Bank of the Republic of North Macedonia

• Gent Sejko, Governor of the Bank of Albania

• Irena Radovic, Governor of the Central Bank of Montenegro

• Sebastian Sosa, Regional Resident Representative for the Western Balkans, IMF

• Ahmet Ismaili, Governor and Chairman of the Executive Board, CBK

Also, the discussions were further enriched by the presentation of Ms Julia Wörz, Director of the Division for Central, Eastern and South Eastern Europe at the Austrian National Bank, on the topic “Cashless payments and transactions: How do citizens of the Western Balkans operate?”.

The proceedings were completed with the experiences that two of the international experts shared with the attendees, Mr Gianaris and Mr Gold, who have helped the CBK regarding the relevant reforms.

The proceedings of this International Conference with the participation of over 250 international and local dignitaries were concluded by Mr Bashkim Nurboja, Chairman of the Board of CBK, who summarized the main discussions of the discussions according to the panels, simultaneously expressing gratitude to the participants and all the staff of CBK.

The Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Mr Albin Kurti, also participated at the Gala dinner organized at the end of the conference, and delivered a welcoming speech, alongside Governor Ismaili. At the end, special acknowledgments were distributed to the representatives of international institutions and partners who contributed over the years.

The CBK expresses its deep gratitude to all the institutions of the Republic of Kosovo that supported the CBK in organizing this event, as well as expresses its sincere gratitude to the staff of the CBK who engaged and organized this event with a high professional level, now widely appreciated.

The full agenda of the 25^th anniversary celebrations and conference is attached here: https://bqk-kos.org/agjenda-25-vjetori-i-bqk/.