Governor Ismaili meets with Mr. Helmut Ettl, Director of the Financial Market Authority of Austria

The Governor of the Central Bank of the Republic of Kosovo (CBK), Mr. Ahmet Ismaili, during his official visit to Vienna, was received by Mr. Helmut Ettl, Director of the Financial Market Authority (FMA) of Austria. The meeting focused on strengthening cooperation between the two institutions, with discussions covering banking, pension fund and insurance supervision, resolution mechanisms, as well as the regulation of crypto-assets and other financial innovations.

Governor Ismaili presented the latest developments in Kosovo’s financial sector, highlighting reforms in banking and insurance supervision, resolution frameworks, digitalization of financial services, the regulatory approach to crypto-assets, and the expected development of a capital market framework.

The discussions also explored opportunities to broaden cooperation and expand the current MoU to cover banking and pension supervision, resolution, financial stability, consumer protection, and the supervision of crypto-assets.

Discussions emphasized the importance of technical assistance and knowledge exchange in areas such as Solvency II implementation, risk-based pension supervision, consumer protection and market conduct, as well as ESG risk management for insurance and pension supervision, drawing on the FMA’s expertise.

Governor Ismaili expressed his gratitude for the longstanding and excellent cooperation with Austrian supervisory authorities, including both the FMA and the Austrian National Bank, noting their valuable contribution to strengthening CBK’s supervisory capacities and supporting financial stability in Kosovo.

For his part, Mr. Ettl reaffirmed the FMA’s commitment to supporting the CBK in advancing its mandate. He underlined the Authority’s readiness to provide technical assistance and capacity-building support, particularly in aligning the CBK’s legal and regulatory framework with European Union (EU) standards.

The CBK remains committed to further strengthening cooperation and information exchange with European and national supervisory authorities, while proactively building capacities for its current and extended mandates in crypto-assets and capital markets, to advance and align the regulatory framework with European Union standards, and thereby contributing to financial stability.