Bank of Albania says memorandum will improve information sharing to widen SME and farmer credit access

In remarks at the signing ceremony of a Memorandum of Understanding under the national initiative for financing micro, small and medium-sized enterprises and farmers, the Bank of Albania said the agreement is intended to improve the exchange of information and views between public institutions and the banking sector so that appropriate instruments can be designed to expand credit access for these segments. The bank noted that overall lending has been growing strongly, but access to credit remains relatively low for small and medium-sized enterprises, particularly in agriculture. The Governor cited private sector credit of ALL 907 billion at end-March 2026, up from ALL 575 billion five years earlier, with average annual growth of about 15% over the past two years, or roughly ALL 107 billion a year. New lending in 2025 was about ALL 423 billion. The speech also pointed to measures already in place, including a Bank of Albania financing programme for small and medium-sized businesses that has been operating for more than a year to reduce borrowing costs, and an Albanian government sovereign guarantee scheme to lower credit risk for agricultural operators. Banks were urged to give greater attention to SME financing, especially to the agricultural segment.