The Central Bank of the Republic of Kosovo convened the first 2025 meeting of the National Payments Council and set out the status of reforms to modernise Kosovo’s national payments system and integrate it into European payment infrastructure, including accession to the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA). It reported that a legal and regulatory package has been approved, including three core laws covering banking, payment services and anti-money laundering, alongside more than 20 regulations aligned with European Union standards. The central bank noted that the SEPA pre-application process was completed in December 2024, while the European Commission’s assessment has been delayed due to constitutional review of the adopted laws, with a positive conclusion expected in the near term. It estimated SEPA membership could deliver direct annual benefits of over EUR 55 million for households and businesses through lower transfer costs and improved efficiency. Separately, a January 2025 Letter of Intent with the Bank of Italy and three regional central banks launched work on a “TIPS Clone” fast payments system, connecting Kosovo to an advanced payments infrastructure operated by the Bank of Italy for the Eurosystem. Discussions also covered planned functionality such as QR codes, “Request to Pay”, alternative identifiers and technology network choices, as well as implementation steps for non-bank financial institutions including IBAN adoption, QR code guidance, and integration of the Accounts and Loans Registry with the e-Kosova platform. The central bank highlighted dependencies and risks around sector technology upgrades, cyber security, strong customer authentication and public awareness, and called for close industry-regulator coordination and stronger inter-institutional cooperation to expand electronic payment acceptance across public services.

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