The Central Bank of the Republic of Kosovo participated in Payments Forum 2025 and used the event to outline its agenda to modernise Kosovo’s payments ecosystem, linking financial inclusion objectives with alignment to European Union payments and regulatory standards. In remarks by Governor Ahmet Ismaili and a panel intervention by Deputy Governor Dardan Fusha, the central bank highlighted progress on domestic infrastructure and regulation while flagging a procedural obstacle that prevented Kosovo’s latest SEPA application from being finalised. Key developments cited included uptake of a basic services account by more than 400,000 citizens, and legislative and regulatory work to align with the EU framework, including three key laws and more than 20 new regulations intended to underpin Kosovo’s application to the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA). The central bank reported that the SEPA application did not proceed in this round because the laws were not published in the Official Gazette and therefore did not enter into force, but it will prioritise continuing the process once the legal conditions are in place. On infrastructure, it highlighted participation in the Bank of Italy’s TIPS Clone project alongside five regional central banks, designed to enable 24/7 instant payments in seconds and support mobile payments, QR codes, Request to Pay (RtP) and open-banking developments. The central bank also pointed to adoption of a Regulation on Information Systems and Cyber Risk Management aligned with EU standards, a cooperation agreement with the European Central Bank to combat counterfeiting of euro banknotes, and ongoing work on QR code standardisation, issuing IBANs to non-bank financial institutions, and enabling participation in settlement systems under the new payments legislation, alongside the launch of Google Pay and Apple Pay in Kosovo. The next operational milestone highlighted was resuming the SEPA application process once the outstanding legal publication and entry-into-force requirements are met.
Central Bank of the Republic of Kosovo 2025-10-09
Central Bank of the Republic of Kosovo sets out payments modernisation agenda including SEPA accession and TIPS Clone instant payments at Payments Forum 2025
The Central Bank of the Republic of Kosovo outlined its agenda to modernize the payments ecosystem at the Payments Forum 2025, focusing on aligning with European Union standards and enhancing financial inclusion. Key developments include the uptake of basic services accounts by over 400,000 citizens, legislative efforts to support SEPA application, and participation in the Bank of Italy’s TIPS Clone project for instant payments. The SEPA application was delayed due to legal publication issues, but the central bank plans to resume once resolved.