The Central Bank of the Republic of Kosovo participated in the Brezovica Economic Forum 2025 as an institutional partner and co-organised, with the Kosovo Chamber of Commerce, a deputy governors’ panel on access to finance and investment opportunities. In the session, Governor Ahmet Ismaili outlined a strategic direction focused on diversifying funding sources beyond bank lending, modernising financial infrastructure and advancing European financial integration. Ismaili described Kosovo’s financial system as equivalent to 157% of GDP, with banks holding the majority of assets, pension funds acting as long-term investors and microfinance institutions supporting financial inclusion, and noted that the banking sector has maintained sufficient liquidity, solid capitalisation and high profitability. He highlighted three developments from the past two years: Kosovo’s first sovereign credit rating of BB-, removal from the International Monetary Fund and World Bank list of conflict-affected countries, and progress in integration through the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) and the TIPS Clone instant payments project. The remarks also emphasised continued work on open banking, digital identity, monitoring of the crypto-asset market, and building capital-market infrastructure and regulation, including corporate bond issuance, investment funds and investor protection, alongside regional cooperation to improve efficiency and attract investment.

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