The Central Bank of the Republic of Kosovo hosted a high-level World Bank Group delegation to review progress and set next steps on key financial sector reforms, with a focus on payments modernisation, supervisory developments in banking and insurance, and financial inclusion priorities. Discussion centred on implementation of the Financial Sector Development Project, including progress toward establishing a Fast Payments System based on the TIPS Clone solution provided by the Bank of Italy. Work on Kosovo’s integration into SEPA was also covered, including the resubmission of the Law on Payment Services and ongoing efforts to amend the anti-money laundering law in line with European Commission DG FISMA comments as part of meeting technical and regulatory participation criteria. Updates were also provided on the Digital Financial Services Project, including coordination structures, an open banking working group, improvements to the Credit Registry, and advances in digital customer identification processes including e-KYC, alongside expanded capacity building with international experts. In addition, the agenda included strengthening financial system resilience, with continued support for the Deposit Insurance Fund and the Resolution Fund and development of a comprehensive Emergency Liquidity Assistance framework. The tender for additional overlay services for the fast payments system is planned to open in the coming months, and the World Bank Group indicated continued support through technical assistance, legislative alignment and longer-term capacity building.

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