The Central Bank of the Republic of Kosovo reported that Governor Ahmet Ismaili took part in a World Bank high-level roundtable on “Payment Systems in the Western Balkans: Progress Report and Future Developments” held alongside the 2025 IMF and World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington, DC. In his remarks, he emphasised implementing a common regional infrastructure for instant payments and advancing digitalisation to support citizens and businesses, including through closer linkage to the European payments market and the benefits associated with integration into the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA). The discussion covered domestic and cross-border digital payments, the use of fast payments, and the need for regional coordination and international support. Ismaili positioned Kosovo’s work on the TIPS Clone project as aligned with the National Strategy for Retail Payments 2021–2026 and the central bank’s Strategic Plan 2024–2028, noting that the central bank has signed a letter of commitment with the Bank of Italy, is participating in the project’s technical and steering groups, and is building internal teams to prepare for implementation. He also outlined ambitions to develop value-added services including Request to Pay, Proxy ID and QR code payments, with a shared regional approach aimed at interoperability. Participants reaffirmed the importance of stakeholder involvement across public institutions, the financial industry and private actors, and highlighted the role of ongoing support from European Union institutions and the European Central Bank alongside regional cooperation.
Central Bank of the Republic of Kosovo 2025-04-26
Central Bank of the Republic of Kosovo promotes TIPS Clone and a regional instant payments system at World Bank Western Balkans roundtable
Governor Ahmet Ismaili of the Central Bank of Kosovo attended a World Bank roundtable on Western Balkans payment systems, stressing the need for regional instant payment infrastructure and digitalization. He noted Kosovo's alignment with the National Strategy for Retail Payments and collaboration with the Bank of Italy on the TIPS Clone project. The discussion highlighted regional coordination, stakeholder involvement, and European institutional support.