The Bank of Albania judges that in the period ahead, inflationary pressures along the time horizon of monetary policy stance will remain relatively high, but their intensity will decrease during the year. In the following, I will analyse in detail the factors determining inflation developments and related risks. During the first months of 2011, global economic activity continued to grow, although the signals coming from confidence indicators suggest that risks associated with these positive developments are in place. Global inflationary pressures have increased as a consequence of a higher demand and persistent supply-side shocks. In advanced economies, fiscal consolidation and public debt reduction remain the major concerns, whereas inflation pickup has decreased the space for monetary stimulus. In advanced economies, the positive global demand momentum has led to increased aggregate demand, while the upward inflationary pressures have made the central banks respond by tightening the monetary policy. In financial markets, the public balance health has determined the yield performance in several countries, while the political tensions have elevated the demand for safer instruments. The outlook remains highly uncertain, as a consequence of higher global prices, fiscal consolidation in some euro-area countries and less space for fiscal and monetary stimulus. Returning to Albanian economy, the latest data on 2011 Q1, obtained from business confidence surveys, the performance of external trade activity, and monetary and fiscal indicators, support the continued recovery of the domestic economic activity, primarily due to positive contribution of production sector. External demand and fiscal stimulus are factors of major influence on this growth.

Role of technology in optimising potential of Islamic finance One final point before I conclude – technology makes the impossible possible. Recent financial technology advancements enable Islamic finance industry players to deliver practical yet value-adding solutions. For instance, application of blockchain6 to address challenges7 in managing endowment fund (waqf). Fintech is rapidly changing the facets of the global financial industry, reshaping expectations of consumers and businesses on financial services. There are untapped opportunities of fintech to develop financial solutions that can help drive Islamic finance to deliver even greater, wider and deeper positive impact – particularly in realising its promise in risk-sharing and providing support for genuine and productive economic activities. Technology can also widen access to and increase outreach of social finance instruments through digitisation of collection and disbursement of the proceeds. Fintech startups such as LaunchGood and SkolaFund are already making their name in social impact initiatives, which is a promising start. Conclusion Financial institutions need to look beyond short-term profitability. It is imperative for financial 2/3  BIS central bankers' speeches  intermediaries to be seen fulfilling the needs of the economy, society and environment at large. Moving forward, ‘change of mindset’ is eminent. While considering profit, financial institutions should not forgo the element of being socially and environmentally responsible. I believe setting the ‘Tone from the top’ is key in this process. The organisation of today’s roundtable forum is indeed very apt.