ahmet ismaili : banks, fintechs and businesses - building synergies to accelerate access to finance welcoming speech by mr ahmet ismaili, governor of the central bank of the republic of kosovo, at the conference " banks, fintechs and businesses : building synergies to accelerate access to finance ", co - organised by the central bank of the republic of kosovo and the united states agency for international development ( usaid ), pristina, 14 november 2023. * * * honourable mr. albertine, director of the office for economic growth, usaid kosovo honourable chairman mr. nurboja and member of the cbk board honourable representatives of local and international institutions honourable managers and representatives of banks and other financial institutions honourable business representatives respected panelists ladies and gentlemen i am pleased to welcome you to this forum co - organized jointly by the central bank of the republic of kosova and usaid entitled " banks, fintechs and businesses : building synergies to accelerate access to finance ". the fact that the cbk is a co - organizer of the conference and my participation today in this occasion, demonstrates the importance for the cbk of access to finance, financial inclusion, digitalization of payment services and alternative financial products. therefore, the compatibility of the usaid ipaf project with the cbk strategy and goals constitutes a synergy in itself. we are witnesses that the financial system has continuously evolved over the years, especially in recent years, a more accelerated dynamic towards digitization and access to financial services has been observed. from an economic perspective, an efficient financial system supports the development of financial intermediation, financial markets and positively affects financial stability. the advancement of financial services towards the transformation of electronic payments ( non - cash transactions ) would contribute to increasing financial inclusion, increasing competition, reducing informality and increasing effectiveness, reducing costs, as well as providing quality services to citizens from financial institutions, as well as the integration of our citizens and businesses with the region and eu countries. in this regard, cbk is committed to : 1 / 3 bis - central bankers'speeches develop and create opportunities for access to the payment system of non - bank service providers, increasing competitiveness and enabling the possession of iban, to increase access to finance, within the concept of " payment account " ; develop the technical infrastructure for enabling fast payments 24 / 7, the creation of the national qr code and the standardization of the api for the interconnection

, where in december 2022 the level of total deposits was 5. 55 billion euros, an increase of 2. 19 billion euros or 65. 1 percent in the 2022 time horizon compared to 2018. the banking sector throughout this period, despite the continuous double - digit growth of lending, has continued to be well capitalized and liquid. the liquidity ratio of the banking sector continues to be high and above the regulatory requirements of the cbk. the banking sector had the highest level of liquidity during the pandemic period, in 2020, which was 39. 8 percent, while in december 2022 this ratio was 36. 5 percent, higher than the required regulatory minimum of 25 percent. the 2 / 5 bis - central bankers'speeches liquidity coverage ratio ( lcr - liquidity coverage ratio ) is at the level of 212. 1 percent, which is much higher than the required level of 100 percent ( in the third quarter of 2022, this indicator in the eurozone countries was at the level of 162 percent ). the banks'own capital has continued to increase, despite the approval of the distribution of dividends individually for the banks during the last 5 years. as of december 31, 2022, the capital value of the banking sector is 699 million euros from 497 million euros at the end of 2018. while the capital adequacy indicator continues to be above the required regulatory minimum throughout this period, or about 14. 8 percent in end of 2022. in addition to the banking sector, the mfi - nbfi have also recorded a stable performance, where at the end of 2022 the value of the assets of this sector was 387. 7 million euros, an increase of 146. 1 million euros, or 60. 5 percent compared to 2018. as in banks, the main item also among mfi - nbfi are loans that in december 2022 marked the value of 351 million euros, or an increase of 128. 9 million euros or 58. 0 percent, compared to 2018. the stable and qualitative growth of loans is also confirmed by the level of non - performing loans in relation to total loans that at the end of 2022 was 1. 8 percent, lower compared to 2018 when it was 2. 2 %. in relation to this sector, in 2019 the cbk withdrew the registration ( license ) of two institutions, iutecredit and monego. both of these institutions have made numerous court appeals