Banks increase physical presence in the country - The year 2025 brought strong changes to the structure of the Albanian financial market
The year 2025 ended with significant changes in the structure of the country's financial system with fewer foreign exchange offices, fewer non-bank financial entities, fewer savings and loan associations, and more banks.
According to the Annual Report of the Bank of Albania, the banking network expanded with 8 new branches within the country's territory, bringing the total number of bank branches to 408 at the end of the year.
Although during 2025, 11 commercial banks operated in the country, the Bank of Albania also granted preliminary approvals for two new banks: for the licensing of a branch of a foreign agricultural bank (Ziraat Bank) and the licensing of a digital bank (JET Bank), the first of its kind in Albania.
Meanwhile, a bank in the sector has reorganized and absorbed a non-bank financial entity, now offering not only banking services, but also microfinance services.
Meanwhile, the opposite has happened with other entities in the system. 33 new foreign exchange offices were licensed and 83 existing offices had their licenses revoked. At the end of 2025, 592 foreign exchange offices were operating.
Meanwhile, the process of on-site inspections has been carried out for 26 foreign exchange offices (FOIs), a process which also includes monitoring the implementation of recommendations, while a joint inspection with the Financial Intelligence Agency was carried out at one foreign exchange point. For FEOs, during the period February-March, a campaign of monitoring reporting to the Bank of Albania was carried out. As a result of this process, 200 administrative measures have been taken, and in some cases, the entities have had their licenses revoked.
At the end of the year, 1 union of savings and loan associations and 15 savings and loan associations (6 with suspended status) were operating, following the revocation of the license of 1 savings and loan association.
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