The reserves increased 15.1% from the end of 2025, according to central bank statistics.

Foreign currency purchases by the Bank of Albania from commercial banks on the domestic market are believed to have contributed significantly to the increase. The central bank bought around 140 million euros in foreign currency in the first quarter of 2026, the highest amount recorded for that period. Purchases rose 320% compared with the same period in 2025.

Debt securities accounted for about 67% of the reserve assets, while cash deposits made up 25%. The remainder was invested in gold and the International Monetary Fund’s special drawing rights (SDRs).

Foreign exchange reserves are a key indicator of a country’s external financial resilience, providing a buffer to meet foreign currency obligations and economic needs. They can also help cushion shocks to the exchange rate.

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Speaking at a news conference, Ibrahimaj said the economy grew by 3.71% in the first quarter, above the Western Balkans average of 3.6% and significantly higher than the European Union average of around 1%.

She said growth was driven mainly by public administration, health and education, professional and scientific activities, construction and real estate services.

Agriculture, forestry and fishing posted a slight decline of 0.49%, affected mainly by weaker performance in livestock and fisheries, although crop production rose 8.7%, Ibrahimaj added.

Industry contracted by 2.17%, weighed down by declines in extractive industries and textiles, while electricity generation and food processing recorded growth.

Services remained the dominant sector, accounting for 49.6% of the economy, followed by agriculture at 15.5%, construction at 10.7% and industry at 10.2%.

Ibrahimaj said macroeconomic indicators showed continued stability and resilience to external shocks, noting that public debt fell to 48.8% of GDP in the first quarter, down from 54.1% a year earlier.

Austria was the largest source of FDI in the period with around 60 million euros, followed by Italy with 49 million euros, the Netherlands with 48 million euros, and Türkiye and Kosovo.

By sector, 42.5% of investments were concentrated in real estate, 16.8% in financial and insurance activities, and 9.4% in electricity, gas and water.

Ibrahimaj said 9,591 new businesses were registered in the first five months of the year, while business turnover rose by 9.3%, or 142.8 billion leks compared with the same period in 2025.

She said foreign reserves were an important indicator of the country’s ability to withstand global economic volatility.

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Central bank said in a release that the purchase of 33.20 million euros was carried out through three auctions held between January and March, with a monthly average of 11.07 million euros – slightly below the 14.2 million euros monthly average recorded in 2024. The amount was marginally higher than the amount of 32.6 million euros purchased during the same period a year earlier.

Central bank plans to hold more auctions in the second and third quarter of 2025, when euro inflows typically rise due to tourist season, in a bid to purchase between 270 and 350 million euros from commercial banks – approximately 20 million euros more than in 2024.

The strong influx of foreign visitors, combined with rising foreign direct investment and export growth, has increased euro supply in the local market, contributing to the depreciation of the single currency against the Albanian lek. The euro has continued to trade below 100 lek, with parity briefly reached on January 30.

By absorbing euros from the market, the central bank injects more lek into circulation, which helps mitigate excessive appreciation of Albania’s national currency.

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The Bank of Albania said Tuesday that the current exchange reserves level is considered sufficient to cover 7.7 months of import of goods and services, based on the monthly average of imports during the last seven months.

According to Albania’s central bank, one of the basic indicators determining the size of the foreign exchange reserve is the adequacy to cover at least four months of imports, while the country’s foreign exchange reserve currently covers almost eight months of imports, significantly higher than its basic target.

Central bank underlines that the country’s banking system is well-capitalized and fully operational to meet the market needs for funding.

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Data from the last auction show that central bank purchased a total of 10.7 million euros in July.

Foreign exchange purchases by the Bank of Albania aim at foreign exchange reserve management and are is not intended to affect the exchange rate. The foreign exchange (FX) reserves held by Albania’s central bank totaled 3.9 billion euros at the end of June.

Central bank has planed 14 auctions his year and it expects to raise an estimated amount of 84 million euros in the first round.

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Central bank said it purchased a total of 11.7 million euros in the latest planned auction in May.

Central bank plans to hold 14 auctions in 2021 and it will seek to purchase an amount of 56 to 84 million euros to increase the foreign exchange reserves.

The Bank purchased a total of 16.1 million euros in two auctions during first quarter of 2021.

The foreign exchange (FX) reserves held by Albania’s central bank totalled 3.96 billion eurosat the end of April, up 11% year-on-year, central bank data showed.

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