This annual forum is organized as part of the Vienna Initiative and brings together European and Balkan regulatory authorities, representatives from the financial fields and investors in the financial markets engaged in the financing of MREL instruments.

This workshop was broken down into several panels, where the attendees discussed the latest legislative developments in the field of extraordinary intervention, the positive developments in Europe and the Balkans in fulfilling the requirements for MREL and the expectations of investors in the market for the financing of securities in compliance with the new regulatory framework.

On the panel alongside representatives from the Joint Emergency Intervention Board and emergency intervention authorities in Croatia, the Czech Republic, Austria, Poland and Romania, Kota outlined the steps taken by the Bank of Albania to set up a successful emergency intervention regime that guarantees the maintenance of financial stability, as the precursor of this process in the Balkans. In the framework of the EU integration process, Albania is the first country in the Balkans that has transposed the European Directive on Recovery and Extraordinary Intervention and has also built the complete regulatory framework that accompanies it.
During the panel discussion, Kota presented the commitments undertaken by the Bank of Albania to successfully fulfilling the new regulatory requirements for MREL from the banking sector, as well as the challenges arising during the alignment with the European framework in Albania.

This year, during the course of the forum, the discussion focused on the success of the banking sector in Albania to sign securities for the purposes of the MREL for the first time, with professional financial market investors, such as the EBRD and the OPEC for International Development Fund.

Invited to the occasion ceremony for the signing of the financial instrument, Deputy Governor Ahmetaj made an overview of the continuous commitment of the banking sector to successfully overcoming the challenges to meet the regulatory requirements, at the same standard as the large European banking groups. In particular, she emphasized the importance of this commitment to guarantee a healthy banking system, able to withstand any shock and fully prepared to make a significant contribution to the country’s economic development.
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