Compared with end-2025, the stock of loans shrank by 4.4 billion leks, though it remained up 11.6% year-on-year.

Data for the first month of the year pointed to a slowdown in new lending. Banks disbursed 28.3 billion leks in new loans in January, down 11% from the same month a year earlier.

The decline was driven mainly by weaker household borrowing. New lending to individuals totalled 8.7 billion leks, down 8% year-on-year, reflecting lower euro-denominated loans for home purchases and consumption, while lek-denominated lending continued to expand.

Businesses took out 19.5 billion leks in new loans, broadly in line with January last year. As with households, lending in the domestic currency increased while euro lending declined.

On an annual basis, the stock of household loans rose 18.3%, while business lending grew 7.9%, indicating continued positive financing trends despite the January slowdown.

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Of the total 1.2 million arrivals, 644,363 were Albanian nationals, marking a 7.8% increase year-on-year, while foreign nationals totaled 552,187, slightly down by 1.5% compared with January last year.

Southern Europe remained the dominant region of origin among foreign visitors, accounting for the bulk of entries, followed by Western Europe. Arrivals from Africa, the Americas and Asia represented a smaller share of the total.

Personal travel continued to be the main reason cited by foreign nationals entering Albania, despite a slight decline compared with the same period a year earlier. Meanwhile, entries for business and professional purposes recorded a more pronounced drop.

The data confirm Albania’s position as a preferred destination for visitors from Southern and Western Europe, with travel largely driven by personal and tourism-related purposes.

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A total of 2,152 new entities were registered in January, up from 2,044 in the same month a year earlier, according to the National Business Center.

The capital, Tirana, accounted for more than half of the new registrations with 1,166 businesses, followed by Durres with 250 and Vlore with 187. Elbasan and Fier each recorded 118 new entities.

Wholesale and retail trade led sectoral activity with 546 new registrations. Accommodation and food services, transport and storage, and construction also recorded notable growth.

Businesses administered by women accounted for 718 of the new registrations in January, the agency said.

The Centre issued 125 permits and licenses during the month, many of them in medical services and food production.

The agency said it had added three new services to the government’s e-Albania portal, allowing faster applications for company liquidations, historical registry extracts and removals from the licenses and permits register, as part of efforts to streamline administrative procedures.

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The inflation rate for January 2026 reached 2.3%, up from 1.9% in January 2025. On a month-to-month basis, prices increased by 0.4% compared to December 2025.

The largest price increases were recorded in several key expenditure categories. The “recreation, sport, and culture” group saw a rise of 4.9%, while the “housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels” and “insurance and financial services” groups rose 4.4% each.

The “alcoholic beverages and tobacco” group also registered a significant increase, rising by 2.7%. Meanwhile, the “furniture, household equipment, and maintenance” group increased by 2%, and the “restaurants and accommodation services” category saw a 2.4% rise.

Conversely, some categories experienced price reductions, notably the “clothing and footwear” group, which decreased by 0.5%.

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The museum complex welcomed about 4,948 visitors during January 2026, Tourism, Culture and Sports Minister Blendi Gonxhja said on Monday.

Located inside the Kruje castle, the Ethnographic Museum is housed in the former Toptani family residence, a 1764 çardak-style building designated as a first-category cultural monument.

The museum offers a comprehensive overview of traditional Albanian crafts and daily life dating back up to 300 years. Around 90% of the exhibited items are original and fully functional, including objects made of ceramic, wood, stone, iron, cotton, silk and wool.

The collection also features embroidery and handicrafts showcasing Albanian artisanal skills, with items dating from 60 to 500 years old. Inaugurated on Nov. 20, 1989, the museum remains a key reference point for the cultural heritage of Kruje and Albania as a whole.

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According to central bank, the value of non-performing loans is estimated at 346 million euros, down from 361 million euros in January 2024.

Bank lending to economy totalled 8.4 billion euros in the end of January, up from 7.4 billion euros in January 2024.

Experts think that reduced interest rates have lead to timely loan instalments, for both lek and foreign-currency denominated loans.

Central bank noted that depreciation of the national currency lek has also played a positive role in maintaining the solvency of borrowers with foreign currency denominated loans and income in local currency.

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According to the latest fiscal indicators report, the revenue collections from the personal income tax rose 28% year-on-year, with the tax administration collecting an additional amount of 1.6 billion lek compared to the same period of the previous year.

The increase in the state budget collections from the personal income tax was mainly driven by the wage increase reform launched by the Albanian government, as well as by the obligation of the over employed workers to fill in the individual annual income statement that should be completed within the first 4 months of the year.

Tax administration plans to collect a total of 70.7 billion lek in revenue from the personal income tax, up by 8.7% or 5.6 billion lek more than in 2024.

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According to central bank, lending to business and household segment recorded highest growth in January.

Central bank data show that lending to households rose 42% to 9.5 billion lek compared to the same period of the previous year.

New lending to businesses was estimated at around 19.6 billion lek, up by 17% compared to January 2024.

The Bank of Albania noted that the increased lending to economy is driven by the upward trend of the country’s real economy, particularly tourism, services and real estate sector.

The increased lending is also attributed to the low interest rates and the central bank’s accommodative monetary policy.

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According to the latest Financial Supervisory Authority, the number of the voluntary insurance contracts rose 18.75% year-on-year to a total of 124 025 contracts.

The insurance market continued to be oriented towards non-life insurance premiums, accounting for 90.38% of the total volume of premiums, whereas life insurance premiums represented 9.54% of the total.

The voluntary insurance written premiums account for 60.56% and compulsory insurance written premiums account for 39.44% of the total market.

The gross paid claims in January 2025 were estimated at around 687 million lek, rising 12.95% year-on-year during the reviewed period.

Gross paid claims in the motor insurance amounted to about 515 million lek, up by 24.74% compared to the same period of 2024.

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According to INSTAT, the total number of both Albanian and foreign nationals entering the country in January rose 12.4 % year-on- year to 1.158.204 people.

Official data show that the number of Albanian citizens entering the territory of the country was 597.808, up by 10.6 % compared to the same period of 2024.

INSTAT said that the majority or 97% of foreign arrivals came from Europe, with Southern Europe accounting for 87% of these visitors, followed by Western Europe at 4%.

Most foreigners entering Albania (97%) came for personal reasons, such as holidays or family visits. This figure increased by 13.4% compared to January 2024. Business and professional visits also saw a notable jump, rising by 90.1% during the same period.

According to INSTAT, a total of 1.360.299 Albanian and foreign citizens have left the territory of Albania in January, up by 11.7 % compared to the same period of the previous year.

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