“Leading regional and global digital innovation, Albania takes pride in its progress. Working with AKSHI, we are preserving our baseline services while aggressively expanding our offerings,” said Tafa.

The head of AKSHI added that, “In cooperation with the relevant institutions, the objective is not just to maintain and improve existing services, but also to expand the portfolio with new services in key sectors such as healthcare, education and energy.” /p.s./

As online business grows, the Tax Administration is stepping up its monitoring of digital transactions. “We ask all e-commerce and online service providers to follow current tax laws. Complying with these rules helps build a fair, competitive, and formal market,” said the Tax Office.

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Last year, the citizens and businesses performed nearly 12 million online banking transactions, marking a 23% increase compared to 2024, or about 2 million more transactions.

Since 2020, the use of home banking has increased by about 180%, indicating a strong adoption of digital financial services.

The total value of these transactions reached 2.73 trillion lekë, up 14% compared to the previous year. All second-tier banks in the country offer internet banking services, while the number of users of internet-connected accounts continues to grow rapidly.

At the end of 2025, 49% of total active accounts were connected to the internet and nearly 90% of these accounts belong to individuals. Bank of Albania experts estimate that this trend reflects a deep digitalization of the banking system and an orientation of citizens towards the fast, secure and simple use of financial services. /a.f/p.s./

The Academy of Sciences announced the launch of a new online website for scientific journals, where the journals are accessible on a unified and modern platform. The new website aims to increase the accessibility, transparency and internationalization of the academy’s scientific publications, by providing complete information on the journals, published issues and calls for papers.

The Academy of Sciences considered this as an important step towards strengthening scientific communication and promoting Albanian academic research.

The new website is built in two languages: Albanian and English. It provides access to the journals through the links: “Iliria”, “Albanian Journal of Natural and Technical Sciences”, “Studia Albanica”, “Anthropology”, “Historical Studies”, “Filologjike”, “Candavia”, “Albanian Studies” and “Studime për Artin”.

https://journals-akad.gov.al/

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As part of the “16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence” campaign, state institutions, and in particular the National Authority for Cybersecurity have assumed an important role in facing this new challenge, by building mechanisms for protection, reporting and public awareness.

Floreta Faber, deputy director of the Authority, told ATA that, “Online violence is defined as any form of aggression, threat or insult that occurs through the internet and digital platforms.”

“In Albania, the most widespread forms are cyberbullying, digital blackmail, fake identity fraud and hate speech on social networks”, said Faber.

According to Faber, “The minors are the most at-risk age group and are most exposed to cyberbullying, as they are the most active users of social networks and often do not have the necessary knowledge to protect personal data”.

“According to data from the Authority and the State Police for 2025, there have been registered over 1,200 cases of cyberbullying,” she said.

Faber said that the handling of a complaint about cyberbullying follows a clear institutional procedure.

To strengthen the protection of children, the Authority has offered the “Report” platform, which enables anonymous reporting of cases of online violence.

Faber underlined that, “The latest data shows that during the period January-September, there were reported 184 cases of malicious online content on this platform. About 69 percent of the people affected by this malicious online content were minors, under 18 years old.”

“While women accounted for 73 percent of the victims of this illegal content,” she emphasized.

Faber stated that online violence is a challenge that requires a coordinated response from all levels of society.

“The Albanian government, through Authority and other institutions, has laid the foundations of a digital protection system, but the work must be deepened to create a safe virtual environment for every child and citizen,” Faber concluded. /e.i/a.f/r.e/p.s./

According to data provided by the e-Albania portal, from January to October of the current year, there were 19,721 online job seeker registrations, compared to 14,065 during the same period last year.

On an annual basis, the number of citizens who have registered as job seekers through the e-Albania portal has increased by 5,656 applicants.

Online registration continues to be one of the most used services of the platform, facilitating the process for citizens looking for work and reducing the need for physical presence at labor offices.

The labor market continues to show steady improvements, reflecting increased employment and decreased unemployment, according to the Bank of Albania.

The latest data show that employment in the non-agricultural private sector has increased by 3.4%, while the unemployment rate has dropped to 8.5%, one of the lowest indicators in recent years. e.xh/j.p/p.s./

This new service aims to facilitate the ticket purchasing process, offering a safe and fast way to visit the country’s most popular cultural destinations.

Through this service, visitors can purchase their tickets for: the museums of Kruja, Berat and Shkodra; Shkodra and Gjirokastra fortresses and Apollonia Archaeological Park.

This step is part of the government’s initiatives to digitize public services and promote cultural tourism in Albania.

Through e-Albania, every visitor can obtain their ticket online, with just a few clicks, easier way to have a taste of the country’s rich history and culture. /e.xh/j.p/p.s./

As part of this approach, within the next year, the Albanian Investment Development Agency (AIDA) is expected to launch an online platform specifically dedicated to foreign investors, which will serve as a single point of information and real-time orientation for the market and projects in Albania.

This initiative is part of the strategy to further increase foreign direct investment flows, which reached a record level of 759 million euros in the first half of 2025, marking the highest performance ever recorded for this period. While at the end of 2024, foreign direct investment reached a value of 1.58 billion euros.

The most notable growth has been recorded in sectors where Albania has comparative advantages.

Tourism remains the most prominent sector, with growing investments in accommodation structures mainly in the south of the country.

Another strategic direction is renewable energy, where projects for solar and wind parks are gaining ground thanks to competitive concession schemes.

Growing interest is also being noted in the field of technology and IT services, thanks to low labor costs and foreseen tax exemptions.

To attract greater investment in this sector, the government is aiming to increase the capacities of educational institutions and is creating zones dedicated to technological development.

The new online platform for foreign investors is expected to be a key instrument to facilitate communication and procedures, making Albania more competitive and attractive on the international investment map. /j.p/p.s./

The change replaces cash-desk payments at the Road Transport Directorate (DPSHTRR).

The new service, developed by the General Directorate of Road Transport Services (DPSHTRR) in partnership with BKT Bank, allows for the first time the online payment of vehicle-related taxes.

The government head said the service would save citizens money, time, and fuel, citing government estimates that the digital shift could reduce administrative costs by over 57 million lek, eliminate more than 11,500 workdays, cut 4.7 million kilometers in travel, and save around 331,000 liters of fuel.

The online payment feature is part of Albania’s broader push to digitize government services and reduce in-person bureaucracy.

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Director of Fier Local Police Skënder Hita said that all investigative and operational structures of Fier Local Police Directorate were engaged in the finalization of the “XUEX” operation.

In implementation of the decision of Fier Court, there were carried out 83 inspections of persons, homes and entities in regard with a suspected pyramid investment scheme, through online platforms.

“The investigation shows that these citizens acted as key agents of this fraudulent scheme. The scheme operated on the classic pyramid model: citizens who invested were instructed to bring at least 5 other people into the system, to increase their benefits. The more people they brought and the greater the value invested, the more income promised. But in reality, these were not real investments, but a well-organized mechanism to obtain funds through fraud, where only the highest levels gained, while the majority, especially the bottom part of the pyramid, lost their savings”, stressed Hita.

Police said that during the operation, there were found and seized as material evidence: 50 mobile phones, 11 computer units, 1 DVR, 2 hard drives, 1 vehicle, 4.2 million lekë, 28 thousand euros, 1750 dollars and 340 francs. Six cryptocurrency accounts were also frozen. /k.s/j.p/p.s./