The Assembly of the Kosovo Banking Association elected the chairmanship
02.06.2021, Pristina
The Kosovo Banking Association on 27.05.2021 held a meeting of the General Assembly on which occasion elected the new chairmanship and members of the Board of Directors for a two-year term (2021-2023). During this meeting, with unanimous votes for the position of the Chairman of the Board was re-elected: Mr. Albert Lumezi, Chief Executive Officer of NLB Banka while Vice-Chairman of the Board was elected: Mr. Suat Bakkal, Chief Executive Officer of the Banka Kombëtare Tregtare.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Kosovo Banking Association, Mr. Petrit Balija, congratulated the Chairman of the Board, Mr. Albert Lumezi, on his re-election for a second mandate and Mr. Suat Bakkal for the election as the Vice-Chairman, emphasizing that the past year caused great challenges and difficulties for all, however, the commitment and coordination of the Kosovo Banking Association, together with commercial banks in the country, state authorities, and other stakeholders have ensured the continuation of lending to the economy and uninterrupted banking services and at the same time have provided stability and security for the banking sector in the country.
On this occasion, Mr. Albert Lumezi said: “The banking sector has proven to be in function and support of the country's economy both in times of strong economic development as well asl in difficult situations such as the pandemic. The banking sector is of great importance for the country's economy, to increase access to finance, to increase employment, and to ensure the functioning of other links in the economy. Therefore, I strongly believe that with joint efforts and the continuation of incredibly good cooperation of all members of the Kosovo Banking Association, we will overcome all the challenges that are present in the banking sector and in the external environment of doing business."
Furthermore, Mr. Suat Bakkal thanked the members of the Assembly for their support for the mandate of the next two years. On this occasion, he said: “Our industry will face strong competition, high regulatory requirements, and requirements for high standards of governance during this period. Therefore, I believe that with incredibly good cooperation with the Chairman Mr. Lumezi and the Board Members we will keep the banking sector healthy so that it can be ready for the long-term economic support of Kosovo”.
Members of the Board of Directors of the Kosovo Banking Association were confirmed: Robert Wright - CEO Raiffeisen Bank Kosovo, Eriola Bibolli - CEO ProCredit Bank Kosovo; Orçun Ozdemir – CEO, TEB; Shpend Luzha – CEO, Banka Ekonomike; Arton Celina – CEO, Banka për Biznes; Oguzhan Ceylan - General Director, IS Bank - Kosovo Branch; Meriton Sunduri - General Director, Ziraat Bank - Kosovo Branch; Selman Lamaj – CEO, Credins Bank Kosovo; and Petrit Balija – CEO, Kosovo Banking Association.
Among the topics discussed at this meeting were the Law on Banks and other important topics for the banking sector. The ongoing work of the Kosovo Banking Association in representing the banking sector and managing and coordinating critical activities during the pandemic situation, to maintain the stability of the banking sector and increase access to finance for citizens and businesses of the Republic of Kosovo, was highly recognized.