2023

On March 15, 2023, Mrs. Irida Huta, Chairperson of the Payments, Cards, Digitalization and Alternative Channels Committee at AAB, held an open lecture with students of Albania University, in the fields of Finance – Banking and Business Management. Digital banking, the effect on the economy of the reduction of physical money in circulation, as well as the way banks are moving towards a digital transformation of their products and services, were the issues addressed and discussed.

The lecture, which is part of the financial education activities organized by AAB, was organized under the coordination of Professor Bardhyl Çeku.

On March 30, 2023, the Albanian Association of Banks (AAB), in cooperation with the Bank of Albania and with the support of the Ministry of Education and Sports and the Deposit Insurance Agency (ASD), organized for the fifth time the European Money Quiz, where registered 926 students aged 13-15 from 89 schools from all over the country. The competition was conducted online and watched with great interest, livestreamed on the AAB YouTube channel by more than 1,700 viewers. Participants competed through the online platform Kahoot!, organized into 463 teams.

The participating students were greeted by Mr. Genci Mamani, General Director of the Deposit Insurance Agency, Mrs. Ledja Bregu, Director of the Department of Payment Systems, Accounting and Finance at the Bank of Albania, and the General Secretary of AAB, Mr. Spiro Beetle.

The winning team of the national final of the Money Quiz 2023 is from the 9-year-old school “Imelda Lambertini” in Elbasan and consists of students: Henri Terolli and Armi Tafa.

The second place winning team is from the “Sotir Gurra” school in Korça and consists of students: Oresti Çela and Georg Qafzezi.

The third place winning team is from the 9-year-old school “Kongresi i Manastirit” in Tirana and consists of students: Mario Ballo and Dart Ymeraj.

A special thanks to teachers Albin Malelli, Mitiana Trugu and Donika Lici, who enabled the organization and preparation of the winning teams.

The winning team will compete representing Albania in the European final of the Money Quiz, which will take place in Brussels on May 16, 2023. The winning teams will be awarded by the Deposit Insurance Agency (ASD) and the Bank of Albania according to the announced prizes before, while the participation in the European competition will be made possible by Raiffeisen Bank.

We thank all students and teachers for their commitment and contribution to the successful realization of this unique national competition in the field of financial education!

As part of the financial education activities, the AAB, in collaboration with universities and schools, hosted several open lectures on various banking topics:

  • On March 15, 2023, Irida Huta, Chairperson of the Payments, Cards, Digitalization, and Alternative Channels Committee at AAB, delivered a lecture at Albania University, discussing digital banking and the impact of reduced cash circulation on the economy.
  • On March 23, 2023, Elona Bollano, Chairperson of the Risk Committee, lectured on Risk Management at the University of Tirana, Faculty of Economics.
  • On March 24, 2023, Xhilda Shehu, a member of the Payments, Cards, Digitalization, and Alternative Channels Committee, delivered a lecture at the Faculty of Natural Sciences on digitization trends in the banking sector.
  • On March 23, 2023, an open session was held at the “Pandeli Cale” school in Korca, led by Spartak Mele, Senior Personal Banker at Raiffeisen Bank, Korca branch.

On April 13, 2023, the awarding ceremony for the winners of the national final of the Money Quiz 2023 took place on the premises of the Albanian Banks Association.

The winners of the first 3 (three) places in the competition were awarded the prizes made possible by the Deposit Insurance Agency. In addition, the teachers of the winning teams were awarded with symbolic gifts from the Bank of Albania.

The first-place winning team will compete representing Albania in the European Money Quiz finals, which will take place in Brussels on May 16, 2023, and their participation in the European competition will be supported by Raiffeisen Bank.

On October 26, 2023, AAB organized an open lecture for the Computer Science & Finance students of the University of New York, Tirana with the participation of. Reglend Xhango, Head of Cybersecurity Committee & Entela Prifti a member of this committee.

In celebration of International Savings Day, AAB, in partnership with the German Sparkassenstiftung for International Cooperation (DISK Albania), organized a “Savings Game” training event from October 31 to November 1. This two-day interactive workshop welcomed 55 participants, including junior bank employees, interns, trainees, and students from the University of New York Tirana and Polis University.

Aligned with AAB’s commitment to financial education, the training emphasized practical skills in household budgeting and effective savings accumulation. Participants engaged in experience-based learning, covering fundamental economic principles for managing personal finances and selecting reliable financial institutions for their savings. This event was an engaging, practical opportunity for participants to enhance their financial literacy and develop sustainable savings habits.

On November 9, 2023, AAB General Secretary Spiro Brumbulli held an open lecture at Beder University College, covering topics like digitalization, open banking, and trends in the banking industry. An interactive Q&A session followed, allowing students to delve deeper into these topics.