Skopje, 29 March 2025 (MIA) – The World Bank commended the country on joining the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) and the National Bank on making the efforts toward meeting this goal. The membership will benefit the whole economy, most notably the citizens and the companies. For further benefits, it is important the country to also join the regional instant payments project, led by the Bank of Italy, which is part of the EU’s Growth Plan for the Western Balkans.

This was noted in a meeting of National Bank Governor Anita Angelovska-Bezhoska, with World Bank Division Director for the Western Balkans, Xiaoqing Yu, and Country Manager for North Macedonia and Kosovo, Massimiliano Paolucci, said the National Bank on Saturday.

“The commitment of the National Bank and the institutions involved was noted after working hard with the support of World Bank experts to accelerate the process to integrate the country into the EU’s payment infrastructure by joining SEPA,” said the press release.

Governor Angelovska-Bezhoska thanked the World Bank for the support in the process, allowing the country to become SEPA’s 39th member.

Participants in the meeting also discussed further modernization of payment systems and further benefits for the citizens, especially by joining the project of the Bank of Italy that involves all Western Balkan countries. It involves the establishment of instant payments system, as a clone of TIPS system, managed by the European Central Bank (ECB).

“Over the past three decades, the World Bank has been a key partner of the National Bank, which provides technical assistance through several projects aimed at further strengthening the countries’ capacities and that of the central bank to maintain macroeconomic stability. The World Bank supported the National Bank in preparing the three-year green finances plan, in preparing a macroprudential strategy and in strengthening a systemic risk framework and to prepare bylaws for bank resolution,” said the press release.

Photo: National Bank