By Klarida Rrogozi, Raiffeisen Bank in Albania | Like many other countries, Albania has its own special traditions celebrating New Year’s Eve. Read in today’s blogposts, what makes this holiday so special in the country. New Year’s table of prosperity A table full of various dishes and the whole family together – this is how […]
By Anila Hoxha, Raiffeisen Bank in Albania | In the past few years, Albania has been experiencing an emerging startup ecosystem. Nevertheless, most of the country’s startups are still in the early stages of seed financing. Lately, however, many private and public players have expressed their interest in funding startups usually in the field of […]
By Valbona Gjeka, Raiffeisen Bank Albania, Gunter Deuber, RBI | In a somewhat surprising move, the Council of Europe did not agree to give the green light for the official opening of accession talks to Albania in 2019. That was unexpected, because the European Commission and most of the EU countries recognized the progress of […]
By Klarida Rrogozi, Raiffeisen Bank in Albania | Samir Mane, president of the Balfin Group, the largest and most innovative investment group in Albania and among the largest in the Western Balkans, was originally born in Korça. The old and traditional city in southeast Albania was primarily a center of trade, before the communist regime […]
By Klarida Rrogozi, Raiffeisen Bank in Albania | Albania, this small and astonishing country in the Western Balkans, is one of the rare places where a lot of wildlife is still preserved. Alps, valleys, lakes, an amazing coastline alongside the country – when you visit Albania, you can enjoy all these beautiful sights. Tourists can […]
In December, the Discover CEE spotlight is on Albania! Watch out for several blog posts on Albania’s business, culture and success stories. Today, we have the most interesting economic data and cultural facts about Albania at a glance for you. The fact sheet is also downloadable in print version. Click here to print the fact […]
By Benedikta Schlange, RBI| Next to restaurants in Paris, Milan, London or Berlin, the “Mullixhiu” in Albania’s capital Tirana is one of the best restaurants in Europe. The owner and chef Bledar Kola started his magical journey as a dishwasher in London. His story is so exceptional that German news magazine “Der Spiegel” wrote a […]
The young Albanian investment funds business bears enough potential for growth, says Edlira Konini, Managing Director of Raiffeisen Invest. She heads a company with a market share of 98 per cent in an environment that is still in its infant shoes but promising to outgrow them fast. Ms. Konini, nearly 100 per cent market share […]
by Josef Ruhaltinger, Trending Topics | “At the moment we are experiencing a huge brain drain from Albania, especially young people with an IT background. As soon as they finish their studies, they immediately leave Albania as there’s a huge demand from countries such as Germany, where there are higher living standards and salaries.” – […]
Enjoy watching a short summary of this year’s CEE Banking Sector Report by Gunter Deuber.
By Gunter Deuber, RBI | The topic of a prospective further EU enlargement to the Western Balkans or South-eastern Europe (SEE) has received increasing attention in recent months. The EU Commission clearly demonstrated its ambition to revive the enlargement discourse, indicated by its efforts to work out a “credible enlargement perspective for an enhanced EU […]
Johannes Hahn, European Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, about the Western Balkans Strategy, the Western Balkans as a business location and what it is that makes the region attractive. What is the objective of the Western Balkans Strategy, which was recently adopted by the EU Commission? The strategy is an honest offer […]