CBCG Hosts Regional Conference on the Prevention of Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Fraud in Instant Payments

22/09/2025

Today, the CBCG hosted the regional conference "Prevention of Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing (AML/TF) and Fraud Prevention in Instant Payments," which gathered senior representatives of central banks, supervisory and regulatory bodies from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, and Serbia, and international experts in supervision and payment systems.

Opening the conference, the CBCG Governor Irena Radović emphasised that combating money laundering and terrorist financing is one of the key pillars for preserving the financial system's integrity and a fundamental precondition for the European perspective and deeper integration of Western Balkan economies. She highlighted the CBCG's achievements over the past two years, including improving the regulatory framework, strengthening supervision and institutional capacities, and introducing risk-based measures in close cooperation with Eurosystem central banks.

"Preventing money laundering and terrorism financing is not only a regulatory requirement but also the foundation for strengthening the financial markets' integrity and a key precondition for full European integration. By raising standards in this area, we are paving the way for full participation in European initiatives such as SEPA and TIPS. This ensures faster, safer, and significantly cheaper transactions for citizens and businesses, while increasing efficiency and strengthening the confidence of citizens, investors, and international partners," Governor Radović said.

The Director of the AML/TF Supervision Directorate at CBCG, Gordana Kalezić, stressed that regional institutional cooperation is crucial for strengthening the resilience of financial systems and the confidence of citizens, businesses, and international partners.

"This conference confirms that through joint efforts we can significantly improve regulatory practices, raise standards, and ensure effective regional cooperation in combating financial crime across all Western Balkan countries, thereby firmly charting the region's European perspective," Kalezić emphasized.

Roel Braes, Director of On-site AML/TF Supervision at the National Bank of Belgium, praised the cooperation with CBCG in the field of supervision and the results of joint activities. He particularly highlighted that further progress in strengthening the AML/TF framework at both national and regional levels provides the foundation for future cooperation with the newly established European Anti-Money Laundering Authority (AMLA).

International expert Kjeld Herreman from Paylume spoke about current challenges in preventing financial crime in instant payments and presented the EU's experience in implementing instant payment regulations and SEPA and TIPS Clone systems. He stressed that AMLA's role will be crucial for consistent application of these standards across the EU and for supporting candidate countries in their integration.

During the regional conference, participants discussed new initiatives and the readiness of Western Balkan countries, which are already integrated or in the process of integrating into SEPA and/or TIPS clones, to enhance mutual cooperation and strengthen ties with European partners.