2025-11-25

Regulation on Accounts and Services to Customers of the Central Bank of the Republic of Kosovo

The Board of the Central Bank of the Republic of Kosovo issued this regulation to establish standardized conditions and service frameworks for its diverse client base, encompassing financial institutions, public entities, and international or foreign organizations. It systematically categorizes eligible clients and explicitly maps specific account, cash, transfer, payment, reserve management, securities, liquidity, and custody services to each category. The regulation mandates that existing accounts be adjusted and clients sign updated terms within six months of its December 2025 entry into force, with certain payment-related provisions deferred until corresponding legislation takes effect.

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4 of 9 Pursuant to Article 35, paragraph 1, subparagraph 1.1, as well as in application of Article 9 and pursuant to Article 65, paragraphs 1 and 2, of Law No. 03/L-209 on the Central Bank of the Republic of Kosovo, (Official Gazette of the Republic of Kosovo, Law No. 03/L-209, GZ no. 77/2010, 16 August 2010), supplemented and amended by Law N. 05/L-150 on Amending and Supplementing Law No. 03/L-209 on the Central Bank of the Republic of Kosovo (Official Gazette of the Republic of Kosovo, no. 10/03 April 2017), the Board of the Central Bank of the Republic of Kosovo, at its meeting held on 25 November 2025, approved the following: REGULATION ON ACCOUNTS AND SERVICES TO CUSTOMERS OF THE CENTRAL BANK OF THE REPUBLIC OF KOSOVO CHPATER I GENERAL PROVISIONS Article Purpose

  1. This regulation aims to determine the conditions and standards for accounts, as well as the provision of financial services to clients of the Central Bank of the Republic of Kosovo (hereinafter referred to as the “CBK”), in accordance with Article 9 of Law No. 03/L-209 on the Central Bank of the Republic of Kosovo (hereinafter referred to as the Law on the CBK).
  2. Within the framework of the purpose set out in paragraph 1 of this article, this regulation defines the categories of clients, clients and financial services provided by the CBK according to the relevant categories of clients. Article 2 Scope This regulation applies to all categories of clients and customers of the CBK determined pursuant to Article 9 of the Law on the CBK defined in Articles 5 and 6 of this regulation. Article 3 Definitions
  3. All terms used in this regulation have the same meaning as in the Law on the CBK, and/or as defined below for the purpose of this regulation.: 1.1. Client – means Financial Institutions, Public Entities and International Institutions defined in Article 9 of the Law on the CBK; 1.2. Account opening and administration services – means the activities of opening,

4 of 9 administering, maintaining and closing customer accounts; 1.3. Cash deposit and withdrawal services – means cash transaction operations with the aim of ensuring an adequate supply of banknotes and coins for the settlement of euro cash transactions in the economy of the Republic of Kosovo; 1.4. Domestic and international funds transfer services – means the transfer of funds from a customer account held at the CBK to an account of the same customer held at another domestic or international institution and the receipt of funds from a customer account held at another domestic or international institution to an account of the same customer held at the CBK; 1.5. Domestic and international payment services – mean the execution and receipt of payments only for clients who cannot perform these services through banking institutions and non-banking institutions that provide payment services; 1.6. Payment system access and settlement services – mean access and settlement services in the payment system in accordance with the relevant regulations for payment systems; 1.7. Regulatory reserve management services – mean the management and administration of the mandatory reserves that financial institutions, according to the applicable legal and regulatory framework, must maintain in the CBK; 1.8. Securities operations services (purchase and sale of securities) – mean the administration and management of auctions and processes of the primary and secondary securities market in accordance with the MF-CBK regulation on the primary and secondary securities market of the Government of the Republic of Kosovo; 1.9. Term deposit services – means the possibility of term deposits for a certain period of time in accordance with the term deposit agreement; 1.10. Emergency liquidity support services – means the provision of short-term instruments to banks in cases of their lack of liquidity as defined in the Law on the CBK and the relevant CBK regulation; 1.11. Safekeeping services – means the safekeeping services of valuable assets, which are kept by the CBK but are not presented as balance sheet items in the CBK financial reports; 1.12. Custody/custody services arising from the duties and responsibilities of the CBK – means specialized services related to the administration, safekeeping and management of financial assets on behalf of clients and for specific custody services; 1.13. Banks – means financial institutions that provide financial services in accordance with the Law on Banks, Micro-Financial Institutions and Non-Banking Financial Institutions; 1.14. Micro-Financial Institutions – means micro-financial institutions that provide financial services in accordance with the Law on Banks, Micro-Financial Institutions and Non￾Banking Financial Institutions; 1.15. Non-banking Financial Institutions – means non-banking financial institutions that provide financial services in accordance with the Law on Banks, Micro-Financial Institutions and Non-Banking Financial Institutions; 1.16. Payment Institutions and Electronic Money Institutions – means financial institutions

4 of 9 licensed and authorized to provide payment services and/or electronic money services in accordance with the Law on Payment Services; 1.17. Insurance Companies – means financial institutions that provide financial services in accordance with the Law on Insurance; 1.18. Kosovo Insurance Bureau – means a financial institution that carries out its activity in accordance with the law on compulsory insurance against third party liability; 1.19. Kosovo Deposit Insurance Fund – means a financial institution that carries out its activity in accordance with the law on the establishment of a deposit insurance system for financial institutions in Kosovo; 1.20. Kosovo Credit Guarantee Fund – means a financial institution that carries out its activity in accordance with the law on the establishment of the Kosovo Credit Guarantee Fund; 1.21. Other central public interest funds – means other financial institutions that manage assets of interest to the public and are similar to the Kosovo Deposit Insurance Fund and the Kosovo Credit Guarantee Fund; 1.22. Kosovo Pension Savings Fund – means a financial institution that carries out its activity in accordance with the law on pension funds in Kosovo; 1.23. Other Kosovo Pension Funds – means financial institutions that carry out their activities in accordance with the Law on Pension Funds of Kosovo; 1.24. Governmental Institutions and Municipalities of Kosovo – means the Treasury and all budgetary institutions, including all its agencies as well as the municipalities of Kosovo; 1.25. Other Independent Public Institutions – means other independent public institutions under the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo and/or special Laws that maintain accounts with the Treasury; 1.26. Privatization Agency of Kosovo – means the independent public institution that carries out its activities in accordance with the Law on the Privatization Agency of Kosovo; 1.27. Central and regional-local public enterprises – means public enterprises that provide services of public interest that carry out their activities in accordance with the Law on Public Enterprises; 1.28. Foreign central banks – mean monetary and regulatory institutions of other countries whose functions are similar to those of the CBK; 1.29. Foreign second-tier banks – mean private banking institutions operating in other countries and performing similar services as domestic banks; 1.30. Foreign governments – mean institutions that include the governments of states of other countries with which Kosovo has financial and/or trade relations; 1.31. International financial institutions – mean international financial institutions such as the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the European Investment Bank and the like; 1.32. International organizations – mean international institutions established under international law and by agreement between two or more states such as the United Nations, the European Union and the like; 1.33. Donor organizations – mean international donor institutions that provide financial,

4 of 9 technical or material assistance to strengthen democracy, the economy and various social sectors in the Republic of Kosovo. CHAPTER II OPENING CUSTOMER ACCOUNTS AND CATEGORIZING THEM Article 4 Opening accounts for eligible clients

  1. In accordance with the provisions of Article 9 of the Law on the CBK, in order to achieve its objectives, the CBK may open and maintain in its books, accounts of cash and securities for banks and other financial institutions, public entities as well as foreign banks, central banks, international financial institutions and, upon request, foreign governments, international organizations and donor organizations. In accordance with this Article, the eligible clients to open accounts and perform services at the CBK are as follows: 1.1. Financial institutions: 1.1.1. Banking institutions; 1.1.2. Micro-finance and non-bank institutions; 1.1.3. Payment institutions and electronic money institutions; 1.1.4. Insurance institutions; 1.1.5. Public interest deposit insurance funds and credit guarantee funds; 1.1.6. Pension funds. 1.2. Public entities: 1.2.1. Public institutions; 1.2.2. Public enterprises. 1.3. International institutions, foreign governments and foreign banks: 1.3.1. International institutions, financial and donor organizations, foreign governments and foreign banks.

4 of 9 Article 5 Client Categorization

  1. The accounts of the clients defined in Article 4, depending on their activity and grouping, are divided into relevant sub-categories. The sub-categorization is made according to the type of client activity and the legal definitions of the Law on the CBK for each relevant category and sub￾category or of the specific law regulating the relevant client activity. On this basis, the clients are categorized as follows: 1.1. Financial institutions: 1.1.1. Banking institutions: a. Banks. 1.1.2. Micro-finance and non-banking institutions: a. Micro-finance institutions; b. Non-bank financial institutions; c. Other non-bank financial institutions. 1.1.3. Payment institutions and electronic money institutions: a. Payment institutions; b. Electronic money institutions. 1.1.4. Insurance institutions: a. Insurance Companies; b. Kosovo Insurance Bureau. 1.1.5. Public interest deposit insurance funds and credit guarantee funds: a. Kosovo Deposit Insurance Fund; b. Kosovo Credit Guarantee Fund; c. Other central funds of public interest. 1.1.6. Pension Funds: a. Kosovo Pension Savings Fund; b. Other Kosovo Pension Funds. 1.2. Public entities: 1.2.1. Public institutions: a. Governmental institutions and municipalities of Kosovo; b. Other independent public institutions; c. Privatization Agency of Kosovo. 1.2.2. Public enterprises: a. Central public enterprises; b. Regional-local public enterprises.

4 of 9 1.3. International institutions, foreign governments and foreign banks: 1.3.1. International financial and donor institutions, foreign governments and foreign banks a. Foreign central banks; b. Foreign second-tier banks; c. Foreign governments; d. International financial institutions; e. International organizations; f. Donor organizations. CHAPTE III SERVICES PROVIDED Article 6 Financial Services

  1. The CBK shall provide its services to clients only in accordance with its objectives and tasks as defined in the Law on the CBK. These services may be provided only in accordance with the terms and conditions set by the CBK.
  2. Payment services (domestic and international) specified in paragraph 3.4 of this Article may not be provided by the CBK to clients who may perform these services through banking institutions and non-banking institutions that provide payment services.
  3. The categories of services provided by the CBK are as follows: 3.1. Account opening and administration services: 3.1.1. Opening of accounts; 3.1.2. Administration of accounts. 3.2. Cash deposit and withdrawal services: 3.2.1. Depositing banknotes; 3.2.2. Depositing coins; 3.2.3. Withdrawing banknotes; 3.2.4. Withdrawing coins. 3.3. Domestic and international funds transfer services: 3.3.1. Incoming transfers of domestic funds; 3.3.2. Incoming transfers of international funds; 3.3.3. Outgoing transfers of domestic funds; 3.3.4. Outgoing transfers of international funds.

4 of 9 3.4. Domestic and international payment services: 3.4.1. Domestic incoming payments; 3.4.2. International incoming payments; 3.4.3. Domestic outgoing payments; 3.4.4. International outgoing payments. 3.5. Access and settlement services in the Payment System; 3.5.1. Access to the real-time gross settlement system – RTGS; 3.5.2. Access to the net settlement system – ACH; 3.5.3. Access to the instant payment system – TIPS; 3.5.4. Opening and administration of reserve accounts; 3.5.5. Opening and administration of settlement accounts and/or other technical accounts provided for by the payment systems regulations for the purposes of payment settlement; 3.5.6. Intraday settlements. 3.6. Regulatory reserve management services: 3.7. Securities operations services (purchase and sale of securities): 3.7.1. Access to the primary securities market operations system – CSD; 3.7.2. Access to the secondary securities market operations system – CSD. 3.8. Time deposit services: 3.8.1. Time deposit of funds. 3.9. Emergency liquidity support services: 3.10.Safekeeping services for tangible assets; 3.11.Custody/custody services arising from the duties and responsibilities of the CBK. Article 7 Services by Client Categories

  1. Services for categories of clients may only be provided to clients defined in Articles 4 and 5 of this Regulation.
  2. Each category of services provided to a client must be part of the services defined in Article 6 of this Regulation.
  3. The connection of services defined in Article 6 of this Regulation with the category of clients defined in Articles 4 and 5 of this Regulation may only be provided after meeting the specific requirements defined in the relevant regulations addressing the specific service.
  4. Clients defined in Article 5 of this Regulation shall be provided with the categories of services defined in Article 6 of this Regulation as follows:

4 of 9 4.1. The categories of services provided to Banks are defined in subparagraphs 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.5, 3.6, 3.7 and 3.9 of Article 6 of this Regulation; 4.2. The categories of services provided to Micro-finance Institutions are defined in subparagraphs 3.1 and 3.3 of Article 6 of this Regulation; 4.3. The categories of services provided to Non-bank Financial Institutions are defined in subparagraphs 3.1 and 3.3 of Article 6 of this Regulation; 4.4. The categories of services provided to Other Non-bank Financial Institutions are defined in subparagraphs 3.1 and 3.3 of Article 6 of this Regulation; 4.5. The categories of services provided to Payment Institutions are defined in subparagraphs 3.1, 3.3 and points 3.5.1, 3.5.2, 3.5.3, 3.5.5 and 3.5.6 of subparagraph 3.5 of Article 6 of this Regulation; 4.6. The categories of services provided to Electronic Money Institutions are defined in subparagraphs 3.1, 3.3 and points 3.5.1, 3.5.2, 3.5.3, 3.5.5 and 3.5.6 of subparagraph 3.5 of Article 6 of this Regulation; 4.7. The categories of services provided to Insurance Companies are defined in subparagraphs 3.1, 3.3 and 3.6 of Article 6 of this Regulation; 4.8. The categories of services provided to the Kosovo Insurance Bureau are set out in subparagraphs 3.1 and 3.3 of Article 6 of this Regulation; 4.9. The categories of services provided to the Kosovo Deposit Insurance Fund are set out in subparagraphs 3.1, 3.3 and 3.4 of Article 6 of this Regulation; 4.10. The categories of services provided to the Kosovo Credit Guarantee Fund are set out in subparagraphs 3.1, 3.3 and 3.4 of Article 6 of this Regulation; 4.11. The categories of services provided to other central public interest funds are set out in subparagraphs 3.1, 3.3 and 3.4 of Article 6 of this Regulation; 4.12. The categories of services provided to the Kosovo Pension Savings Fund are set out in subparagraphs 3.1, 3.3, 3.4 and points 3.5.1, 3.5.2 and 3.5.6 of subparagraph 3.5 and subparagraph 3.7 of Article 6 of this Regulation; 4.13. The categories of services provided to other Kosovo Pension Funds are set out in subparagraphs 3.1, 3.3, 3.4 and points 3.5.1, 3.5.2 and 3.5.6 of subparagraph 3.5 and subparagraph 3.7 of Article 6 of this Regulation; 4.14. The categories of services provided to Government Institutions and Municipalities of Kosovo are defined in subparagraphs 3.1, 3.3, 3.4, points 3.5.1, 3.5.2, 3.5.3, 3.5.5 and 3.5.6 of subparagraph 3.5, subparagraph 3.7, subparagraph 3.8 and subparagraph 3.10 of Article 6 of this Regulation; 4.15. The categories of services provided to other independent public institutions are defined in subparagraphs 3.1, 3.3 and 3.4 of Article 6 of this Regulation; 4.16. The categories of services provided to the Privatization Agency of Kosovo are defined in subparagraphs 3.1, 3.3, 3.4 and 3.10 of Article 6 of this Regulation; 4.17. The categories of services provided to Central Public Enterprises are defined in subparagraphs 3.1 and 3.3 of Article 6 of this Regulation;

4 of 9 4.18. The categories of services provided to Regional-Local Public Enterprises are defined in subparagraphs 3.1 and 3.3 of Article 6 of this Regulation; 4.19. The categories of services provided to Foreign Central Banks, Foreign Second-tier Banks, Foreign Governments, International Financial Institutions, International Organizations and Donor Organizations are defined in subparagraphs 3.1, 3.3 and 3.11 of Article 6 of this Regulation. CHAPTER V TRANSITIONAL AND FINAL PROVISIONS Article 8 Transitional Provisions Existing customer accounts must be adjusted to the requirements of this regulation within a period of 6 (six) months after the adoption of this regulation. Article 9 Final Provisions

  1. Within a period of 6 (six) months after the entry into force of this regulation and other by-laws related to this regulation, all clients must accept and sign the new terms and conditions in accordance with the conditions set out in this regulation and other by-laws regulating the relevant procedures on the management and administration of client accounts.
  2. The Executive Board, through internal regulations, determines the organizational units of the CBK for the implementation of this regulation.
  3. Other technical aspects will be regulated through policies, rules, procedures and other by-laws based on the delegated responsibilities under Article 36 of the Law on the CBK. Article 10 Entry into force This regulation shall enter into force on 15 December 2025, with the exception of subparagraphs 4.5 and 4.6 of Article 7, which shall apply upon the entry into force of Law No. 08/L-328 on Payment Services and the relevant regulatory requirements. Dr. Sc. Bashkim Nurboja Chairman of the Board of the Central Bank of the Republic of Kosovo