Decision of the National Bank: The countercyclical capital buffer rate remains 2% in the fourth quarter of 2027

2026-09-18

Skopje, 18 September 2026

The Executive Board of the National Bank adopted a decision the countercyclical capital buffer rate for the exposures of banks in the country to remain at the same level of 2%. The decision was adopted on the basis of the regular quarterly assessment of systemic risks, according to the data as of the second quarter of 2026. This rate will apply from the fourth quarter of 2027 and it is assessed to be appropriate to the current macro-financial conditions and the situation in the banking system.

The banking system is stable and resistant to shocks, which is confirmed by the results of the stress tests, and it is also seen through the appropriate capitalization and liquidity, the low rate of non-performing loans and the solid profitability.

The decision to keep the same countercyclical capital buffer rate is also supported by the macro-prudential measures taken at the end of the last year and the changes in reserve requirement, in the banks’ balance sheets, registering an improvement of the structure of newly approved loans according to the amount of LTV and DSTI, and household deposits continue to register favorable developments in terms of the maturity and currency component.

Such setup of the macro-prudential measures would contribute to limiting systemic risks in the next period and to further maintaining the stability and resilience of the banking sector. The National Bank will continue to carefully monitor systemic risks and will reassess the rate on a regular quarterly basis.