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Albania: fintech & payments regulation — 2026-07

Regulated

BoA regulates payments & e-money; strict licensing, ALL 2.5m-4m capital, no sandbox

Frozen snapshot — the guide as it stood at the end of 2026-07. See the live guide for the current state.

The Bank of Albania (BoA) is the sole supervisor for payment institutions and electronic money institutions. The regime is comprehensive, requiring specific licenses for payment processing and e-money issuance, with capital floors of ALL 2.5m and ALL 4m respectively. The BoA maintains a public register and enforces strict AML and operational standards.

Which licence do you need?

Your activityRequirementCapitalTimelineAuthority
Payment processing / gatewayLicencePayment Institution[1][2]

Requires BoA license under Reg 14/2023

ALL 2.5m3-6 monthsBank of Albania
E-money & wallet issuanceLicenceElectronic Money Institution[3][2]

Requires BoA license under Reg 57/2022

ALL 4m3-6 monthsBank of Albania
Domestic money transferLicencePayment Institution[2]

Domestic transfers fall under payment institution scope

ALL 2.5m3-6 monthsBank of Albania
Cross-border remittanceLicencePayment Institution[2]

Cross-border payments require BoA license

ALL 2.5m3-6 monthsBank of Albania
Agent networkRegistrationAgent Registration[4]

Agents must be recorded in the public register

——Bank of Albania
Open banking / account informationLicenceAccount Information Service Provider[4]

Registered as AISPs in the public register

——Bank of Albania
Foreign-exchange servicesLicenceForeign Exchange Bureau[5]

Separate license under Reg 31/2007

ALL 5m—Bank of Albania

New — what changed recently

  • 2023-03-23Regulation 14/2023 — Established comprehensive rules for licensing and supervision of payment institutions.[1]
  • 2022-12-21Regulation 57/2022 — Set operational and supervisory rules for electronic money institutions.[3]
  • 2022-06-01Regulation 29/2022 — Mandated strong customer authentication and secure communication standards.[6]

Market-entry checklist

  1. 1Secure BoA LicenseApply for Payment Institution or EMI license with ALL 2.5m-4m capital.
  2. 2Register in Public RegisterEnsure entity is recorded in the BoA Public Register of PSPs.
  3. 3Implement SCADeploy strong customer authentication per Regulation 29/2022.
  4. 4Obtain InsuranceMaintain professional indemnity insurance calculated via BoA formula.
  5. 5Register AgentsRecord all agent networks in the BoA public register.

Sources

  1. Regulation 14/2023 on Carrying Out Activity and Supervision of Payment Institutions · 2023-03-23
  2. Bank of Albania Regulation on the Licensing of Payment and Electronic Money Institutions · 2021-11-24
  3. Regulation 57/2022 on Carrying Out Activity and Supervision of Electronic Money Institutions · 2022-12-21
  4. Regulation 7/2022 on the Public Register of Payment Service Providers · 2022-02-02
  5. Regulation 31/2007 on Licensing, Organisation, Activity and Supervision of Foreign Exchange Bureaus · 2007-06-06
  6. Bank of Albania Regulation 29/2022 on Strong Customer Authentication and Secure Communication Standards · 2022-06-01