BANKS FOR SOCIETY FOREWARD

Dear Reader,

The Albanian Association of Banks represents another publi- cation, for the fifth consecutive year, as an embraced novelty in our market. Unlike many other publications on products, services, investments, profits, etc., this publication is quite specific. Incentivized by the contribution of banks to society in the framework of corporate social responsibility policies, this publication is expanded to the Sustainable Development Goals. Banks have unanimously supported these goals and each of these goals is further involving over the years.

Let us just mention that we have been highly focused in sup- This overview best demonstrates that banks do not just porting these goals during 2018, i.e.: represent business entities, but they are also members of our society, living, feeling and contributing to the progress • Goal # 2, approximately EUR 30 million granted in agribusi- of society. ness loans; • Goal #3, banks have spent EUR 1.25 million to ensure the All of these, and much more, are elaborated in detail in this health of their employees; publication, which is improving year by year. We are aware • Goal #5: 68% of banking industry employees are women, that there is still a long way ahead on the methodology of the holding 56% of the leading positions in this industry; best measuring of the contribution and output for each goal. • Goal #7, EUR 62 million spent for energy efficiency and Yet, we are on a good track. I am pretty sure that the best renewable energy projects; is yet to come. • Approximately EUR 400 million loans to SMEs under Goal #8; I am quite convinced that you will find yourself somewhere in • EUR 5.5 million spent for e-banking and mobile banking, this publication. Enjoy the reading! aligned with Goal #9; and Sincerely, • EUR 1.4 million funding for fish farming businesses under Silvio Pedrazzi Goal #14.

Additionally, we highlight the participation with about EUR 1.5 million for sponsorships, donations, assistance and contribu- Chairman tions in the interest of the community, society, special health, Albanian Association of Banks education, culture, art, innovation promotion, etc. sectors. Content GOAL 1 No Poverty …….….…...... …………………...……………...... ………...... …...... …...... 6 GOAL 2 Zero Hunger …...... ………………………..…………………...... ……………………...... ….. 9 GOAL 3 Good Health and Well- Being .…………..……....………………...... …...... … 12 GOAL 4 Quality Education ……...... ……………………………………………...... …………...... … 15 GOAL 5 Gender Equality ………………...…………………………………………...... …...... ……...... 21 GOAL 7 Affordable and Clean Energy ….....……………..………………………………...... 22 GOAL 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth …………...………...…………...... 23 GOAL 9 Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure …...... ………………...... 28 GOAL 10 Reduced Inequalities ………………………….....….…………………………...... …… 31 GOAL 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities ………...... …………...... …… 33 GOAL 12 Responsible Consumption and Production …...... …...... ………………………….....…...... 36 GOAL 13 Climate Action ………………...... ……………………...... …………………………...... ….…...… 37 GOAL 14 Life Below Water ...... 39 GOAL 15 Life on Land …...... …………….....……………...... …………………...... …….. 40 GOAL 17 Partnership for the Goals ……………….....………………………..……………....……...... 41 ART, SPORT & CULTURE ...... ………………………………………...... ………………….. 46

End poverty in all its forms everywhere in the world 2018

GOAL #1 No Poverty

Approximately

30 000 euro contribution in support for the institutions to achieve their goal

OPPORTUNITIES FOR SHARED VALUE

Innovate to develop new financial products, credit scoring methodologies, operating models and distribu- tion channels (including mobile banking) to anticipate financial inclusion, including banking for the 2.5 billion adults currently without a bank account and microin- surance to increase social protection.

Ensure that all men and women, particularly the poor and the vulnerable, have equal rights to economic re- sources, as well as access to basic services, owner- ship, and control over land and other forms of property, inheritance, natural resources, appropriate new tech- nology, and financial services including microfinance.

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY Alpha Bank Albania collaborated with “A Different Week- end” Foundation and, by virtue of institutional involvement and the contribution of many of its employees, donated a new living environment for a more dignified living for Buçi family in Paskuqan.

Alpha Bank Albania, during the end-of-year celebration activities, distributed aid packages for people in need: • Supported the Albanian “Red Cross”, Tirana Branch, in the organization of a lunch at the Red Cross Social Cen- tre premises for 100 orphan children living in the commu- nity and the distribution of food packages to the families of these children.

6 www.aab.al End poverty in all its forms everywhere in the world 2018

• Supported the Agency for the Delivery of Integrated Ser- vices (ADISA), Gjirokastra Regional Office, in the organiza- tion of a festive activity for children receiving financial aid and the children of Agency’s staff.

American Bank of Investments and Intesa Sanpaolo Bank Albania supported the Tirana Police Directorate in the activities organised for 2018 end-of-year holidays, with special focus on the families and children of the police officers killed on duty.

On October 18, on the occasion of the International Day Against Poverty, FIBank engaged in a humanitarian activity with Tirana Social Centre, which aimed at helping families in need, lone elderly and children who are marginalised because of their so- cial economic hardship, unemployment, violence, neglect or discrimination, lacking the necessary care or services. FIBank employees, in cooperation with well-known Albanian showbiz personalities and Red Cross volunteers, provided them with the necessary services.

Raiffeisen Bank supported “Different Weekend” Foundation in a project which consisted in distributing wood stoves to families in need in some areas of Albania. 10 stoves were dis- tributed to families in need in Durrës, 20 stoves in Pogradec, 30 in Tirana, 6 in Fushë-Kruja and 15 in Shkodra. This activity coincided with the end-of-year holidays, creating a little festive atmosphere for these families.

Tirana Bank stayed close to orphan children living in the com- munity. In cooperation with the Albanian Red Cross, it sup- ported the International Day of Orphan Children and the 1st of June, the international day of all children.

www.aab.al 7 End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture. 2018

GOAL #2 Zero Hunger

Agricultural Loans Approximately

29 576 275 euro 8 000 euro contributions to support institutions to achieve their goal

OPPORTUNITIES FOR SHARED VALUE

Collaboration with the Government and financial insti- tutions to increase financing for sustainable agriculture.

Collaboration with other companies, the Government and civil society organisations to identify new sustain- able and inclusive opportunities for businesses (for in- stance seed financing and micro-nutrition innovation).

Ensure access by all people, especially the poor and people in vulnerable situations, including infants, to safe, nutritious and sufficient food all year around.

LEADING BY EXAMPLE Intesa Sanpaolo Bank Albania and ProCredit Bank en- tered into a Cooperation Agreement with the Ministry of Ag- riculture and Rural Development. They agreed to cooperate in the framework of EU-funded projects and other projects funded by the Albanian Government and the National Agri- culture Support Schemes. Banks provide special financing that covers investments in Agri-tourism facilities, investments in equipment that promote the production of Bio products, the opening and reconstruction of restaurants serving as Agri-tourism spots, and the financing of temporary needs with liquidity and working capital.

8 www.aab.al End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture. 2018

Intesa Sanpaolo Bank Albania, after a long experience in financing and supporting the Agri -business sector, came up with a new project for financing Agri -tourism in Albania through 4 new products: 3 investment loans and 1 bank advance.

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Alpha Bank Albania participated in the following activities: “Giving circle”, organised on December 6, 2018 by Partners Albania, where individual businesses gathered to support 3 social causes aiming to improve the life of people in need. Three organisations, three civic initiatives, to support chil- dren! Alpha Bank Albania supported the project “Adopt a therapy” by Down Syndrome Albania.

American Bank of Investments • On Christmas Day, the Bank joined Ecovolis movement’s initiative to give a little more to people in need. Hundreds of people in hardship and poverty gathered at Mother Teresa Square, where the bank’s staff gave its voluntary contribution. • Already turned into a tradition, the Bank celebrated Thanksgiving, in tandem with people in need at the Social Centre no. 6 and at the Red Cross premises, in the social canteen of Tirana.

ProCredit Bank bought 1000 holiday cards, painted by SOS Children’s Villages Albania. They were distributed to other institutions, clients and partners, thereby sharing the initiative and inviting other people to think about and support this category of people.

As part of the “World Hunger Day”, Tirana Bank, in cooper- ation with SPAR Albania and with the support of the Albanian Red Cross, prepared 100 baskets of basic food for families in need in Tirana. Food distribution was carried out at the premises of Red Cross - Tirana branch.

During April, the staff of Union Bank in Durrës mobilized to collect aid in food and clothing for families in need. Bank employees distributed the voluntarily collected donations to poor family’s homes in coordination with “Different Week- end” Foundation.

www.aab.al 9 10 Alpha BankAlbania OPPORTUNITIES FORSHAREDVALUE GOAL #3GoodHealthandWell- Being LEADING BYEXAMPLE www.aab.al • • • ties, thereby reducing loanpaymentdefaultsandinsur nity organizationstosupporthealthpromotion activi- Collaborate withmobilephoneproviders andcommu- vided healthcare. lary costsassociatedwithaccessingGovernment-pro - services toefficiently transferfundstocovertheancil- Consider providing policieswhichusemobilemoney care institutions. Provide and/orraisecapitalforinvestmentinhealth- nations byensuringhealthyandsafework. Support healthyemployees,families,communitiesand ance claimsarisingfrom illhealth. 1 250000 to theiremployees Banks providehealthinsuranceschemes tion, “IhsanÇabej” HospitalDirectorate inLushnje, Supported the Ministry of Health and Social Protec- eases. sage ofsolidarityfortheirpeers withvariousblooddis- with children ofthe bankstaff wasorganized asames- Tirana, anevent On May20,nearbytheArtificialLakeof throughout theentire workingday. ees engaged by wearing the emblem of this initiative er” Foundation,where, onMay18,419bankemploy- On theVolunteer Day, itsupported“You are asunflow- 2018 Ensure healthylivesandpromotewell-beingforallatages. - euro 54 000 to achievetheirgoal Support tovariousinstitutions

euro Banka Kombëtare Tregtare American BankofInvestments • • • • Health Directorate in Gjirokastra, donating Supported therestoration ofthePublic to patientsofthisclinic. to enhancethequalityofservicesprovided computers fortheirworkingenvironment ditions ofthestaff through thedonationof byimproving theworkingcon- in Tirana, be treated attheUniversityDentalClinic Stayed closetocitizenswhochoose son, providing 24-hourservice. were operationalduringthesummersea- of Durrës. Approximately 26 health centres aid andadvicesfortheresidents ofthecity out thesummerseasontoassistwithfirst versity ofDurrës, were availablethrough- staff and18nursingstudentsoftheUni- of Durrës, where, togetherwiththemedical Supported health-care centres in the city against breast cancercontinues...” of theCathedral,undermotto:“Battle in thecityofKorça, atthesquare infront Bank supportedanactivitytakingplace tenth anniversaryofthisorganisation.The where variousactivitiestook placeonthe the premises of the National Museum, YWCA inAlbaniaonMarch 20,2018,at er againstbreast cancer” organisedby Supported thecampaign“Togeth- hospital patients. device), forconductingexaminations the purchase ofacoagulator (laboratory Ensure healthylivesandpromotewell-beingforallatages. Union Bank this park. Park andinserviceofcitizenseveryagegroup whovisit ArtificialLake designated areas situatedalongsidetheTirana the revitalisation of 6 “lakesides” with greening. These are ProCredit Municipality in enabling Bank supported Tirana ect: Raiffeisen Banksupportedthehealthsector, withtheproj- Intesa SanpaoloBankAlbania • • • • • • • • infants ineconomic hardship. these cards wenttohelpyoungmothersandnew-born Hospital Foundation.Thefunds raisedfrom thesaleof with holidaycards madebythe“MotherandChild” In December, itsclientsandassociates were greeted complex. ting benchesfortheshared facilitiesofthehospital chase of some paediatric hospital equipment and sit- Supported KukësCityHospitalbyfinancingthepur equipment andunderwentthorough reconstruction. Devoll, Mat,etc.,were provided withthenecessary The healthcentres inTepelena, Luftinj,Pogradec, various citiesinAlbania:Dibër, Fier, andSaranda. Partial reconstruction ofhospitalsandhealthcentres in was completedin2017). cessfully completedinitssecondphase(thefirst sity MedicalCentre “MotherTeresa”, whichwassuc- Reconstruction ofthecardiology pavilionattheUniver not tobacco’! TOBACCO day, underWHOmotto:‘Choosehealth, NO eos onMay31,theoccasionofinternational Distributed greeting cards andawareness raisingvid- ees. and delivered anawareness messagetoallitsemploy- global movementunderthemotto:“We Can,ICan!” On theWorld CancerDay, February4,theBank mites (matches). Hall andcompetedinkata(demonstrations)ku- Montenegro andMacedoniagathered at“FetiBorova” ganized inAlbania,where teams from Albania,Kosovo, Karatecompetition or Supported the firstinternational ises. assets fortheproperofinstitution’s furnishing prem - www.aab.al

- - - 2018 11 12 er amixofnature, runningandtourism. Voskopoja, onOctober21,atwo-dayeventbringingtogeth- of theMountainRunMarathon(trialrun)inmountains American BankofInvestmentssupportedthefirstedition other regions ofAlbaniaand manyforeigners. which gathered and thousands of people fromTirana, Tirana 2018,thebiggestsportingeventin ½ MarathonofTirana Banka Kombëtare Tregtare, FIBankAlbaniasupported Alpha Bank Albania, American Bank of Investments, CORPORATE SOCIALRESPONSIBILITY www.aab.al Albania, International Commercial Bank. Albania, International Bank(ICB),Raiffeisen Bank,Tirana Supported by:AlphaBank Albania, BankaKombëtare Tregtare, FIBankAlbania, IntesaSanpaoloBank banks forblooddonation. This initiativeaimedatmotivating peopletodonatebloodregularly andvoluntarilythrough well-organised Voluntary blood donation 2018 Ensure healthylivesandpromotewell-beingforallatages. Student loans 360 000 GOAL #4QualityEducation Ensure inclusiveandequitablequalityeducationpromote

euro OPPORTUNITIES FORSHAREDVALUE for theachievement ofitsacademicand university goals”. for its“Outstandingcontribution andsupporttotheFaculty of Acknowledgementbythe FacultyofForeign Languages tion Offices of this Faculty. The Bank was awarded a Diploma ing conditionsinBuildingA, BuildingBandtheAdministra- guages to develop the infrastructure and improve the teach- Alpha Bank Albania supportedtheFacultyofForeign Lan- LEADING BYEXAMPLE trepreneurship. cational skillsforemployment,decentworkanden- adults with specific skills, includingtechnical and vo- Essential increase inthenumberofyoungpeopleand inclusion. can provide insights essential for advancing financial dustry withaccesstoadiversetalentpipeline,which improve outcomesandprovide theirlearning thein- Mentor disadvantagedandmarginalizedyouthto tion costs. products tohelpfamiliesplanforandfinanceeduca- Expand accessanduseofpersonalsavingsloan nancing (e.g.educationbonds)forprojects. toraiseand/orinvestininnovativefi- Governments Collaborate withdevelopmentfinanceinstitutionsand 144 000 to achievetheirgoal Support tovariousinstitutions lifelong learningopportunitiesforall www.aab.al

euro 2018 13 14 to educationinstitutions: Banka Kombëtare Tregtare continuedtoprovide support 3 scholarshipstotalentedbutstrugglingstudents. with US degrees recognized worldwide. The bank awarded higher educationinstitutioninKosovothatcertifiesstudies organised by R.I.T. Kosovo on May 15th, in Pristina, the only ing gala dinner “Support the next success story”, an activity American BankofInvestmentssupportedthefund-rais- • “AlexanderMoisiu”University inDurrës (UAMD)organized • Organised,incooperationwith“IsmailQemali”University • Supported“LuigjGurakuqi”Universityinorganizinga set • Financiallysupportedthepurchase ofelectronic equip- • OnOctober29,supportedPetro NiniLuarasiHighSchool • Donatedoffice furniture andequipmentto KamzaEdu- • InAugust,itsupportedTurkish Embassyinorganizing Children’s• OnJune1,theInternational Day, itjoinedthe Districtinorganizingtheannual • SupportedREDinTirana • Supportedtheend-of-yeareventincityofVloraat- • Financiallysupportedtheannualpaintingcompetitionat • Donatedassetsforthe “Deaf PupilsInstitute”, enabling www.aab.al mony tookplaceinDurrës, atthenewpremises ofUAMD grated StudieswithPractice Faculty(FASTIP). Thecere- the graduationceremony ofthestudentsfrom theInte- grammes. programme to encourage students to apply to these pro- in Vlora,severalinformativeactivitiesonErasmus+ISM 25th openinganniversary. of activitiesinfiveconsecutivedays,ontheoccasion its School inBushat. ment toimprove teachingat“GjonNdoci”Elementary his death. nian poetandwriterMigjeni,onthe80thanniversary of to stageaperformanceinmemoryofthefamousAlba- cation Office. and minarets. city in Turkey well-known for its many mosques, domes These studentshadtheopportunitytovisitthisspecial for35studentsand5teachers. a specialtriptoEdirne festivities of“MustafaKemalAtaturk”preschool pupils. cation Directorate attheendofschoolyear. RegionalEdu- sporting project fortheSchoolsofTirana tended byhundreds ofhighschoolgraduates. Arts. support the most talented students of theUniversity of USR No.1,beingtheonlysponsor, forseveralyears,to conditionsforallpupils. better learning 2018 lifelong learningopportunitiesforall Ensure inclusiveandequitablequalityeducationpromote Ensure inclusiveandequitablequalityeducationpromote improve thequalityofitsemployeesandclients. business. Theseare on-goingtrainingsthatserveFibank to cilitate relationships andgiveapositiveboosttosales and Albania salesandnegotiation team.Negotiationscanfa- tiate inpractice,interaction and discussionswiththeFibank intensive 6-day training which focused on the ability to nego- Albania, incollaborationwithEPPSAlbania,attendedan staff training. On October 8, the 64 staff members of As anequalopportunityemployer, itconstantlyinvestsin Credins Bank • During International SavingsDayitwaswiththepupils • DuringInternational BusinessUniversityintheinitiatives: • SupportedTirana • Supportedtheyouthteamthatrepresented Albaniaat • InSeptember, itchosetobewiththechildren whostarta • SupportedthepublicationofCatalogue“Gimjani- system. knowledge onbanking,savings,loan,andthebanking for adiscussion about basic “World Academyof Tirana”, welcomed agroup ofchildren from thesecondyearof cial literacy. MonikaMilo,DeputyCEOofCredins Bank, the personalcontributiontoenhancingchildren’s finan- the commitmentofseniorexecutivesatCredins Bankis of the9-yearcycle,entitled“Iknowhowtosave”.Part which includedafinancialguideforparents andchildren e Kuqe” schools. The Bank donated 1,500 notebooks, of the 9th grade from “Kushtrimi i Lirisë” and “Shkolla contribute tothedevelopmentofcountry. businessideasthat spirit ofcompetitionanddiscerns row”, atraditionofTBUwhichpromotes newideas,the “Entrepreneurs ofTomorrow” and“LawyersofTomor the World RobotOlympiadinMexico. in the9-yearcycle. the bankhasdesignedaguideforparents andchildren new schoolyear. Underthemotto:“Iknow howtosave,” Post during1913-2017. troduces acatalogueofstampsissuedbytheAlbanian of the first Albanian stamp, author Muharem Gimjani in- Albanian Stamps”.Ontheeveof105thanniversary before theirgraduation! of 16studentsfortheperiodJuly-September1st,long ents, wastheemploymentofentire 3rd yeargroup Tregtare, tothe2018graduatingstudentsandtheirpar bania. Aspecialpleasure, donatedbyBankaKombëtare into thesuccessofthisuniqueeducationsysteminAl- bëtare Tregtare andFASTIP shedslight,yearafteryear, campus. The11-yearcooperationbetweenBankaKom- lifelong learningopportunitiesforall www.aab.al Fibank

- - 2018 15 16 Intesa SanpaoloBankAlbania • “Art of saving”, is an opportunity to support financial in- • MrSilvioPedrazzi,CEOandMr. DarioGrassani,Deputy • TheBanksupported,through promotional materials,a • FollowtothecooperationwithEUT, seniorexecutives of AuditinthebankingsectorAlbania”was • “Internal Mother • Thebank,ontheoccasionofInternational • Supported Regional Innovation Camp, organised on Feb- • TheBankprovided financial andICTsupporttotheEES- Metropolitan • ParticipatedinaneventorganizedbyTirana www.aab.al day onOctober31,2018.Intesa SanpaoloBankAlbania, Archive, Savings tocelebratetogethertheInternational Risparmio), ItalianGalleries (Gallerie d’Italia)andHistorical Intesa Sanpaolo Group & Savings Museum (Museo del ond yearinarow initiative of the successful international eration. IntesaSanpaoloBank Albaniajoinedforthesec- clusion through the financial education of the new gen- na on“BudgetingandMonitoringCycle”. CEO, heldanopenlecture atNewYork- UniversityinTira rana. - sity andtheFacultyofEconomicsUniversity Ti Youth Challenges”, organizedbytheMetropolitan Univer of HotelPlazaonthetopic:“EconomicGlobalizationand Student Conference heldonMarch 28,inthepremises sional MasterandofScienceprogrammes. project, aimingatevaluatingtheprogress oftheProfes- organized bythisuniversityintheframeworkof250+ Intesa SanpaoloBankAlbaniaparticipatedinameeting in theframeworkofMoneyWeek. AuditDepartment,onMarchBicaku, HeadofInternal 16, topic oftheopenlecture delivered atEUTbyMs.Ediola lowers. message onthesocialmediawithitscolleaguesandfol- Language Day(February21,2018),shared anawareness ruary 9,inGjirokastra, byJuniorAchievement ofAlbania. this collaboration,thebankhired 7students. neering andComputerSciencedisciplines.Attheendof universitiesfromstudents from InformationEngi- Tirana real-time competitionheldonMarch 15-17,2018,with months ago,wasmaterializedthrough aHackathon, field of“BigDataAnalysis”.Theproject, whichstarted6 Project “EESTechTEC LC Tirana in the Challenge Tirana” can applyforatanyofthe34branchesinAlbania. choose topaytheirstudieswithEDUCredit, whichthey from theFREEStudentPackage forthefirstyearifthey for UMTStudentCard holders. UMTstudentswillbenefit University, where itpresented thespecialoffer tailor-made 2018 lifelong learningopportunitiesforall Ensure inclusiveandequitablequalityeducationpromote - Ensure inclusiveandequitablequalityeducationpromote Raiffeisen supported: bate. derstanding, equality and cooperation through politicalde- European Union,butaboveall,promoting citizenship,un- tries, withtheprimaryobjectiveapproximation withthe is anon-profit organization,setupasaplatformin40coun- jury.ternational TheEYPortheEuropean Youth Parliament, were youthtrainers,organizers,photographers,andanin- event brought togetherabout90participants,30ofwhom 2018”,heldonFebruary16-17.This conference “Tirana came from allhighschoolsinAlbaniatoparticipate inthe supporter ofitsorganisation,supportingyoungpeoplewho ond year in Albania. This year, Tirana Bank was the main The European Youth Parliamentwasorganisedforthesec- Union Bank • The National Conference: “On Financial Education”, or • AllWeb, thethird editionofthedigitalmarketingconfer • UnionBank-ShkodraBranch, incooperationwith“Oso • Supportedyoungpeople withspecificloansfa- • Ontheoccasionofcelebrationsfor7thMarch, • IncollaborationwithHimaramunicipality, thecomputer different agecohorts. laboratories), tailor-made by Turin Savings Museum for classroom instructorstopromote 3curricula(multimedia and teenagers,voluntarilyinvolvingbankemployeesas Youth, hassupportedfinanciallytheeducationofchildren in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, Sport and education fortheirdevelopment. the supervisionofAFSAandimportancefinancial ant developments and challenges facing markets under papers tostimulatediscussionontoday’s mostimport- 24, 2018, focusing on students who presented various ganized bytheFinancialSupervisoryAuthority on May year severaleducationhours duringtheIntroduction to Kuka” highschool,organised forthestudentsof12th therefore investingintheirfuture. vourable conditionstofinance theiruniversityeducation, ate, whichwere distributedtoalldistrict’s schools. nated 40ofitscomputerstoKukësiEducationDirector Union Bank,ontheinitiativeofitsbranchinKukës,do - lab oftheschoolwasequippedwithcomputeritems. digital marketingeducationandSEO. ating another beautiful and valuable experience for the of 13 speakers with and an outstanding audience, cre- inOctober,ence washeldinTirana withtheparticipation lifelong learningopportunitiesforall www.aab.al - - - 2018 17 18 CORPORATE SOCIALRESPONSIBILITY ceeds from the ticket sales went to went charity. ticket the sales from ceeds pro All experience. and of competencies terms in skills al employee’s the at promoting aimed event inter-personThis professionals from fields. different 2000 approximately hosted of organization year third its in Vasil from which Naçi, to Road Success” “The Albania: in event training two-day largest at the participated ments Alpha Bank Albania www.aab.al the bestpracticesforsavingandmanagingincomes. sentation washeldbytheeducationofstudentson products andservices.A special placeduringthepre- ing systeminthecountryaswellwithbanking troduced thegraduateswith thefunctioningofbank- Economics course.TheDirector ofShkodraBranchin- practical experience and to be a leader throughout the working day. working the throughout to aleader and be experience practical day to the gain throughout expert abanking to accompany assigned was student school high excellent In collaboration with Junior Achievement Albania, ProCredit aDay! for Leader FIBank Albania, Procredit Bank, Intesa Sanpaolo Bank Albania, Tirana Bank. (ICB), Bank Kombëtare Tregtare Commercial Banka Bank, International Credins Albania, Bank Alpha 13-15. aged of children culture 2018, in time financial the at enhancing aiming first the for organized was which competition, of European the part became AAB Quiz. Money European and 14 cities. 14 schools, 8universities, 55middle schools, high people, young and children 5000 approximately volving etc. in directly (JA), universities, private and (NYS),Achievement Youth public National schools, Service (ASD), Agency Junior Insurance Youth, and Deposit Sports of Education, Albanian of Ministry the support the with and (BoA) of Albania Bank the with cooperation in you sow!”.what organized were activities The 12th-18th, March On motto: the You “Money: under 2018, Albania in reap organised was Week Money generation to responsible become citizens of the future and decisions. financial capable of making smart of younger the awareness the money, the at raising about aiming celebration aworldwide is Week Money Bank. Albania Generale Societe and Bank ABI Albania, Bank Raiffeisen Bank, credit bySupported Albania in Week Money 2018 lifelong learningopportunitiesforall Ensure inclusiveandequitablequalityeducationpromote Alpha Bank Credins Albania, Bank, Intesa Sanpaolo Albania Bank, Union Bank, Pro and American Bank of Invest of Bank American - - - supported the “Leader for a Day” event. aDay” for An “Leader the supported - - GOAL #5GenderEquality Achieve genderequalityandempowerallwomengirls. OPPORTUNITIES FORSHAREDVALUE aiding pregnant mothersandtheirbabies. dation’s logoandamessagetoallpartnerssupportinitiatives bania printed the holiday season’s postcards along with the foun- Child HospitalFoundation’s #Celebratehercampaign,FIBankAl- During December, as partof the final phase oftheMotherand School, andsomehighschools. Ballet lic FlashMobwasorganizedwiththesupportofTirana against womenandgirls,especiallyduringpregnancy. Thepub- 6th withtheparticipationofyoungAlbanians,toendviolence #celebrateHer “Waltz ofLove”inSkanderbegSquare onMarch pital Foundation,organizedapublicflashmobcampaign called Fibank Albania,incollaborationwith the MotherandChildHos- from patriarchal attitudesandsocialnorms.Inthisframework, combat profoundly gender-based discriminationoftenresulting requires strong efforts, includingfrom thelegalframework,to Achieving genderequalityandwomengirl’s empowerment #CelebrateHer FIBank Albania LEADING BYEXAMPLE organizations inthevaluechaintodosame. which supportwomenintheworkforce andencourage and inseniorroles andinvestinpoliciesprograms Increase theshare ofwomenoncompanyBoards ing collateral-free loans. pand lendingtowomen-ledSMEs,forexample,offer Adapt credit processes andlendingmethodstoex- 100 000 achieving thegoal Support tovariousinstitutionsin www.aab.al

- euro 2018 19 20 Museum. Museum. ly. The exhibition opened in December 2018 atthe National History and girlsfrom thesocialistera,where theywere portrayeddifferent- was displayedalongsideoldpaintingsandphotographsof women foreign artist,JuliusEb,withaparticularfocusonwomenandgirls, ing GenerationAinAlbania,asseenfrom theeyesofaprofessional raise awareness ofthegenderequalityissues.Anexhibitionfeatur “Counselling Line for Women and Girls”, in their activities aiming to for Women andGirls.Raiffeisen hassupportedtheorganization: victims of domestic violence, are the focus of the CounsellingLine developing theimageofwomen,aswellproviding servicesto Raising awareness oftheyoungergenerationongenderroles and the current situationofgenderequalityinAlbania. der equality”,whichaimstoencourageyoungpeoplereflect on organized theconcludingphaseofcompetition:“Livingwithgen- Thanks tothesupportofRaiffeisen, theACTforSocietyCentre #Niunamenos,#NotOneMore, #BalanceTonPorc.#TimesUp, worldwide attentiontoviolenceagainstgirlsandwomen.#MeToo, 17:00 to21:00,waslitinorange,joiningthemovement,draw Bank AlbaniaatRrugaeBarrikadave,onNovember23,2018,from Instagram pageandATM network.ThebranchofIntesaSanpaolo materials toemployeesandclientsthrough theofficial Facebookand laboration with UN Women Albania, distributing awareness raising The bankjoinedthecampaignwithmotto:“Hearmetoo!”,incol- againstWomenfor Violence andGirls”. awareness raising activities, spreading the message “Zero Tolerance tions, businessesandindividualsfrom allovertheworld,toorganize UNagencies,civilsocietyorganiza- brings togethergovernments, HumanRightsDay),which en) toDecember10th(International against Wom Day for the Elimination of Violence - 25th (International whichwasheldfromAgainst GenderBasedViolence”, November campaign: “16 Days of Activism The Bank joined the international the world:#hearmetoo campaign insupportoftheSustainableDevelopmentGoals.Orange awareness andexternal raising Bank Albanialaunchedaninternal Women’sOn theoccasionofInternational Day, IntesaSanpaolo www.aab.al 2018 Achieve genderequalityandempowerallwomengirls. - GOAL #7 62 000 Funding forenergyefficiencyandrenewableprojects Ensure accesstoaffordable,reliable,sustainableandmodernenergyforall. Affordable andCleanEnergy OPPORTUNITIES FORSHAREDVALUE ization. Euro Elektracompanywaspresent toprovide their plants andtheopportunities thebankprovides fortheir real- advantages oftheseinvestments, thetechnicaldetailsof voltaic plants.Thefocuswas informingbusinessesonthe organized withbusinesses interested ininvestingphoto - Thanks toaninitiativeofProCredit Bank, ameetingwas LEADING BYEXAMPL global rateforimproving energyefficiency. able energy in the global energy mix and doubling the nectivity, asignificantincrease intheshare of renew- Ensure affordable, secureenergycon- and modern transition toaninclusivelow-carboneconomy. wind farms and solar power arrays to accelerate the Underwrite renewable energydevelopmentssuchas communities. cial considerationoftheenergyneedslow-income energy efficiency anduniversalaccess,includingspe- which meetthethree objectivesoffinancialviability, Apply financialexpertisetoenergypricingmodels

euro 10 000 achieving thegoal Support tovariousinstitutionsin www.aab.al

2018 euro 21 22 region. potential ofenergy-related investmentshaveinAlbaniaandthe was alsoorganisedasforum-conference, addressing thegreat product dedicatedtofinancingphotovoltaicpanels.Thisfair energy andefficiency. UnionBankintroduced theloan fair: “EnergyExpo&Forum 2018”, whosefocuswasrenewable On 5-6October, washeldthesecond editionofthe inTirana residential buildings. vestment inhighefficiency energyprojects inprivatehomesor Union Bankwilllendthesefundstoitsclientsinsupportof- Reconstruction and Development(EBRD)provides tothebank. funding, thankstothe6millionEuro loanthe European Bankfor residential constructionsector willbenefitfrom wideraccessto mote green energyinvestment inAlbania.Albania’s privateand Union Bank receives 6 million Euro loan from the EBRD topro- kwh/year ofelectricity. quarters andwhichare expectedtogeneratearound 25500 financial institutiontoinvestinphotovoltaicpanelsitshead- out suchinvestmentsinourcountry. ProCredit Bankisthefirst plants. Thecompanyisspecializedandcertifiedforcarrying technical expertiseinthisfieldandtogiveinformationonthese www.aab.al 2018 Ensure accesstoaffordable,reliable,sustainableandmodernenergyforall. GOAL #8 394 000 000 394 000 Loans toSMEs Promote sustained,inclusiveandsustainableeconomicgrowth,fullproductive Decent Work andEconomicGrowth OPPORTUNITIES FORSHAREDVALUE For manyyears inarow, Banks inAlbaniahavesupport - Banka Kombëtare Tregtare, UnionBank by theAmericanBank of Investments,FIBank Albania, fairs study and Work CORPORATE SOCIALRESPONSIBILITY and financialservicesforall. to promote andexpandaccesstobanking,insurance Strengthen thecapacityoflocalfinancialinstitutions mance through increased workforce diversity. cial mobilitywhilstalsoenhancingcompanyperfor disadvantaged backgrounds in order to promote so- Provide foryoungpeoplefrom targetedinternships tem. yet abletoaccesscredit from theformalbankingsys- terprises graduatingfrom microfinance whichare not Expand finance for ‘the missing middle’ i.e. small en- ance) forsmallbusinessowners. Expanding microfinance (savings,credit andinsur due tothelegalandregulatory frameworks. banks withdrawingcorrespondent bankingservices solutions whichwillreverse thetrend ofinternational Work withkeystakeholderstodeveloppractical employment anddecentworkforall. euro About 20 000 their goal Support tovariousinstitutionsinachieving www.aab.al - - 2018 euro 23 24 www.aab.al 2018 employment anddecentworkforall. Promote sustained,inclusiveandsustainableeconomicgrowth,fullproductive Intesa SanpaoloBankAlbania goals through Fibankproducts. port Albanian families in achieving their personal or business opportunities inthesecitiesandstimulatenewwaysto sup- of thesenewbrancheswouldcreate atleast40newjob respectively inLezha,LushnjeandSarandë.Theopening three new branches of closer topeople’s needs.Thegoalwasaidedbyopening all agesisessentialwhenitcomestobringingbusinesses Achieving ahealthylifeandpromoting well-beingforallat funded themanufacturingofclothingforportemployees. the aimtoimprove thequalityofservicestocommunity, of Vlora,inviewincreasing socialresponsibility andwith Banka Kombëtare Tregtare, incooperationwiththePort “Alexander Moisiu”Durrës. Durrës, organisedbytheBusinessFacultyofUniversity ScientificConference• 8thInternational attheUniversityof “Albania plowstheland”. 12-13, 2018,inMotherTeresa Square, undertheslogan: • ThesecondeditionoftheAgriculturalFair, heldonOctober trepreneurship Models-BusinessPartnership”,onJune8. neurship inAlbaniaduringtheevententitled“Introducing En- initiative to encourage the development of social entrepre- • “PartnersAlbaniaforChangeandDevelopment”,inits American BankofInvestmentssupported: currently facing. address thekeychallengesthatAlbaniaandworldis policyleaders,corporationsandintellectualsto international rum. ThisannualforumisameetingofseniorAlbanianand Tirana EconomicFo- development ofthefirstedition Alpha BankAlbania,December7,2018,supportedthe University ofNewYork. andthe fair) organizedbytheEuropean UniversityofTirana ipated indifferent typesoffairs(workfair, studyfair, career supporting andpromoting employment, thesebankspartic- ing sector, Inthecontextof includingstudents’internships. employment opportunities for various positions in the bank- unemployment rateinthecountrytocontinuouslyprovide ed anddevelopedprograms thatfocusonloweringthe • EBRDexpandeditscooperation andIntesaSanpaolo EBRD headquartersinLondon, aspartoftheThird ing scheme.Theagreement signedinFebruaryatthe Bank Albania increased its support through its risk-shar Fibank Albania in three main cities, - by ProCredit Bank. ed Germanprofessionals, whoare alsomore thanwelcomed companies withauniqueopportunitytorecruit well-educat- region, regardless oftheirlocation.Thisplatformprovides and asaplatformforemployersjobseekersfrom the tool formatchingdemandandsupplyinthelabourmarket, and AlumniportalDeutschland.Thefairservesasaneffective tual Career Fair, organizedbyDIHA,withthesupportofGIZ In September2018,ProCredit BankparticipatedintheVir • IntesaSanpaoloBankAlbaniaenabledtheparticipation • AspartoftheactivitiesorganisedbyIntesaSanpaolo • TheBankattendedthenationalOXFAM conference fo- took placeinLjubljana. sportingevent.The2018sportsedition est international and footballforman,intheIntesaSanpaoloGroup’s larg- of twoemployeesportsteams,i.e.volleyballforwomen km). Half Marathon(21km);FunRun(14Family(7 participated inthismarathon,whichincludedrunningfor: 2018. Four employees ofIntesa Sanpaolo Bank Albania Marathon, heldinPoreč, Croatia, onMarch 24and25, Group Run forallitsemployeeswastheInternational Agricole Inclusive). Areas inBosnia&Herzegovina andAlbania”,FAI (Filiere tural Value Chain for Sustainable Development of Rural Group, aspartoftheproject: “Comprehensive Agricul- area ofMalësiaeMadhe,funded bytheIntesaSanpaolo cused onseveralprojects and analysiscarriedoutinthe tional years. to 50m,byexpandingtheircooperatingwiththree addi- crease inthecurrent risk-sharingschemefrom EUR10m Western BalkansInvestmentSummit,includesanin- Promote sustained,inclusiveandsustainableeconomicgrowth,fullproductive - employment anddecentworkforall. www.aab.al

2018 25 26 www.aab.al

OPPORTUNITIES FORSHAREDVALUE GOAL #9 of PublicVocational Training inKorça andthepaintingof toration costsforthepremises oftheRegionalDirectorate ed workingpolicies,Alpha Bank Albaniacovered theres- ing environment fordifferent institutionsthrough well-orient- In thecontextofcreating anattractiveandsupportive work- LEADING BYEXAMPLE 5 450000 and e-banking Investments inMobileBanking Increase long-termfinanceforpublic-privatepartner respective capacities. line withallcountriesactinginaccordance withtheir and friendlytechnologiesindustrialprocesses, in ciency andwideradoptionofenvironmentally sound make themsustainable,withincreased resource effi- Improve theinfrastructure andreserve industries to chain andmarkets. fordable credits andtheirintegrationintothevalue other enterprisestofinancialservices,includingaf- Increase accessofsmallindustrialenterprisesand and olderpersons). ties, indigenouspersons,racialandethnicminorities marginalized groups (includingpersonswithdisabili- to theneedsoflow-incomeusers,womenandother influence are environmentally sensitiveand respond Ensure infrastructure investments within sphere of opment ofresilient citiesandtrade. munications infrastructure tocontributethe devel- ships intransportation,renewable energyandcom- 2018 foster innovation. Build resilientinfrastructure,promoteinclusiveandsustainableindustrialization andInfrastructure Industry, Innovation

euro - 253 000 innovation their objectiveandprojectspromoting Support todifferentinstitutionsinachieving

euro Build resilientinfrastructure,promoteinclusiveandsustainableindustrialization Credins Bank these institutions. IT infrastructure, thereby promoting technological innovation in BKT ensured thatthedonationofITequipmentimproves the cy forVeterinary andPlantProtection (ARSHVMB)Elbasan, brazhd, thePeqinPenitentiaryInstitute and theRegionalAgen- mal Areas/Buildings. IncooperationwiththeMunicipalityofLi- Agency for Legalization, Urbanization and Integration of Infor ment, Forests, Water andTourism -RegionofKukësandthe scan/copy equipmenttotheStateInspectorateofEnviron- Banka Kombëtare Tregtare donatedmultifunctionalprint/ nized byTrend Hunter. designed tobetheworld’s bestinnovationfuture festival,orga- the Future FestivalWorld SummitToronto, Canada,specifically American BankofInvestments.Thiseventcoincidedwith andthesupportof eration withtheMunicipalityofTirana organisedathree-day InnovationFestival,incoop- in Tirana On September18th,theChamberofCommerce andIndustry in Devoll. premises attheLocalImmovable Property RegistrationOffice • Credins Bankstartedusingelectriccarsinthecapital, tak- • In the framework of its ongoing care for the welfare, prog- • 45plumtrees were donatedtotheMunicipalityofKam- Prefecture.• Electronic equipmentwasdonatedtoTirana • Office equipment were donated to improve the physical • SupportedSpecialityHealthcare Centre No.3,bycovering tion andAdministrativeUnit no.2,Tirana. Office, MallakastraOffice ofImmovable Property Registra- Directorate ofRoadTransport Services,KamzaEducation physical conditionsofthe following institutions:General erates, thebankdonatedoffice equipmenttoimprove the ress anddevelopmentoftheenvironment inwhichitop- a more pleasantenvironment fortheresidents ofthearea. za, contributingtothegreening ofthearea andproviding Police Station,ShkodraRegionalEducationDirectorate. of Prisons,aspecialprisonhealthcare facility, Mallakastra conditions ofthefollowinginstitutions:GeneralDirectorate ronment ofthispolyclinic. tund i Ri, Shkozet, by donating chairs for the indoor envi- environment oftheseinstitutions,Healthcare Centres inKa- nating equipmenttoimprove theconditionsandindoor No.1 andHealthcare Centre No.4,byrestoring anddo- Shkodra RegionalHospital,SpecialityHealthcare Centre Bank supportedtheUniversityHospital-Trauma Centre, the costsofrestoring the facilities of this polyclinic. The foster innovation. www.aab.al

2018 - 27 28 www.aab.al manufacturing, aswellto informthemofthemanyoppor provide aframeworkforintegratingtheoretical studyintoreal the industryandentrepreneurship maketoqualityoflife, The aimwastoinformstudents aboutthecontributionthat stria Albania-Associationof ItalianEntrepreneurs inAlbania. Italian system of Confindustria in cooperation with Confindu- prises, PMIDAY -Let’s getIndustrialized”,organized bythe work ofthe“NinthNational Day ofSmall and MediumEnter Thisvisittookplaceintheframe- Good Counsel”inTirana. terprise EconomicsattheCatholicUniversity“OurLady of dave, agroup ofthird-year undergraduate students inEn- comed toitsrecently reconstructed branchatRr. Barrika - On November 6th, Intesa Sanpaolo Bank Albaniawel- dent fortheirinnovativepresentation. ics. the fieldofBusinessAdministrationandInformat- semester ofthefirstyeartoover400studentsstudyingin ects. Thesubjectof“Innovation”isoffered duringthesecond ing atencouragingstudentstocomeupwithinnovativeproj- aim- by the Faculty of Economics of the University of Tirana, “Innovate yourwayout”isanindependentproject, initiated prove andimplementtheminitsannualbankingstrategy. proved tobeverysuccessful,FIBankwillcontinueim- for furtherinvestmentopportunities.Sincethecampaigns and, mostimportantly, toviewsocialmediaasanewtool encouragement of the younger generation to use online data of Children.” Eachofthesecampaignshasasthefocus campaigns suchas“#HerHappiness-Seenfrom theEyes FIBank Albanialaunchedsomesuccessfulsocialmedia • Office equipmentwere donatedtoimprove thephysical • Thebankhasinvestedanddevelopedpoliciestofinan-

No. 8,aswelltheMulti-SportClub“Studenti”. Vacation Centre ofMinistryInterior, Healthcare Centre tra Water SupplyandSewerage,Treatment ofStudents, conditions ofthefollowinginstitutions:ARDA,Mallakas- ments oftheseinstitutions. environimprove conditionsandtheinternal - theinternal Centre No.1,byrestoring anddonatingequipmentto Krujë PenitentiaryInstitute,DRSHDebarandHealthcare dent ResidenceNo.2sh.a,“IsaBoletini” School, Fushë living conditions.TheBanksupportedUniversityStu- cially supportprojects in improving infrastructure and ing thenegativeimpactonenvironment. means of the smart systems used, but mostly by reduc - ing onestepclosertoinnovationanddigitalization,by 2018 FIBank Albaniasupportedthethird award winningstu- foster innovation. Build resilientinfrastructure,promoteinclusiveandsustainableindustrialization - - Build resilientinfrastructure,promoteinclusiveandsustainableindustrialization nities tofurtherdeveloptheproposed ideas. The eventawarded 5participantswithpricesandopportu- part of which was also a selected jury, comprised of successful business figures, The closingceremony ofthiseventendedwiththevoting introduced ideasanddraft-ideasintheformofStart-ups. next editionattheIvanajFoundation’s premises. Thisevent heldfortheseventhconsecutiveyearits Start-up LiveTirana Raiffeisen supported: electric cars. Throughout theyear, Procredit Bankcontinuedtopurchase ing auniquebankingexperience. Banking platform,Zone24/7andmore, focusedonprovid- Festival, withinnovationsintechnologysuchastheDirect On September 18-20, Procredit Bank joined the Innovation Procredit Bank tunities manufacturingsectorsprovide. • Animportantconference fordigitaltransformation,IN- ofICTawards• Thejourney wasconcludedwiththesixth formation ondigitaltransformation. interested participantswithawiderangeofvaluablein- blockchain technology, provided thestudentsandother in the field of digital innovation, as well as aseminar on of Raiffeisen.speakers,experts Apanelofinternational FOCOM, presented its9thedition,thankstothesupport the finalnightwithinnovationaward ceremony. ported thewholecycleofactivitiesthatwere finalizedon by Raiffeisen, whichforthesixthconsecutive yearsup- for technologicalinnovation.Allthiswasmadepossible ativity thattransformedtheeveningintoacrucialmoment edition ofthegalaevening-afestivalideasandcre- Societe Générale Albania Bank. foster innovation. www.aab.al

2018 29 30 www.aab.al ises of the infamous former Internment CampinTepelena.ises oftheinfamous formerInternment “Siku Memo” was organized a memorial event in the prem- of Totalitarian Regimes, at the Tepelena Palace of Culture On August23rd, European DayofRemembrance forVictims munity activistsinTirana. year thegalaevening“Love isAll”organizedbyLGBTcom- American BankofInvestmentssupportedforthethird OPPORTUNITIES FORSHAREDVALUE GOAL #10ReducedInequalities tation ofwell-plannedandmanagedmigrationpolicies. migration andpeople’s mobilitythrough theimplemen- ulations. Facilitatefair, safe,orderly andresponsible markets andinstitutionsenforcement ofsuchreg- Improve ofregulations andmonitorofglobalfinancial legislation, policiesandmeasures inthisregard. laws, policiesandpracticespromoting appropriate equalities, includingtheeradicationofdiscriminatory Ensure equalopportunitiesandreduced outcomein- risk andopportunityanalyses. cloud computingtogainnewinsightswhichenhance Expand useofnewtechnologiessuchasbigdataand extend financialinclusion. erating anddistributionmodelsfornewmarketswhich ment servicestocreate more efficient andeffective op- Leverage newtechnologiessuchasmobilemoneypay- 40 000 40 000

achieving thegoal Support tovariousinstitutionsin 2018 Reduce inequalitywithinandamongcountries

euro Raiffeisen “Do youdiscriminate?” also accompaniedbyacompetition(from UNAIDS)entitled strictly prohibit anykindofdiscrimination.Thismessagewas from theCodeofEthicsandHumanResources Policies,which raising postcard forallbankemployees,highlightingsections Intesa SanpaoloBankAlbania,hadprepared anawareness mates. Women’s anddonatedbeautytoolstoallin- PrisoninTirana Credins Bank covered the cost oftheactivity held atthe Banka KombëtareTregtare through anABIBankrepresentative. initiative, supportingnotonlyfinancially, butalsovoicingastory American BankofInvestmentswasonethepartners in this • TheN(YOU)FESTIVAL launcheditsfirstedition,withthe • IncooperationwithBeratPenitentiaryInstitution,enabled • Thechildren of“Pëllumbat”DevelopmentCentre celebrated • Supportedwithsuppliesandclothingforchildren theDay sports andentertainmentactivities forthesechildren. care andpromotion ofgrowth, education,healthcare, social, children isalifelongandongoingsupportforpersonalized children oftheSOSvillage.Sponsoringlivelihood these The bankscontinuetheircommitment to“adopt”someofthe (ICB) from collaboration Contributions totheSOSChildren’s Village-alifelong the society. Raiffeisen supportedthisinitiative. Syndrome andintegratingchildren withthissyndrome in cial andhealthissues,focusingitsfirsteditionon Down aim toeducating through artsandraisingawareness ofso- built intheexteriorofFierprison. playground for family/ visiting children of the institution was oftheprisonlibrarywithbooks.Inaddition,a the furnishing holidays. dren intheambiancecreated withthethemeofyear-end Kombëtare Tregtare. Basketsofgiftswere donatedtochil- the end-of-yearholidaystogetherwithstaff ofBanka of Skrapar, where 15children ofbothgendersare treated. Care Centre forChildren withDisabilitiesintheMunicipality and Credins Bank,BankaNdërkombëtare Tregtare Tirana Bank Reduce inequalitywithinandamongcountries model forsocialinclusion”. Conference: “Social economy as an effective in Varna, Bulgaria,on June 2-17, 2018 at the (Bulgarian AllianceforSocialResponsibility) FiBank supportedDSA’s participationinNASO Day” andtheChildren’s DayonJune1st. tivities organizedon“World DownSyndrome at thesefoundationsandhavesupportedac- ed tothepurchase ofend-of-yearpostcards es”. In this framework, banks havecontribut- Syndrome Albaniaand“SOSChildren’s- Villag Banks were pleasetocooperatewithDown Credins Bank,FIBankAlbania,Raiffeisen Down Syndrome Albania www.aab.al

2018 31 32 andCommunities GOAL #11SustainableCities www.aab.al CORPORATE SOCIALRESPONSIBILITY OPPORTUNITIES FORSHAREDVALUE American Bank of Investments Investments of Bank American • TheBank, on the“NationalDayofCultural Heritage”, • OntheSummerDaycelebrations, togetherwiththeres- 550 000 About and children, disabledandelderlypersons. sible, green andpublicspaces,inparticularforwomen Provide universal access to safe, inclusive and acces- cultural andnaturalheritage. Strengthen efforts to protect andsafeguard the world’s islation onlandzoningandbuildingcodesofpractice. Share leg- understandingofrisktoinformGovernment incentives forimplementation. er-resilient buildingmaterialsandtechniquesoffer Educate homeownersandbusinessesaboutweath- resilience ofindividualassets. as transportinfrastructure andutilities,which underpin crease theresilience ofinterdependent systems,such Collaborate withcitystakeholderstoanalyseandin-

event. of the American Bank of Investments also attended the ferent citiesofAlbania,employeesElbasan’s branch idents of the city of Elbasan and many visitors from dif- 2018 to provideaccessall investments onbankpremises Make citiesandhumansettlementsinclusive,safe,resilientsustainable.

euro 200 000 200 000 About achieving thegoal Support tovariousinstitutionsin

euro temporary environments. of BKT’s assetssupports theseinstitutionsincreating con- hood and Solidarity Association “Istanbul”. The reallocation to theGeneralDirectorate ofStatePoliceandtheBrother During April,BankaKombëtare Tregtare donatedfunds • SupportedtheconcerttoursofSymphonyOrches- • Sponsoroftheproject oftheMunicipalityKorça: “Green MusicinKorça”,• SupportedtheFestival:“International 5 • “Shkodra Jazz Festival” organized the ninth edition in the • Sponsorofthe“SmileAlbania”project, launchedonthe Style Museum- from- Shkodra hosted the Ethno Vibe - In the city of Berat, years of history, culture and heritage ists oftheSymphonyorchestra ofRTSH. and Albanianfilms,performedbytalentedinstrumental - of Albania,havingintheirrepertoire musicfrom foreign toured inmonumentalandtouristareas inseveralcities “CinemaSounds”,whichduring summer tra ofRTSH, ince. etc., promoting the inherited cultural values of each prov- villages ofKorça district,suchas:Voskopoja, Drenova brought festiveactivitiesthroughout thesummerinsome with “AppleFestival”inthevillageofDvoran.Thisproject Stations”, which has been completed on 6th of October art andculture. full daysofcomprehensive activitiesinthepromotion of young peopleofthecity. Academy withmasterclasses from artistsfortalented festival wasalsoorganised for thesecondtimeRock promotion of the jazz music. This week, along with the vestments. A full week of activities in remembrance and city ofShkodra,supportedbytheAmericanBankIn- ment ofyoungpeople. portunities tosupportAlbaniantourismthrough involve- activity thataimstoprovide innovationonexploringop- oration withdifferent publicandprivatestakeholders.An cial Lake.MinistryofTourism andEnvironment incollab- evening of24thMay, attheAmphitheatre oftheArtifi- the world,inspired bypearlsoftradition. through thecreations ofsuccessfulAlbanianstylistsin wasjoined, destrian ofShkodra,traditionwithmodernity tradition tomodernity, totheMarubiMuseumandpe- of Berat. square “Teodor Muzaka”andinthepedestrianofcity from thecityofBeratand Gjirokastra, inthecentral were unfoldedthrough exhibitions,craftfairsandbands ber 29: supported theactivitiesorganizedonSaturday, Septem- Make citiesandhumansettlementsinclusive,safe,resilientsustainable. - www.aab.al

2018 33 34 Raiffeisen Banksupported: nurseriesandkindergartens. Tirana Thesefundsservedtomeettheneedsof ipality ofTirana. During April,ProCredit BankdonatedfundstotheMunic- sectors ofthecountry’s development. support ofonetheprioritiesandstrategic eign InvestorsAssociationinAlbania)on27thofNovember, in “Tourism Conference 2018”,aneventorganizedbyFIAA(For Intesa SanpaoloBankAlbaniafinanciallysupportedthe Credins Bank • Inthecontextofimproving thecity’s livingconditions, es- • July 2-7, 2018, the Art-Im-Pulse Association, with the • The second anniversary of Fujimoto’s Cloud installation • Credins Banksupported: •On theoccasionofJune1st,Credins Bankchosetobe • OnWorld Environment Day, theBankintroduced ashort www.aab.al park. the MunicipalityofPogradec toinstallbenchesinthecity pecially duringthetourist season, Raiffeisen supported film schoolsinRomania,Serbia, Albania,Macedonia,etc. quarter ofthefilmswere creations from youngpeople of genres: long,short,experimental,animatedetc.Nearly a During thiseditionwere displayed75filmsofdifferent from allBalkancountriesparticipatedwiththeircreations. ter-Balkan culturaleventinAlbania.Hundreds ofartists the BalkanFilmandCulinaryFestival(B3F),only in- support of Raiffeisen Bank organised the 8th Edition of nearbytheArtsGallery.artwork inTirana, Art andRecycle”. co-paediatric pavilion,realized attheseminar “Children, hospital’sras, whodonatedtheirworkstotheTirana on- school “AdemMyrta”inthevillageofShpërdhet, Mamur Children’spart of“International Day”withstudentsofthe mental protection. cates usfinanciallybutalsomakesaware ofenviron- a small entrepreneur,video by Ryan, who not only edu- - “Ora film Marubi sh.p.k” Association, by covering the - “CometotheTheatre” Association,bycovering thepro-

resilient andsustainable. in makingcitiesandhumansettlementsinclusive,safe, man RightsinAlbania-Edition13”,thuscontributing cost oftheproject FilmFestivalforHu- “International Hell”, thussupportingartandartistsinAlbania. duction costoftheshow:“TheComedyThatGoesto 2018 Make citiesandhumansettlementsinclusive,safe,resilientsustainable. - - • “Butrint 2000” International Theatre• “Butrint2000”International Festival • IncooperationwithHimaraMunicipality, • Forthefifth yearina row, undertherhythms reality. tualize from thebearers ofacontemporary turgy of great masters, who comeandac- of artisticcreation. Itisthearena ofdrama- has beenasymbolofculture andfreedom year, theFestivalwasorganizedinVuno. and tourisminthesouthofcountry. This Festival, afestivalpromoting culturalvalues Raiffeisen organised the South Outdoor the BeratMulti-CulturalFestivalinmid-July. Raiffeisen supportedthe development of of folkmusicandearlyhistoricaltraces, equal to: possible to avoid the emission of 2.8 tonnes CO2. That is cardboard have been prepared for recycling. This made it our health and living environment. 2130 kg of paper and (ICB) publishedtheBank’s positiveimpactonimproving 2018 AnnualReport,BankaNdërkombëtare Tregtare In theframeofitspartnershipwithGreen Recycling,inits OPPORTUNITIES FORSHAREDVALUE andProduction GOAL #12ResponsibleConsumption • 57.9kgavoided airpollutantsor • 19.2barrels ofspared oilor • 8.7kilowattsofsavedenergy or • over39preserved trees or Banks undertakeinternalinitiativesthatreduce: and lifestyle,inharmonywithnature. mation andawareness forsustainabledevelopment Ensure thatpeopleeverywhere havetherighttoinfor reporting cycle. incorporate sustainability-related informationintotheir tional companies,toadoptsustainable practices and - Encourage companies,especiallylargeandinterna vention, reduction, recycling andreuse. Significant reduction ofwastegenerationthrough pre- natural resources. Achieve sustainablemanagementandefficient useof sustainable living. Develop newpricingmodelswhichincentivizemore Environmental pollution: Paper usage: Fuel usedfortransport: Water consumption: Electricity: Ensure sustainableconsumptionandproductionpatterns. - www.aab.al

2018 35 Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns. 2018

• 78 cubic meters of stored water or • 7 cubic meters of space saved on a landfill

Intesa Sanpaolo Bank Albania • Supported this year as well the project “Albania works the land - Consume Albanian”, which aims at bring- ing Albanian products in a common space. This is the largest agricultural and farming trade fair reopening the doors for farmers, breeders and entrepreneurs, from Albania but non only, such as: Kosovo and Macedo- nia. • 3 awards were given in the Competition for Creations from recycled material entitled: “You Can”, organized by ECO Tirana and the Municipality of Tirana, with the goal to educate and raise awareness of children in pri- mary and middle schools regarding waste sorting and recycling. • A special awareness message was also shared with followers on social networks on International Water Day, stressing the importance of water in our every- day life, the challenges to reduce the number of floods, droughts and water pollution, by taking advantage of the opportunities that nature itself offers. Today, 2.1 bil- lion people in the world live without access to potable water at home.

Raiffeisen supported the conference of European Data Protection Authorities, held on 3-4 May, regarded as the largest and most important cooperation forum in our conti- nent in the field of personal data protection, currently bring- ing together 62 accredited members and 6 observers.

36 www.aab.al Taking emergency actions to combat climate change and its impact. 2018

GOAL #13 Climate Action

OPPORTUNITIES FOR SHARED VALUE

Invest in – and/or raise finance for - climate risk mitiga- About tion, climate resilience and climate adaptation including climate and green bonds, and other debt and equity in- struments.

170 000 euro Support to various institutions Take steps to measure, reduce and report climate ex- in achieving the goal posure and progress on actions to confront climate change, continuing to increase the level of transparency and consistency of reporting across the industry sector

Strengthen sustainability and adapting capacity to cli- mate-related risks and natural disasters in all countries. Incorporating climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning. Improving education, awareness raising and human and institutional capacity, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning of cli- mate change mitigation.

LEADING BY EXAMPLE Banka Kombëtare Tregtare always takes good care of the beautiful Albanian nature and, in cooperation with Green Line Albania, it put in the agenda of the clean-up activity that took place on November 23, all Albanian territories, in order to take care of everything surrounding us: air, water, vegetation, and even the most extraordinary creatures living in mountains, seas, rivers, lakes, and other natural beauties, clearing every corner of Albania.

Intesa Sanpaolo Bank Albania • Joined the Earth Hour global initiative, turning off the lights for one hour on March 24, from 20: 30 to 21: 30! Under the worldwide slogan # connect2earth, the bank switched off its Headquarters’ and name ad’s lights for 1 hour. • On World Environment Day, the bank launched a week- long awareness campaign, through postcards designed for conveying messages on the impact that plastic has on the environment today, especially for the seas and

www.aab.al 37 Taking emergency actions to combat climate change and its impact. 2018

the oceans. Communication with clients and the public was made through ATMs screens, e-mail exchange footers, the bank’s website and the bank’s official social media pages • Intesa Sanpaolo Bank Albania supported the national initiative Green Line in its activity “Let’s Do It! Let’s Clean Albania in 1 Day”, Novem- ber 23, 2018, in various towns in Albania.

Raiffeisen Bank supported: • ECO Fashion Show, May 25-26, as part of “Street Fest”, organised by the Municipality of Tirana and the German Embassy, on the occa- sion of the 30th anniversary of Germany-Albania cooperation. • Supported Free Thought Forum and the Albanian Volunteer Corps in their project “Cleaning coastal tourist areas before the 2017 tourist season, organizing and promoting volunteering as a form of civic and environmental action and education”. It enabled, in cooperation with ARDA, the deployment of a greenhouse on the premises of the institution, aiming at educating and exposing the greenhouse effect to students and pupils. • Ecovolis added its bicycle fleet and parking stations, in the frame- work of its project “Ecovolis Bike sharing 2018” project, thanks to the support received from Raiffeisen Bank.

ProCredit Bank • Competed the installation of the electricity producing plant with pho- tovoltaic panels at the Headquarters building. The energy produced from the photovoltaic system is estimated to be around 25,500 kwh/ year and to reduce the CO2 with about 15.4 tonnes/year and, ac- cording to the methodology developed by the US Environmental Protection Agency, it is equivalent to 395 trees planted annually in the urban areas. All energy produced will be used to meet the needs of the ProCredit Bank Headquarters building. • In order to reduce outdoor carbon dioxide emissions, the bank in- vested in 3 electric cars for staff movement. These cars bring to 5 the number of “Green” cars, which operate with alternative energy sources. • In November 2018, ProCredit Bank re-launched an internal cam- paign for the protection of the environment under the motto “Think Eco” The scope of the campaign was to bring to the staff attention the use of eco-practices, through information and awareness raising. Part of this campaign is the “How to save paper” Project. This proj- ect focuses on reviewing practices and processes to reduce paper use during bank’s internal operations. The use of digital signature and electronic archives is now one of the most effective practices employed by the bank which has enabled the meeting of these ob- jectives.

38 www.aab.al GOAL #14LifeBelowWater 1 410 000 1 410000 businesses Funding forfishfarming seas andmarineresourcesforsustainabledevelopment. Conserve andsustainablyusetheoceans, Conserve based onthebestscientificinformationavailable. areas, laws, consistent with national and international Conserve at least 10 percent of coastal and marine determined bytheirbiologicalcharacteristics. levels that can produce maximum sustainable yield, as fish stocksintheshortestpossibletime,atleastto science-based managementplans,inorder torestore fishing (PPP)anditsdestructivepractices.Implement end tooverfishing,illegal,unreported andunregulated Effectively regulate production collectionandputan levels. cation, includingthrough scientificcooperation atall Minimize andaddress theimpactsofoceanacidifi- OPPORTUNITIES FORSHAREDVALUE

euro www.aab.al

2018 39 40 www.aab.al OPPORTUNITIES FORSHAREDVALUE most importantbranches. which coincide with the Headquarters and twoof the Bank’s for RrugaIsmailQemaliand RrugaeBarrikadave,locations rana. Fivelindentrees andfivechestnuttrees were donated - the “Green City” initiative organized by the Municipality of Ti Intesa SanpaoloBankAlbaniapositivelyresponded to Municipality initiative:“RevitaliseKamza-Donateatree.” za MunicipalityispartofBKT’s contributiontotheKamza The planting of trees on the newly inaugurated road in Kam- tree plantingproject inthearea oftheArtificial Lake. Municipality green initiative,by sponsoringa lution”, aTirana Banka Kombëtare Tregtare supported the “Green Revo - GOAL #15LifeonLand estation. such management,includingconservationandaffor incentives todevelopingcountries,fortheprogress of sustainable forest managementandprovide sufficient Mobilize stocksfrom allsources andlevelstofinance level. and adoptedattheinternational sources, incompliancewithstandards established of geneticresources andproper accesstothesere- Promote thefairshare ofbenefitsarisingfrom theuse the preservation offorests andecosystems. Use ofinnovativefinancialmethodstoraisefundsfor 2018 11 000 in achievingthegoal Support tovariousinstitutions deserts, preventionoflanddegradationandlossbiodiversity. sustainable managementofforests,fightagainstthetransformationgreenspacesinto Protection, restorationandpromotionofsustainableuseterrestrialecosystems,

euro - sustainable managementofforests,fightagainstthetransformationgreenspacesinto Protection, restorationandpromotionofsustainableuseterrestrialecosystems, deserts, preventionoflanddegradationandlossbiodiversity. trees onthemainboulevard “QemalStafa”. with cityhallrepresentatives, plantedseveralnew“Magnolia” of ElbasanbranchandUnionBankmarketingstaff, along increase ofnewlyplantedtrees. Inthisframework,thestaff Elbasan in April:“Plantyour own tree”, contributing to the Union Banksupportedtheactionlaunchedincityof environment. increase the life quality, therefore helping to create a healthier an effective waytoachievecleanerair, reduce pollutionand porting theplantingof60decorativetrees. Thisinitiativeis Municipalityinitiativebysup- Tirana Bankjoinedthe various areas andtherehabilitation oftheKuçovaPark. Durres Prefecture wasalsosupportedforplantingoftrees in planting. organized, andtheRaiffeisen staff joinedinthissymbolictree 21, onWorld Forest Day. Forthisoccasion,aceremony was rana regarding afforestation and planting of trees on March - Raiffeisen supportedtheinitiativeofMunicipalityTi www.aab.al

2018 41 Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development. 2018

GOAL #17 Partnership for the Goals

147 000 euro Support to various institutions in achieving the goal

OPPORTUNITIES FOR SHARED VALUE

Strengthen the link between corporate and societal value creation and align the organization’s value cre- ation strategy to the Sustainable Development Goals.

Engage in multi-stakeholder initiatives advancing sus- tainable development.

Develop a set of Financial Services (or banking, in- vestment management and insurance) industry goals aligned to the SDGs and align corporate strategy to those goals to optimize contribution to sustainable development.

Collaborate with other financial services companies and stakeholders to provide industry perspectives to Governments, policymakers, legislators and regula- tors on the sustainable development impact of legisla- tive, regulatory and tax frameworks including recom- mendations for improvement.

LEADING BY EXAMPLE American Bank of Investments • Sponsor and financial partner of the meeting held on March 12, 2018 by the Office of Information and Data Protection Commissioner, in relation to the 10th anniver- sary of its establishment. • For the third year in a row, has been the key partner of the American Chamber of Commerce in Tirana, in organizing the ceremonies on USA Independence Day. ABI Bank

42 www.aab.al ProCredit Bank Bank ProCredit • • • • • event. various partners, friends and institutions. ProCredit Bank employees, members of DIHA, were present at the This year, forallDIHAmembersaswell fortheninthtime,DIHA-Oktoberfest2018 tookplaceinTirana exhibitions, films,meetings anddiscussions,whichwere opentothepublicthroughout October2018. culture, “GermanOctober2018”withthemotto“Inspiring People”,brought various activities,suchas:theatre, Supported alsothisyearvariousactivities,intheframework ofthe“GermanOctober”.InspiritGerman nearthelakepark. supported sportactivitiesforallthechildren ofthecityTirana Credins Bank, on the Children’sIn cooperation with the Municipality of Tirana, Day, on July 1st, organized and During July, itsponsored activitiesfortheDrenovo Prisonstaff. supported byCredins Bank. BusinessFaculty conferenceMoisiu UniversityInternational on“Economic PoliciesandEuropean Integration”, Approximately 170researches from Albania,theregion andbeyondattendedthe8theditionof theAlexander nearthelake park. of Tirana Strengthen themeansofimplementationandrevitalizeglobalpartnership Credins Bank Bank Credins Banka KombëtareTregtare: • • • • • • and supportedsportactivitiesforthechildren ofthecity organized In cooperationwiththeMunicipalityofTirana, ships” organizedbyPartnersAlbania. trepreneurial Models, Networking and Business Partner During May, itparticipatedattheevent“Introducing En- pharmaceutical developmentsinAlbania. aimed toprovide widerinformationanddiscussions on motto “Together forPharmaceuticals”,theconference organize the5thPharmaceuticalConference. Underthe Supported theOrder ofPharmacistsAlbania(UFSh)to nia’s IndependenceDay. public ofAlbaniainAnkaratoorganizeapartyforAlba- The bankfinanciallysupportedtheEmbassyofRe- and BankaKombëtare Tregtare wasitsmainsponsor. and Industry(ATTSO) organizedtheGeneralAssembly On May10,theAlbania-Turkey ChamberofCommerce Europe.Eastern working eventsforanyonewithaninterest inCentraland This forumisconsidered oneofthemostimportant net- porate leadersandinvestorsattendedtheconference. representatives,ernment policy makers,financiers,cor ROMONEY onJanuary17,2018.More than1,100gov- EuropeForum forCentralandEastern organizedbyEU- for FurtherGrowth” forthe third consecutiveyear, atthe Has ledtheAlbanianRoundTable “MobilizingFinances Commerce forthefourthconsecutive year. Bank isPlatinumSponsoroftheAmericanChamber staff alsojoinedthecelebrations. AmericanInvestment for sustainabledevelopment. www.aab.al

- - 2018 43 ART SPORT

CULTURE 2018

ART, SPORT & CULTURE

About

310 000 euro In support of activities in the field of arts, culture and sports

Alpha Bank Albania supported: • The participation of the Foundation “Kalo Art”, with works by 16 Albanian artists, at the International Contemporary Art Fair held on 22-25 November 2018 in Thessaloniki, Greece. • The realization of the 14th edition of the Cult Awards, thus promoting the cultural and artistic values that this event carries.

American Bank of Investments supported: • Comedy: “An angel on the eleventh floor.” • Jakup Hell “op, op” exhibition, opened in February 2018, at the premises of Tulla Cultural Centre. • Programme: “Virtuozët”, as a general sponsor. • Recital: Gaqi Piano Duo “Four Hands, One Piano”. • “Verë dhe Portokalle”, the itinerant show from Top Chan- nel’s “Portokalli” troupe. • Programme: “Maratona e Këngës” as a general sponsor. • Monodrama: “The True Apology of Socrates”, shown on June 29, 2018 in Gjirokastra. • “Hostel by Anabel”, a co-production of Anabel Entertain- ment and INTV. • Festival of Children Folk Songs in Fushë Kruja, held on June 13th. • Big concerts on June 1st and 3rd with Ermal Meta and Rita Ora at “Skanderbeg” Square. • Italian film: “Rimetti a noi i nostri debiti”, at Cinema “Mille- nium” on May 21st. • The inauguration of the Hall of Fame on May 4, at the “Alexander Moisiu” Theatre in Durres, accompanied by the premiere “Komedia që shkon për dreq”. • Master Chef Junior, as a general sponsor. • “Dancing with the Stars” program, as general sponsor.

44 www.aab.al ART SPORT

2018 CULTURE

• Commemorative event in honour of the composer Tonin Harapi, People’s Artist, organized in April by the Univer- sity of the Arts. • The Jonida Podcast Project, a library of interviews, where you can hear stories, conversations, exclusive and inter- esting interviews with public or non-public figures. • Summer Concert of the Orchestra and Youth Choir of Tirana, on July 23, at the Orthodox Cathedral Hall. • Poetic evening with Mirush Kabashi “Nation’s Honor Or- der”, performing the “Pogradec o Enkelana” Poetic Re- cital, for the opening of the tourist season in the city of Pogradec. • Dren Abazi and Zig Zag Orchestra in Tirana Amphithe- atre. • Shpat Deda with the tour: “Ambël e Thartë”. • Program “Familja” • Concert “Misa Criolla” • National meeting of the professional theatre “Kadri Roshi” • Albanian art in the Vatican • The 57th ART Festival, as general sponsor

American Bank of Investments was the general sponsor of the “Flamurtari” women’s basketball team, which was of- ficially declared Albania’s champion.

Credins Bank supported: • International Athletics Tournament held at “Elbasan Are- na” National Stadium. • On April 14, 2018, supported the jubilee concert: “Nos- talgia” organized in the Concert Hall of the Orthodox Cathedral. in addition, Credins Bank sponsored the “Be DiFFeREnt” project by ARKU Foundation. • Albanian Billiard Federation, in organizing the 2018 Bil- liards Championship. • Albanian Aeronautics organized by “Korça Open Air”.

Raiffeisen continued to provide support in the field of Art and Culture: • The Opera and Ballet Theatre has organised some qual- ity activities, during the afternoons in the capital, which have been welcomed by the art lovers, including the bal- let “Zizel”, the concert “We all love Agim Krajka”, etc. The National Theatre, among others, brought to the stage the play “TAG”. • One of the activities that Raiffeisen supports every year is “Pianodrom”, which began in October and ended on December 17. • “The Three Tenors”, is another beautiful tradition that

www.aab.al 45 ART SPORT

CULTURE 2018

came to life in October with great participation and suc- cess in Tirana. • A range of activities, some of which have already become traditional, such as International Brass Festival, Anifest Rozafa, Different Trains Festival and Tirana Talent. Many of these activities are aimed not only at supporting art but also promoting the work of youth and children, such as the one-week organization of the Young Pianist competi- tion, which was concluded with the concert of the pianist duo: Harald Ossberger & Christos Maranto, who were also part of the festival jury. • Advantage Austria brought for the first time in Tirana the “Viennese Ball”, which was held on April 21, 2018 at the Palace of Congresses in Tirana, introducing the exhilarat- ing experience of the Viennese Waltz, wonderful music and artistic performances by Austrian and Albanian art- ists. • Balkan Jazz Showcase is a genuine jazz music festival, organized in Tirana on the International Jazz Day, by one of the most prominent names of this genre in Albania, Genti Rushi.

Union Bank and the Albanian Football Association (AFA) re- newed the sponsorship agreement for the Albanian National Football Team. The signed agreement covers the 2018- 2020 period and takes to a new level the bank’s long-stand- ing tradition of supporting the Albanian National Football Team. During this long partnership, which began in 2010, Union Bank has been with the “Red and Black” team in ev- ery event, win and challenge. The renewal of the agreement shows once again the bank’s commitment to sports and football, remaining always a loyal partner to every Albanian’s beloved team.

Union Bank, keeping in mind the sports developments, continuously supports the participation of its staff in various sports competitions. The bank has a volleyball and football team, which regularly engage in amateur championships in Tirana. In 2018, the Union Bank football team was an- nounced winner of the Mini Football Championship for the second time.

46 www.aab.al