Balkan Payment Forum 2027 — The Strategic Payments Hub of Southern Europe

About the event

Balkan Payment Forum is a high-level platform uniting the payments, fintech, and financial services ecosystem of the Balkans and Southern Europe with the global payments community.

The Forum brings together central banks, regulators and authorities, financial institutions, PSPs, innovators, investors, and technology providers from 20+ countries to address the region’s most important challenges and opportunities in digital payments.

The Balkans are entering a decisive phase: rapid digitalisation, EU-driven regulatory change, expanding cross-border commerce, and accelerating fintech innovation.

Balkan Payment Forum is the place to be — let’s shape the future of payments together!

300 +

delegates

35

speakers

80 %

C-level

30 +

countries

SPEAKERS OF THE FORUM

Holta Zacaj

First Deputy Governor Bank of Albania

Gijs Boudewijn

Chairman of the Board European Payment Council (EPC) (Netherlands)

Delina Ibrahimaj

Minister, Ministry of Economy and Innovation of Albania

Michael Jennings

Head of Division, Eurosystem Market Infrastructures Development and Administration Banca d'Italia (Italy)

Ledia Bregu

MBA, CID Director of Payment Systems, Accounting and Finance Department at Bank of Albania

Mr. Dardan Fusha

Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of the Republic of Kosovo

Jose M. Moreno de Barreda

Digital Finance & Fintech Sr. Advisor IFC - International Finance Corporation (Spain)

Linda Shomo

Co-Founder of Balkan Fintech Association, Founder & CEO EasyPay (Albania)

Stela Shkodrani

CAMS, Chief Legal Officer (CLO) IutePay, Country Ambassador for Albania at the Balkan Fintech Association

Fatbardha Rino

Chief Executive Officer, Jet Bank (Albania)

Merima Mahmutovic

Senior Manager I PwC Strategy, Transformation & Technology I SEE (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Piotr Jan Pietrzak

New Markets Lead, European Payment Initiative (EPI)

Matthias Timm

Operations Officer at IFC - International Finance Corporation (Austria)

Panos Chalkias

C.E.O., Central, South & East Europe Transaction Systems (Hungary)

Elton Çollaku

Chief Executive Officer Union Financiar Tiranë

Yuliya Starokozheva

Deputy Chair of the Management Board, СІО of Raiffeisen Bank Ukraine

Kjeld Herreman

Founding Partner "Paylume" (Belgium)

Günce Önür

General Partner, Investor, Startup Wise Guys (Turkey\ Estonia)

Shefqet Avdullau

Angel Investor , Strategic Advisor, Official Member of the Forbes Finance Council (Albania)

Bashkim Zeqiri

Founder and Chairman of the Board Pysera Kosovo | Founder of Paysera Macedonia | Head of Consulate and Honorary Counsul of Republic of Lithuania in Kosovo

Shkelzen Marku

Co-founder and CEO of YSB/Enterimpact Balkans

Deniz Deralla

Director of Supervision Department Bank of Albania

Daniela Malaj

Managing Director, HAPPY, member of Balfin Group

Matija Laco

Senior Economist and Manager of the Western Balkans Payments Modernization Project, World Bank (Brussels Office)

Prasad Khambalikar

Regional Director, Europe - Banking and Financial Services "Oracle" (UK)

Miodrag Dzodzo

Regional Director Balkans, Natech Banking Solutions

Bora Feri

Chief Operations Officer at MPAY Albania

Konstantinos Tsimpoukas

Business Developer Manager Mellon

Taulant Piero

General Manager, Mellon Albania & Kosova

Emir Kurtic

Vice Governor at Central Bank Bosnia and Herzegovina

AGENDA

08.30 - 09.10

Registration & Welcome Coffee

09.15 - 09:20

Opening of the Forum

Welcome word by Organizer – Karolina Aleksandrova, Founder & CEO ProMoney, Government, Authorities, Guests and Partners

09.20 - 09:35

Opening address by Minister Delina Ibrahimaj, Ministry of Economy and Innovation of Albania

09.35 - 09:50

Keynote speech

Speaker Holta Zacaj, First Deputy Governor Bank of Albania

09.50 - 10:05

Keynote presentation

The TIPS Clone initiative to develop a regional IP system for the Western Balkans

Speaker Michael Jennings, Head of Division, Eurosystem Market Infrastructures Development and Administration Banca d'Italia (Italy)

10:05 - 10:50

Opening Panel Discussion:

Regulatory Outlook for the Balkan Region “Regulatory Priorities for Payments, Innovation and Financial Integrity”

Moderator: Matija Laco , Senior Economis World Bank (Belgium) *tbc

Guiding Questions:

  • What regulatory changes will shape payments in 2026–2027?
  • PSD3, Instant Payments, Open Finance — what impact on the Balkans?
  • SEPA and its tangible benefits 6 months from live
  • What are main challenges and opportunities for payment industry?
  • What incentives (or regulations) can accelerate cashless adoption?

Invited Experts:

  • Ledia Bregu, MBA, CID Director of Payment Systems, Accounting and Finance Department at Bank of Albania
  • Dardan Fusha, Deputy Governor for Banking Operations of Central Bank of the Republic of Kosovо
  • Gijs Boudewijn, Chairman of the Board European Payment Council (EPC) (Netherlands)

10:50 - 11:05

Keynote presentation

«The Future of Payments in Europe: Instant, Open, Cashless »

Speaker Kjeld Herreman, Founding Partner "Paylume" (Belgium)

11:05 - 11:35

Coffee Break & Networking

11:35 - 11:50

Keynote:

«Changing the way Europe pays»

Keynote Speaker: Piotr Jan Pietrzak, New Markets Lead, European Payment Initiative (EPI)

11:50 - 12:10

Fireside Chat by Panos Chalkias, CEO for Central & South East Europe at Transaction Systems, Daniela Malaj, Managing Director, HAPPY, member of Balfin Group

12:10 - 12:50

Panel Discussion

«Digital Payments Transformation: What Will Drive Growth?»

Moderator: Matthias Timm, Operations Officer at IFC - International Finance Corporation (Austria)

Key discussion points:

  • Bank–fintech collaboration models
  • Mobile, instant payments & embedded finance
  • TIPS-like (clone TIPS) instant payment systems

Invited Expert Speakers:

  • Fatbardha Rino, Chief Executive Officer, Jet Bank (Albania)
  • Merima Mahmutovic, Senior Manager I PwC Strategy, Transformation & Technology I SEE (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
  • Linda Shomo, Co-Founder of Balkan Fintech Association, Founder & CEO EasyPay
  • Elton Çollaku, Chief Executive Officer Union Financiar Tiranë

12:50 - 13:05

Keynote presentation

«Building Trust: AML, Fraud Prevention and Financial Integrity in the Digital Age»

13:10 - 14:10

Networking lunch

14:10 - 14:30

Case Study:

«Digital Transformation of payments»

Keynote Speaker Yuliya Starokozheva, Deputy Chair of the Management Board, СІО of Raiffeisen Bank Ukraine

14:30 - 15:15

Panel Discussion

«What’s up in payments?»

Guiding Questions:

  • Which payment products have the strongest growth potential?
  • How to ensure compliance and AML procedures balancing between regulations and costs?
  • What slows down cashless and instant payments?

Invited Expert Speakers:

  • Bashkim Zeqiri, Founder and Chairman of the Board Pysera Kosovo | Founder of Paysera Macedonia | Head of Consulate and Honorary Counsul of Republic of Lithuania in Kosovo
  • Dr. Miodrag Dzodzo, Regional Director Balkans «Natech Banking Solutions»
  • Prasad Khambalikar, Regional Director, Europe - Banking and Financial Services «Oracle» (UK)

15:15 - 16:00

Panel Discussion

Investment & Strategic Outlook «Why the Balkans Can Become a Fintech Growth Hub»

Moderator Shkelzen Marku, Co-founder and CEO of YSB/Enterimpact Balkans and Growpreneur Accelerator

Guiding Questions:

  • Expansion opportunities for potentinal investors and business
  • Biggest obstacles to building a regional fintech hub
  • Is “cashless 2030” a realistic goal for the region?

Invited Experts:

  • Deniz Deralla, Director of Supervision Department Bank of Albania, Member of the Supervisory Board Financial Supervision Authority
  • Jose M. Moreno de Barreda, Digital Finance & Fintech Sr. Advisor IFC - International Finance Corporation (Spain)
  • Günce Önür, General Partner, Investor, Startup Wise Guys (Turkey\ Estonia)
  • Shefqet Avdullau, Angel Investor, Strategic Advisor, Official Member of the Forbes Finance Council

16:00 - 17:00

Wrap up of the day, Networking coffee-break with glass of wine

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TERMS OF PARTICIPATION

Date

May 25, 2027
Working language - English

Location

Rogner Hotel Tirana 5*
Bulevardi Deshmoret e Kombit, Tirana, Albania

STANDARD TICKET

200 €
+ VAT /1 delegate

  • Participation in-person
  • Speakers presentations
  • Coffee-breaks
  • Networking opportunities
  • Photos of Forum
REGISTRATION

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TESTIMONIALS

Ledia Bregu
MBA, CID Director of Payment Systems, Accounting and Finance Department at Bank of Albania

The First Balkan Payment Forum was truly a remarkable event beyond expectations, it established itself as an essential platform for driving discussions and best practices on the modernization of financial infrastructures in the region and beyond.

This platform offered an unparalleled opportunity for regulators, central banks, and fintech leaders to exchange, advance and align on critical initiatives like SEPA integration, instant payments, and regulatory compliance.

I would highly recommend the participation in this annual event that will continue to capture all the energy and movement of the buzzing Western Balkan region payments' landscape

Dorida Stambolla Marku
MBA, Head of Internal Audit Division, Raiffeisen Bank Albania; Member of the Board, IIA Albania

Audit Leadership Forum 2025 was an unforgettable experience. Rarely do insightful content, passionate speakers, and genuine professional connections come together so naturally.

It was an honor to speak before 200 international audit leaders, sharing insights on how to build and adapt an audit function during times of major technological and regulatory change.

The discussions were bold, the atmosphere collaborative, and the networking opportunities outstanding.

I’m truly grateful to ProMoney to have been part of such a vibrant and visionary community!

Piotr Jan Pietrzak
New Markets Lead, European Payment Initiative (EPI)

Being part of the very first edition of Balkan Payment Forum in Tirana was something special. ProMoney set an incredibly high bar from events in other regions, and delivered it to Balkans too.

A carefully curated agenda, world-class speakers and an atmosphere that felt both professional and genuinely energising.

This is exactly the kind of platform the region has been missing. I'm already looking forward to the next edition.

Gijs Boudewijn
Chairman of the Board European Payment Council (EPC)

Dear Karolina, thank you for having EPC in such a prominent panel together with senior central bankers from the region!

Very inspiring and enlightening for was the warm welcome in the region and the eagerness to join SEPA!

Shefqet Avdullau
Angel Investor , Strategic Advisor, Official Member of the Forbes Finance Council

An absolutely landmark first event for the payment industry in the Balkans. The Balkan Payment Forum 2026 brought together the exact mix of decision-makers, regulators, founders, and capital needed to drive real regional change.

Karolina Aleksandrova, founder of ProMoney, and her team delivered an exceptional platform that cuts through the hype and tackles the real challenges of our transition to instant, open, and cross-border payments.

Their experience organizing top-tier events in the Baltics and internationally showed big time, elevating this far above the standard regional conference.

Daniela Malaj
Managing Director, HAPPY, member of Balfin Group

On behalf of Happy / Happy Pay, we would like to sincerely thank you for the excellent organization of the event.

Everything was very well coordinated, and we truly appreciated the support and hospitality from your side throughout the forum. It was a pleasure for our team to be part of Balkan Payment Forum 2026 and to connect with so many professionals and partners from across the region.