Albania enjoys one of the highest economic growth rates in south-east Europe, but the level of financial intermediation has lagged behind the rest of the region. Lending to the private sector is equivalent to only 9% of GDP compared with a regional average of around 20% of GDP.
But with the economy set to expand by around 6% this year, for the fifth straight year, demand for credit is steadily rising. The private sector contributes more than 60% of output, but apart from a handful of large-scale importers and domestic manufacturers, most businesses are small and family-run.
