FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
The direct risk for banks to exchange rate changes was at low levels.
According to information from the Bank of Albania, in the middle of the years of change, the banking sector's open foreign exchange position, which it uses for this risk, was "long" at 5.6% of regulatory capital.
The position level was about 1 percentage point higher compared to six months and a year ago, however it remains at the maximum regulatory limit. During the 6-month period of 2025, this position has not shown significant fluctuations, remaining close to the values of the last year.
The open foreign exchange position for any currency (or in gold) is calculated as the difference between assets and liabilities in foreign countries, including accrued interest, as well as transactions (spot or forward) that relate to the purchase and sale of currencies, for which they are closed, but which are not yet recorded in foreign accounting books.
The total net open position of banks in the fund of each working day should not exceed 30% of its regulatory capital. The net open foreign exchange position of banks in a particular foreign currency (or in cash) in the fund of each working day should not exceed 20% of its regulatory capital.
The performance of general information of the banking sector is separate from the performance of information on systemically important banks. For this bank, the net open foreign exchange position “in purchase” was 9.1% of its regulatory capital. This value was higher than the 5.6% and 6.4% levels six months and a year ago.
While the net open foreign exchange position of non-systemic banks was “on sale” at 0.4% of regulatory capital. Six months and a year ago, their position was “on purchase” and as much as 0.8% and 0.3% of the regulatory capital of these banks.
Despite the occasional change in the direction of their position, “under purchase” or “on sale”, the exposure of non-systemic banks is not open at a level of 2% of their regulatory capital, and this level has remained stable over time.
Non-systemic banks present low and stable exposure to exchange rate fluctuations.
The exchange rate between the Euro and the Lek has had a sensitive feel in recent years. In the last five years, the depreciation of the Euro against the Lek is calculated at more than 22%. However, exchange rate fluctuations do not pose problems on the bank's balance sheet, also due to the low levels of direct exposure to risk.
Meanwhile, the risk associated with me is also of the unhedged value of the loan from exchange rate fluctuations. The non-performing loan ratio for this loan portfolio marked 3.7% in the June 2025 fund, from 4.3% a year ago.
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