World Bank Delegation Visits the Central Bank of Montenegro
08/09/2026
CBCG Governor, Irena Radović, met with the World Bank Director for the Western Balkans, Xiaoqing Yu, and the new Head of the World Bank Office for Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro, Liang Wang.
The meeting highlighted that the longstanding partnership between the CBCG and the World Bank has delivered significant and tangible results, particularly in the areas of payment infrastructure modernisation, institutional capacity building and financial system development.
Governor Radović thanked the World Bank representatives for their continued support, emphasising that strong cooperation with international partners is particularly important for the successful implementation of reforms and Montenegro’s continued alignment with European standards.
“With the support of the World Bank, Montenegro has made a historic leap forward in its integration into the European payments infrastructure, becoming the first Western Balkan economy to join the SEPA geographical area and successfully establish the TIPS Clone platform,” Governor Radović said.
Director Xiaoqing Yu expressed her satisfaction with the cooperation between the two institutions to date, noting that the CBCG had achieved “impressive results” in implementing its reform agenda. Yu reaffirmed the World Bank’s readiness to continue supporting the CBCG’s reform and development initiatives, particularly the operation of the instant payments system and the further development of stressed modern payment services, as well as the strengthening of the its analytical and institutional capacities.
During the meeting, the Governor briefed her counterparts on the CBCG’s contribution to the European integration process, particularly through the fulfilment of obligations within the CBCG’s remit and the continued alignment of the regulatory and institutional framework with European Union standards. She highlighted that, in the period ahead, the CBCG would place particular emphasis on further strengthening its institutional, operational and technical preparedness for future membership of the European System of Central Banks and, at a later stage, the Eurosystem.
It was concluded that, in the next phase, the CBCG and the World Bank would remain committed to further developing their strategic partnership and working jointly on projects that contribute to a more stable, modern and competitive financial system in Montenegro.