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Intesa Sanpaolo Bank Albania and Albanian Development Guarantee Foundation renew their partnership to support sustainable business growth

Tirana, 8 July 2026 – Intesa Sanpaolo Bank Albania and Albanian Development Guarantee Foundation (ADGF) have renewed their partnership through the signing of a new agreement under the EU KfW Western Balkans Guarantee Facility, reaffirming their shared commitment to strengthening Albania’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and supporting the sustainable growth of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).

The renewed agreement represents another important milestone in the long-standing cooperation between the two institutions and reflects their shared objective of improving access to finance for viable businesses across the country. Through the EU KfW Western Balkans risk-sharing mechanism, Intesa Sanpaolo Bank Albania will continue to expand financing opportunities for MSMEs, enabling businesses to invest, innovate, grow, and generate employment while maintaining a sustainable approach to lending.

The EU KfW Western Balkans Guarantee Facility is designed to enhance the resilience and competitiveness of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises, with particular attention to businesses operating in rural areas, the production sector, and start-ups. By facilitating access to finance, the initiative supports entrepreneurship, encourages investment and innovation, and contributes to building a stronger and more resilient Albanian economy.

This renewed partnership reflects Intesa Sanpaolo Bank Albania’s long-term commitment to supporting the real economy and fostering sustainable and inclusive growth. Supporting businesses, promoting financial inclusion, encouraging innovation, and facilitating investment are central to the Bank’s mission of creating long-term value for customers, communities, and the country.

“At Intesa Sanpaolo Bank Albania, supporting entrepreneurs and businesses is at the heart of our mission. The renewal of our partnership with the Albanian Development Guarantee Foundation represents another important step in expanding access to finance for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises, which are a key driver of Albania’s economic development. Through the EU KfW Western Balkans Guarantee Facility, we will continue to provide businesses with the financial support they need to invest, innovate, strengthen their competitiveness, and create new employment opportunities. Together with our partners, we remain committed to fostering sustainable growth and contributing to a stronger and more resilient Albanian economy,” said Giuseppe Giampietro Chief Executive Officer of Intesa Sanpaolo Bank Albania.

Gertjana Drita, Executive Director of the Albanian Development Guarantee Foundation said: “The renewal of our partnership with Intesa Sanpaolo Bank Albania marks another important step in ADGF’s mission to improve access to finance for Albanian MSMEs. By combining the Bank’s lending capacity with ADGF’s guarantee mechanism under the EU KfW Western Balkans Guarantee Facility, we aim at supporting viable businesses overcome collateral constraints, invest in their growth and competitivnes, and create new employment opportunities. We highly value our longstanding cooperation with Intesa Sanpaolo Bank Albania and look forward to further expanding our joint impact in supporting entrepreneurship, innovation, and sustainable economic development across Albania,”

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Rüdiger Hartmann

Board Member nominated by KfW

Rüdiger Hartmann has over 30 years of professional experience in development banking, primarily in senior management roles at KfW. His career has encompassed financial-sector development, development economics, evaluation, international cooperation, regulation and credit guarantee schemes. He established and led KfW's independent Evaluation Unit and later headed departments responsible for cooperation with Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as the development of instruments, regulation and procedures for German Financial Cooperation. He also served as Director of KfW's Belgrade office, where he followed SME financing programmes and the establishment and operation of the German-Serbian credit guarantee foundation. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Kosovo Credit Guarantee Fund (KCGF).

Senida Mesi

Independent Board Member

Senida Mesi is a development economist with more than 25 years of experience in banking, public administration, international consulting and institutional governance. She spent over 17 years in the banking sector, including senior executive and extended management board responsibilities at ProCredit Bank Albania, gaining extensive experience in banking operations, access to finance and organisational development.
From 2017 to 2019, she served as Deputy Prime Minister of Albania and was a Member of Parliament from 2017 to 2021, contributing to public administration, policymaking and institutional reform.
She currently works as an international consultant and serves on the Supervisory Boards of EIT Water and Albanian Digital Solution. She also holds international advisory and governance roles with organisations including the Council of Europe, ALDA and SDSN Europe.

Jonida Lakuriqi

Independent Board Member

Jonida Lakuriqi is a senior executive with more than 23 years of experience in law, governance, strategy and business. Her career spans telecommunications, technology, banking and infrastructure, including C-suite executive roles and extensive experience advising boards, government institutions, regulators and investors on complex mergers and acquisitions, privatisations, concessions and cross-border transformations.
Since 2018, she has been a key member of Vodafone Albania's leadership team as Director of Legal, Public Policy, Corporate & External Affairs, while also serving on the Executive Board and Administration Council.
She also serves as Chair of the Vodafone Albania Foundation Board and Vice President of the British Chamber of Commerce in Albania. Her areas of expertise include corporate governance, digital transformation and sustainable business.

John P. Khoury

Chairman of the Board | Independent Board Member

John P. Khoury has served as Chairman of the ADGF Board since the Foundation's inception. He currently also serves on bank boards, investment committees and risk management committees, and contributes to the management of MSME funds. With more than 30 years of international experience, he has established and managed financial institutions and advised multilateral organisations, governments, investors and financial institutions across several regions over the world. His work has focused particularly on financial-sector development, credit risk management, SME and microfinance programmes, and the design, establishment and management of credit guarantee funds. Mr. Khoury played an instrumental role in the establishment of ADGF in 2015.

Edvin Myftiu

Chief Risk Officer

Edvin leads risk management at ADGF as Chief Risk Officer, a position he assumed in June 2026.
A seasoned banker with more than 23 years in Albania's financial sector, he built his career across lending, branch, regional and district leadership, network sales and micro & small enterprise banking. That front-line credit experience shapes his approach at ADGF — managing risk with discipline while keeping the Foundation's guarantees working for Albanian MSMEs.
Edvin graduated in Agro-Business from the Agricultural University of Tirana in 2001 and has completed various trainings and certifications during his professional career.

Gertjana Drita

Executive Director

Gertjana joined ADGF at the beginning of 2020 and currently holds the position of Executive Director at the foundation.
She has more than 15 years of experience in the banking system, covering management positions in Human Resources Management and Small & Medium Enterprises Business Department.
Gertjana has graduated in Finance & Accounting at University of Tirana and has participated in many international development trainings programs.

Laureta Domi

Chief Guarantee Officer

Laureta joined ADGF at the beginning of 2022 and currently holds the position of Chief Guarantee Officer at the foundation.
She is an experienced Finance and Banking Senior Manager with 19 years in team building, leadership, sales force effectiveness, customer experience and portfolio management.
Laureta has a Bachelor’s degree and Master of Science degree in Management from the Faculty of Economy, University of Tirana, as well as a Master Degree in Finance and Banking from the Institute Universitaire Kort Bosch, in Switzerland besides many certificated courses and trainings. She also lectures as a visiting professor in Aleksandër Moisiu University.

Ermir Çoba

Agro & RE Portfolio Manager

Ermir joined ADGF in May 2022 and is responsible for managing the Agro and Energy Efficiency/ Renewable Energy guarantee portfolio.
He has about 15 years of experience in the banking and microfinance system, holding several positions, related to credit financial analysis, risk reporting and risk assessment.
Ermir graduated in Accounting at the University of Tirana and also holds several national and international certifications in the field of accounting, risk management, financial analysis, agriculture lending, etc.

Aurela Tomini

Portfolio Manager

Aurela joined ADGF in November 2025 as a Portfolio Manager.
She is an experienced banking professional with two decades in the financial industry, having held diverse roles in sales, risk management, and product development.
Aurela graduated from the Agricultural University of Tirana, earning her Bachelor’s degree in Agri-Business in 2005. Throughout her career, she has also completed numerous professional trainings that have further strengthened her expertise in banking operations, credit processes, and financial analysis.

Besiana Lika

Chief Financial Officer

Besiana joined ADGF in 2016 and is responsible for the financial management of the foundation.
Also, she serves as the Secretary to the Board of Directors.
She has a background in finance, accounting, risk and business analytics.
Besiana earned a Bachelor degree in Finance & Accounting in 2012 and a Master of Science in Finance in 2014, in the Faculty of Economy at the University of Tirana. Since her graduation, she is also working as a part time lecturer at the Faculty of Economy.

Stelina Shefqeti

Finance & Administration Officer

Stelina joined ADGF in 2021 and is responsible for the financial and administrative activities of the foundation.
Stelina earned a Bachelor’s degree in Finance in 2020 and a Master of Science in Finance in 2022 from the Faculty of Economy, University of Tirana. In addition, she has pursued several professional courses and trainings focused on accounting, financial analysis and financial modeling.