Prof. Ass. Dr. Bajram Muçaj

 
Dear Shareholders, Clients and Partners,

The year 2022 was another challenge for Fondi Besa as well as for the entire Albanian economy. This brought about not only the consequences of the earthquake, ongoing effects of the pandemic, but it was also marked by geopolitical disputes, factors that triggered huge social and human costs, shook the geopolitical balances, but also produced a new economic reality. This reality was characterized by an increase in inflation, a general increase in prices, business and household insecurity, as well as tightening of financing conditions.

Regardless of economic hardships Fondi Besa has continued its lending activities in support of customers, providing them with requested values and has been focused in a sustainable way on the fulfillment of their needs, moreover throughout this difficult several year period.

The financial support for our customers during 2022 was considerable. We offered over 7.4 billion new loans with a number of roughly 14,000 loans, which affected directly the increase of small businesses, by creating new jobs and increasing self-employment rate. This brought the loan portfolio to over ALL 14 billion and the number of active loans to 27,199. These are indicators that customers’ trust in the quality of Fondi Besa services/products is increasing every year.

The economic uncertainty that has characterized the past few years has intensified our focus on customer support. During 2022, we have been persistent and consistent in our commitment to provide exceptional customer service, innovative financial products and necessary financial expertise. During 2022, we committed to increasing our products dedicated to customers, launching new products and services to help them manage this challenging period. This includes the launch of Loans for Women, Quick Loans for Businesses and Quick Loans for Individuals, “Support Your Business” Loans and Housing Investment Loans, in order to meet the urgent needs of businesses to recover and meet the consumer needs of our customers, as well as increasing the number of cash desks at our branches in order to facilitate the loan repayment service.

For Fondi Besa, the Loan for Women is considered a financial product that affects the expansion of financial access and economic empowerment of women, which further leads to the strengthening of their role in the family and more broadly, in society. Since the launch of this product, Fondi Besa has financed hundreds of young women entrepreneurs.   

Likewise, during this year we have demonstrated our awareness towards the environment, through the launch of Loans for Housing Investments, with emphasis mainly on improving the conditions of residential premises, through energy efficiency systems. We have embraced the challenge to protect the environment for years, by modestly offering the green loan, within the framework of various projects, and we are working to launch the specific product “Green Loan” on the market next year.

In addition to developing new products, improving existing ones, investing in strengthening excellent customer relations, we have made significant investments in information technology, professional development of staff, recruitment of employees with expertise, but also new talents, in order to ensure that we remain an important factor in the microfinance industry in Albania.

 

Throughout 2022, we have continued to pay attention to the social responsibility of the institution, supporting various activities in the field of art, culture, sports, environment, marginalized categories and initiatives, which directly affect social development and welfare.

The results achieved by Fondi BESA during 2022 show once again the sustainability of our institution, the dedication and professionalism of all our employees, the resilience and excellent performance for achieving objectives and the strength of the medium and long-term strategy. We will continue to implement our long-term strategy to provide service and products to meet the needs of our market, we will continue efforts to build stronger relationships with customers in order to increase their commitment and loyalty by studying what are the customer needs and the development of a professional team. 

Finally, on my own behalf and on behalf of the management team of Fondi BESA, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to all our employees for their work and dedication, to our customers and shareholders for their trust and support even in these difficult years, as well as to the Supervisory Council, for the continuous support it has given us. I would also like to thank and express my gratitude to all public institutions and the Bank of Albania, for the excellent cooperation during this year.  

Believing that 2023 will be a more promising year, Fondi BESA is optimistic that it will continue to achieve its objectives to further increase its activity, in line with new market developments, in support of its clientele by encouraging sustainable growth that will bring mutual benefits to all.

Sincerely,

Prof. Ass. Dr. Bajram MUÇAJ
Executive Director