The Association of Serbian Banks Celebrated its 98th Anniversary

Category: News 5 December 2019

"There are few institutions in the region that have been operating for almost a century and this is a special responsibility for all of us who work at the Association," said Secretary General of the Association of Serbian Banks, Mr Vladimir Vasić, on the occasion of the Day of the Association of Serbian Banks, which was symbolically celebrated on 4 December at Geozavod building, formerly the Belgrade Mutual Assistance and Savings Cooperative, later one of Belgrade's most important banks.

Speaking about the results achieved this year, Mr Vasić said that, in cooperation with the state and the banks, the issue of loans indexed in Swiss francs, which has been burdening the banking system and the citizens of Serbia, has been resolved. Today, the macroeconomic situation in Serbia is stable, as is the dinar exchange rate against the euro, which enables business predictability and precise planning. In the banking sector, citizens' confidence in the dinar is increasing, while the amount and share of risky placements has decreased.

"The Association of Serbian Banks has decided to make important improvements in its operations. This modernisation includes accelerated digitalisation, opening up to the public and working to raise the level financial literacy of the widest range of banking customers. The Association also contributes to e-commerce by activating the Direct Debit (Platimatik) project, which enables the most efficient and simplest settlement of citizens' regular monthly obligations. This solution is a win-win combination for citizens, banks, and issuers alike and we expect a major expansion of Direct Debit in the coming period", announced Mr Vasić.

In particular, further efforts will be made to improve the work of the Science and Arts Studies Foundation, established in cooperation with the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts and the National Bank of Serbia. The aim of the Foundation, which has so far granted more than 100 scholarships, is to provide scholarships for exceptionally talented and successful high school students, as well as elementary and postgraduate students, who will apply their knowledge in Serbia.

The celebration of the Day of the Association of Serbian Banks was attended by many distinguished guests from banks, financial institutions and government agencies, including representatives of the National Bank of Serbia, the Deposit Insurance Agency, the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, the Association of Insurers of Serbia, the Foreign Investors Council and the World Bank Office in Serbia.

The celebration of the Day of the Association of Serbian Banks
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