Italian banks plan lower loan interest rates for Albanian immigrants

By Gajtis Bejleri
TIRANA, July 11 – Remittances send by Albanian immigrants living in Italy have attracted the interest of Italian banks and financial institutions. At a meeting in Bari, Italy, the Italian Bankers Association decided upon the release of special loan offers to attract the immigrants’ savings, most of which are sent to their families.
The financial institutions operating in the southeastern region of Puglia agreed to give out loans at lower terms to Albanian immigrants working there. With the help of “Interreg/Cards IIIA Italia-Albania” project, Puglia banks aim to attract the immigrants’ deposits. This move would also lower the illegal hand-carried remittances, when these are more than 10,000 Euros, as per EU regulations.
According to the agreement, when depositing their money in the Italian banks, Albanian immigrants should get loans at lower interest rates than usual, which they could use to start their own businesses in the Apennine country. Even though it encourages immigrants to keep their savings within the country of origin, in the longer term it should increase both their savings and assets, therefore their help to their families. (Tirana Times Staff)