Skopje, 18 December 2025 

The National Bank and the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs of Switzerland – SECO signed a Memorandum which establishes a framework for cooperation in the period 2025-2028. The Memorandum was signed by the Governor of the National Bank, Trajko Slaveski, PhD, and the Ambassador of Switzerland to the country, Christoph Sommer.

The cooperation includes provision of technical assistance and exchange of knowledge for the purpose of promotion of research activity, modernization of the tools necessary for conducting monetary policy, strengthening of the financial sector stability, as well as for further strengthening of the institutional capacities of the National Bank.

“The established cooperation is an important stimulus to further strengthen the National Bank capacities in several important areas of the operations and confirmation of the long-time partnership between our country and Switzerland”, said the Governor Slaveski emphasizing the central bank role in providing macroeconomic stability and the support of the sustainable economic development.

“For more than 30 years, Switzerland has been a committed development partner of North Macedonia. Through this Memorandum of Understanding, we reaffirm our support for the country’s economic institutions and reforms, including a strong, independent, and credible central bank aligned with international and European standards. Switzerland values this partnership and remains committed to promoting macroeconomic stability and sustainable economic development”, said the Ambassador Sommer.

Within the Program, the activities are aimed at improving the implementation of monetary policy, promoting a stable and comprehensive financial sector, strengthening resilience, sustainability and efficiency in the operations. The support encompasses analysis and implementation of monetary policy, macroeconomic data and statistics, research, financial stability and inclusion, development of new digital solutions for modernization of the payment infrastructure through improvement of the access to payment services, environmental sustainability, risk management, and human resources management and international cooperation.

The cooperation is carried out within the Bilateral Assistance and Capacity Development Program for Central Banks – BCC, financed by SECO and implemented by the Geneva Institute of International and Development Studies. The Program aims to strengthen the central bank capacities in the developing countries through improvement of their analytical and technical expertise for conducting an efficient monetary policy and maintaining a sound financial system. With the signing of the Memorandum, the National Bank will be a part of this network of institutions that invest in knowledge and progress through this Program.