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By:
Shqidona Gashi
- November 11, 2025 14:04
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The International Finance Corporation "IFC", part of the World Bank Group, has signed a 75 million euro investment agreement with "Prishtina Mall".
It is considered IFC's largest investment in the private sector in Kosovo, aimed at economic development, supporting the private sector, and creating thousands of jobs.
With this investment, "Prishtina Mall" will become one of the first shopping centers in the country with international certification for energy efficiency.
The plan is to install solar panels and implement green measures that will improve the sustainability of the shopping center.
"'IFC' is an institution where Kosovo is also a shareholder, so it is part of the World Bank. And to develop in Kosovo and the region, today a serious door has been opened. It is the largest loan that has been marked as something historic for Kosovo. So such a loan has never been given to private businesses. We should not forget the local banks that have always helped us, but 'IFC', which has a budget of billions, has helped us many times. This is help for the development of businesses and the creation of jobs. And to have development, cooperation with stable financial institutions is necessary. The process of this is long, it is not easy at all, because there are many procedures, especially administrative ones that go all the way to certifications," said Fatmir Zymberi, chairman of the "Prishtina Mall" Board.
Alvaro Costa, CEO of 'Prishtina Mall', calls this partnership historic, emphasizing its importance in strengthening investor confidence and promoting green economic growth.
"I've been here for three and a half years, so I'm almost Albanian at heart, of course. But, as an international company, we immediately understood that this is a very challenging project, with international impact. For us, it is also a testament to our work that we have the honor of contributing to 'Prishtina Mall' and serving this community. Therefore, we immediately accepted. This is a project that not only secures and strengthens us financially, but also helps us attract new tenants and move forward towards a more sustainable and digital future. We are very optimistic," he said.
"Also, this agreement with 'IFC' enables us to maintain and emphasize our high standards in corporate governance, business ethics and integrity and values that have been at the heart of the functioning of 'Prishtina Mall' since the beginning. We are moving in this direction as well. Finally, this enables us to lead the green agenda in the region. It is our responsibility to improve our ESG practices, benefit from them and at the same time contribute to our community", added Costa.
Visar Perani, head of the IFC office for Kosovo and North Macedonia, also emphasizes that cooperation with internationals develops Kosovo's economy.
"IFC with 'Prishtina Mall' has proven that the World Bank has confidence in the private sector in Kosovo. And I hope that there will be such collaborations for other projects. In a company with 14 shareholders, and with a foreign company from Portugal, it was important to have good cooperative governance," he said.
"Prishtina Mall" is the largest center in the region and is a shopping destination for people from Kosovo, North Macedonia, and Albania.