Tirana Bank has announced the successful launch of a full omnichannel retail banking platform, built on the Backbase AI-native Banking OS and delivered in 12 months. The platform runs cloud-native on Microsoft Azure and provides customers with consistent digital experiences across mobile and web. Business banking functionality is scheduled to follow before the end of 2026.
The platform, branded TiBank+, covers accounts, deposits, end-to-end online loan and credit card applications, internal and outgoing transfers, card management, bill payments, and financial insights. A Digital Assist feature has also been introduced within the employee app. Retail customers can apply for credit cards, take out consumer loans, and manage multi-currency accounts across Albanian lek and euro through a single application, without requiring a branch visit for standard transactions.
Capabilities and regional context
The launch includes personal finance management features providing real-time spending insights, which remain rare among retail banks operating in the region. Tirana Bank also launched Apple Pay as part of the rollout, becoming one of the first banks in Albania to offer the service through its mobile app.
The implementation was delivered in partnership with Endava, a certified Backbase delivery partner. References from comparable Backbase deployments in the region, including DSK Bank in Bulgaria and Eurobank Limited in Cyprus, provided Tirana Bank with confidence in the platform's ability to deliver at pace and scale.
Lila Canaj, Chief Retail Business Officer at Tirana Bank, stated that the launch marked a significant step in the bank's digital transformation journey, describing TiBank+ as a modern and scalable platform built to evolve with customer needs. She noted that the partnership with Backbase had accelerated the transformation while maintaining a focus on convenience and customer experience.
Robert Mihaljek, Regional Vice President for South East Europe at Backbase, described the deployment as a first for Albania and a reference point for the Balkans. He noted that Albania's path to EU membership and the government's national digitalisation priority had created a clear moment for Tirana Bank to lead, and that delivering a full retail application within 12 months demonstrated the speed advantage that the Banking OS provides to regional banks.
Strategic alignment with Albania's digitalisation agenda
The deployment reflects a broader digital transformation drive in Albania, where the government has identified digitalisation as a national priority alongside the country's EU accession process. For Tirana Bank, the platform represents an effort to position itself at the forefront of retail banking modernisation in the country, offering capabilities that allow customers to manage their finances digitally without branch dependency for most everyday needs.
