BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 24. The Azerbaijan
Banks Association (ABA) has approved its strategic goals for
2026–2030: “These goals include the development of small and
medium-sized businesses, particularly in the post-oil era, and
strengthening support for financing the economy in line with the
new economic policy,” Zakir Nuriyev, President of the Azerbaijan
Banks Association (ABA), told Trend.


He noted that to support these processes, there are plans to
expand the Azerbaijan Center for Training Banking Specialists
(ACTBS): “The Center will expand its activities by establishing
associations operating in the financial sector, and additional
emphasis will be placed on personnel training. In total, more than
30,000 employees work in the financial sector, and the necessary
support measures will be implemented to ensure their
certification.”


According to Nuriyev, alongside this, training and on-the-job
training programs will be strengthened to support the central
bank’s work on risk management and raising Basel standards: “Banks’
participation in the securities market will be more active, and
cooperation and synergy between various segments of the financial
sector will be enhanced.”


''Other priority areas include the development of the insurance,
securities, and fintech markets, the implementation of open
banking, and the improvement of payment systems. At the same time,
there are plans to expand cybersecurity measures and strengthen
international cooperation in this area,'' Nuriyev emphasized.







The head of the association also spoke about the banking
sector’s contribution to the “green economy”: “As part of COP29,
the banking sector has committed to providing 2 billion manat ($1.1
billion) in green loans over the next five years, and relevant
measures in this direction are already being implemented.


''Green financing will serve both to protect the ecological
balance and to transform the economy in line with the requirements
of the new era. Several large-scale pilot projects are being
implemented by systemically important banks, and these projects
play a vital role in ensuring the transition to a green,
sustainable economy. In addition, the Energy Efficiency Fund was
established some time ago. Banks plan to separately finance
projects that improve energy efficiency and support the transition
to a “green economy,” making active use of the fund’s resources,''
Nuriyev concluded.