International technical cooperation

The Bank of Italy has been organizing staff training activities and consultancy with central banks and similar institutions in the emerging countries since the early 1990s. Through its international technical cooperation work, the Bank of Italy helps to strengthen the institutional capacities of the beneficiary institutions, thus contributing to promoting international financial stability.

The beneficiary institutions mostly belong to selected new European Union (EU) member states that have not yet adopted the euro, EU candidate and potential candidate countries, Mediterranean countries, Eastern European and Caucasian countries who come within the bounds of the European Neighbourhood Policy, and other emerging countries.

The areas of cooperation relate to the institutional functions of the Bank of Italy (central banking, including payment systems and treasury services, economic research and statistics, supervision, and currency circulation) as well as management activities for support (e.g. human resources management, IT and internal auditing).

For these cooperation activities, the Bank of Italy uses highly qualified members of staff with experience in the various areas, who can teach both the theoretical and the practical aspects. On some occasions, experts from other central banks, international institutions and Italian authorities are invited to present various points of view to the participants.

The cooperation activities of the Bank of Italy include:

• International seminars
• Multilateral institution-building programmes
• Bilateral activities
• European coordination

International seminars

The Bank of Italy regularly organizes international seminars lasting two or three days and that are open to central banks and financial supervisory authorities from emerging countries. These are occasions not only for passing on knowledge and experience but also for sharing ideas and establishing relationships to strengthen reciprocal ties.

Since 2020, Banca d'Italia has also been offering online seminars of varying duration to facilitate wider attendance.

The seminar themes are chosen annually based on their relevance and topicality, taking account of requests from potential beneficiary institutions, and of specific needs that have emerged in the forums for international coordination.

Participation is by invitation, with no registration fees. The working language is English.

Further information about recent activities and on how to participate is available in the latest International Technical Cooperation Newsletter.

The 2024 and 2025 seminars are listed below.

Multilateral institution-building programmes

The Bank of Italy participates in institution building initiatives funded by the EU, including twinning projects and joint Eurosystem programmes; it also takes part in similar projects promoted by international organizations such as the IMF and the World Bank.

Twinning projects in the EU and the Eurosystem programmes for central banks and financial supervisory authorities are aimed at countries included in EU cooperation policies. The objective is to facilitate the process of implementing the 'acquis communautaire' and adopting European standards in these countries. These are usually medium- to long-term programmes, carried out mainly in the beneficiary country, establishing contractual obligations and responsibilities for both the beneficiary institution and the institution providing the training and consultancy.

The Bank of Italy was project leader in two twinning projects with the Central Bank of Albania, held respectively from 2019 to 2021 and from 2010 to 2012. It collaborated on the twinning projects with Central Banks of Bulgaria, Poland, Romania, the Czech Republic and Turkey.

Moreover, the Bank of Italy regularly participates in Eurosystem programmes; it is currently taking part in a programme with the western Balkan countries, which started in September 2022 and will last for three years.

Bilateral activities

The Bank of Italy responds, in as far as possible, through written correspondence and the organization of events in person and online, to specific requests from other central banks and financial supervisory authorities that are beneficiaries of technical cooperation activities.

European coordination

The Bank is part of the Working Group on Central Bank Cooperation under the auspices of the European System of Central Banks's International Relations Committee. In this forum some principles and operational methods have been drawn up that are to be followed when organizing activities, together with some strategies for the evaluation of the international technical cooperation activities.