International technical cooperation

Banca d'Italia 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, Banca d'Italia helps to strengthen the institutional capacities of the beneficiary institutions, thus contributing to promoting international financial stability.

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

The areas of cooperation relate to the institutional functions of Banca d'Italia (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, Banca d'Italia 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 Banca d'Italia include:

International seminars
Multilateral institution-building programmes
Bilateral activities
European coordination

International seminars

Banca d'Italia 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 2026 seminars are listed below.

15 and 16 January 2026	Seminar "The Eurosystem's payment systems and market infrastructures: their role in Europe and in the global landscape"
24 and 25 February 2026	Webinar "Big data, machine learning, and artificial intelligence"
18, 19 and 20 March 2026	Seminar "SupTech. Banca d'Italia's first experiences"
21 and 22 April 2026	Webinar "Operational resilience at Banca d'Italia"
11 and 12 May 2026	Seminar "Digital Euro and wCBDC"
15 and 16 June 2026	Webinar "Fintech and the future of payments"
19, 20 and 21 October 2026	Webinar "Managing a central bank"
19 and 20 November 2026	Seminar "Central banking, climate risks and sustainable finance"
1, 2 and 3 December 2026	Webinar "Consumer protection in the banking and financial sectors: the role of Banca d'Italia"

Multilateral institution-building programmes

Banca d'Italia participates in multilateral institution-building programmes funded by the EU, including twinning projects and regional programmes within the European System of Central Banks (ESCB). It also takes part in similar initiatives promoted by international organizations such as the IMF and the World Bank.

Twinning projects in the EU and ESCB programmes for central banks and financial supervision authorities are aimed at countries included in EU cooperation policies. Their objective is to facilitate the process of adapting to the 'acquis communautaire' and the adoption of European standards by the central banks taking part in the programme. These are usually medium- to long-term programmes covering various areas of central bank activity. They mainly take place in the beneficiary country and establish contractual obligations and responsibilities for both the beneficiary institution and the institution providing the training and consultancy.

Banca d'Italia was the project leader for two twinning projects with the Central Bank of Albania, held respectively from 2010 to 2012 and from 2019 to 2021. It collaborated on the twinning projects with the central banks of Bulgaria, Poland, Romania, Czechia and Türkiye.

Under the ESCB programmes, Banca d'Italia has been cooperating with regional projects for EU enlargement countries and a number of African countries.

Bilateral activities

Banca d'Italia 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

Banca d'Italia 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.