Siniša Mali, First Vice-President of the Government of Serbia and Minister of Finance, met last night in Washington with World Bank Group President Ajay Banga during the meeting of the Constituency Group, to which Serbia belongs, the Ministry of Finance announced.
During the talks, Serbia formally submitted its candidacy to host the 2029 Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.
“This is another opportunity for Serbia to be at the center of global attention, bringing together the elite of the financial world,” Mali stated. “The last time we hosted this event was in 1979. Mr. Banga mentioned that other countries have also shown interest, but I reminded him that Serbia has faced strong competition before — when we successfully secured the 2027 Expo over countries like the United States, Thailand, Argentina, and Spain. We will fight just as hard for this honor,” he added.
Earlier in the day, Mali also met with Antonella Bassani, World Bank Vice President for Europe and Central Asia.
Serbia’s current project portfolio with the World Bank amounts to €4.5 billion.
“The World Bank is the second most important financial institution globally, and our cooperation with it strengthens Serbia’s credibility among investors,” Mali emphasized. “Through these partnerships, we are advancing reforms across many sectors, including agriculture, the IT industry, the restructuring of our Tax Administration, and especially in energy and energy efficiency. I am very satisfied with the progress we are making,” he concluded.
