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Banking and Currency |
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In recent years, Kosovar banking services have become more accessible.
There are now several Automatic Teller Machines (ATM) and many shops,
hotels and restaurants accept credit cards, although some will only
take cash. The largest Kosovar banks ProCredit Bank (www.procreditbank-kos.com)
and Raiffeisen Bank (www.raiffeisen-kosovo.com) have branches and ATMs
in most of the towns in Kosova.
Money Exchange
The best place to change money is at a bank or one of the many branches
of Western Union or MoneyGram. Western Union and MoneyGram normally give
you a better rate than exchange offices in Western Europe and charge less
or no commission at all. This means that you do not have to exchange large
amounts of money to save on commission or receive a better rate.
Alternatively, you can withdraw Euros in cash from ATMs using Visa, Visa
Electron, MasterCard or Maestro cards.
Bank branches have different working hours; however you can expect them
to be open from 9:00am to 17:00pm Monday to Friday and 10:00am to 14:00pm
Saturdays. The main branches of two largest banks are open for longer hours
on Mondays and Friday from 8:00am to 20:00pm.
Credit Cards
The ever-increasing network of ATMs accepts foreign credit/debit cards with
PIN codes. Check for the logo of your card. Instructions are often given in
Albanian, English, German and other languages.
At most hotels, shops and restaurants you can pay by credit cards, although
some do not take cards. It is best to always carry some cash on you.
The Euro
Kosova, in common with several other countries of the European Union, introduced
a new currency, the euro, in January 2002. Austria, Belgium, Finland, France,
Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Portugal and Spain
are members of the euro-zone.
The euro notes are the same in all the euro-zone countries; the coins bear different
national motifs but they can be used freely throughout the entire euro-zone.
Bank Notes
Euro bank notes have seven denominations. The grey 5-euro note is the smallest,
followed by the pink 10-euro note, blue 20-euro note, orange 50-euro note, green
100-euro note, yellow 200-euro note and purple 500-euro note. All notes show the
stars of the European Union and architectural motifs.
See all the euro bank notes.
Coins
The euro has eight coin denominations: 1 euro and 2 euro; 50 cents, 20 cents,
10 cents, 5 cents, 2 cents and 1 cent. The 2- and 1-euro coins are both silver
and gold in colour. The 50-, 20- and 10-cent coins are gold. The 5-, 2- and 1-cent
coins are bronze.
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Giskos Group
Giskos is the leading Kosovar company specialising in
Geographic Information System (GIS) technology.
Read more
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