Recent protests in Tirana have caused minimal disruption to commercial banks, banking expert Elvin Meka said. However, the events have had a psychological impact on the sector.

Meka stressed that banking services continued without interruption. He said banks could absorb the additional costs of repairing damaged automated teller machines and other equipment. However, replacing all in-person services with digital alternatives within 24 hours would be difficult. He added that the damage remained negligible compared with the costs banks account for in such cases.

Regarding compensation, Meka said banks have a legal obligation to insure their operations and activities. He also suggested that compensation could involve a combination of insurance and state funding in certain cases, particularly when public companies suffer damage.

The material damage reported during the protests in Tirana affected 38 bank branches and 42 automated teller machines.

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