Jet Bank has officially launched the operations and mobile application of its fully digital bank - the first of its kind in Albania, and a benchmark for digital-native banking in the Western Balkans. Licensed and regulated by the Bank of Albania, it is the newest bank in the world to be built entirely on the Backbase AI-native Banking OS.

Jet Bank received its banking licence from the Bank of Albania in March 2026 - granted to it as a greenfield institution, not an acquired one - and entered the market just months later as a fully operational bank. A team of 70 professionals built the bank in 6 months - a process that normally takes years. Backbase helped the bank’s team eliminate the complexity of launching and running a modern bank without a single line of inherited code.

Public demand from the traditionally "cash market" has been strong ahead of the launch, with more than 75,000 people joining the waiting list. Registered users are now receiving invitations to activate their accounts on a rolling basis. Customers can open and manage accounts fully remotely through a mobile-first experience, with core banking services available in real time.

Jet Bank CEO Fatbardha Rino described the launch as an important step in the modernization of Albania's banking landscape.

"Jet Bank chose to launch in Albania because we believe in the country's potential, its people, entrepreneurs, and future. We are building a bank designed around simplicity, accessibility, and technology, with the goal of giving our customers back time and freedom in managing their finances. Our partnership with Backbase has enabled us to bring that bank to market in a matter of months and to keep improving it for our customers." she said.

Jouk Pleiter, CEO of Backbase said: "Launching a licensed bank with such a small team in a matter of months would have been unthinkable until recently. Jet Bank did it by building on one AI-native foundation instead of the patchwork of legacy systems that many banks are still untangling - so customers, employees and, in time, AI agents all operate from a unified frontline rather than a dozen disconnected channels. This is what building for the AI era from day one looks like."

At launch, Jet Bank customers have access to a comprehensive suite of digital banking products and services directly through the mobile app. Customers can open and manage multi-currency current accounts, savings accounts and term deposits, create dedicated savings goals through JetPlans, access virtual and physical debit cards and perform foreign exchange transactions. Live chat and secure in-app messaging are available to communicate with the bank.

Loans and credit cards are expected to be introduced in the coming months, with more products and services to follow. The bank is designed to expand and provide conversational and agentic AI capabilities in the near future

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