The Minister of Finance, Petrit Malaj, presented today to the parliamentary committee on Economy and Finance the normative act no. 3, dated 29.04.2025, "On some amendments and additions to law no. 115/2024 "On the 2025 budget".
This first revision of the 2025 budget, approved on April 29, 2025 by the Council of Ministers, reflects in the annual budget only a change in the revenue and expenditure item, which ensures the allocation of a fund of 1 billion lek to the Ministry of Economy, Culture and Innovation. The fund has been allocated to MEKI in its capacity as the sole shareholder of the Albanian Investment Corporation, for the financing of the Albanian government's participation in the startup "Machine Thinking Lab".
During his speech, Minister Malaj emphasized that such an investment should also be seen from the perspective of longer-term benefits, be they economic, but also of a success story that, according to him, comes from an Albanian entrepreneur with a significant global contribution in the field of artificial intelligence.
"This investment should not be seen simply as a financial commitment, but as a strategic opportunity to build Albania's technological future, to position our country as a reference point for innovation in the region and beyond, and to create a more advanced economy, connected to global knowledge and capital markets," said Mr. Malaj.
The Albanian government's goal, the Minister further said, is to follow contemporary models and increase the inclusion of Artificial Intelligence (AI), following the example of other countries.
On the other hand, the Minister pointed out the fact that the normative act keeps the budget deficit intact, which after the above changes in revenues and expenditures, continues to remain at the level of around 68 billion lek, as approved in the initial 2025 budget.
Minister Malaj's speech:
The first budget review for 2025, which was approved by the Government on April 29, 2025, in the form of a Normative Act, reflects in the annual budget only a change in the revenue and expenditure item, which ensures the allocation to the Ministry responsible for Innovation (Ministry of Economy, Culture and Innovation) of a fund of 1 billion lek or 10 million USD.
The financial effect, which was covered by the increase in the same amount (i.e., 1 billion lek) of non-tax revenues in the item "Revenue from the alienation of confiscated assets", this, as a result of the transfer to the state budget of revenues collected by the Agency for the Administration of Sequestered and Confiscated Assets (AAPSK/MB), in implementation of the legislation in force for this purpose.
This fund was granted to MEKI in its capacity as the sole shareholder of the Albanian Investment Corporation (KISH sh.a), for the financing of the Albanian Government's participation in the startup "Machine Thinking Lab", with a value of no less than 10 million USD (1 billion lek), with a deadline of 29.04.2025, according to the request submitted on the same date.
The urgent implementation of this Normative Act also came from the fact that the project needed to be financed as soon as possible, in order to begin implementation and ensure the necessary benefits.
Faced with a tight time frame, but also due to the strategic importance of this participation, technically argued by MEKI/KISH sh.a through their respective letters, the Ministry of Finance prepared the revision of the Budget Law for 2025, in order to accommodate the determined value, part of the "Support for Innovation and Technology" program.
The government's commitment to this innovative initiative, the financial benefit it is expected to bring, as well as the calculation of the necessary funds, are aspects that have been assessed and confirmed by the relevant structures of MEKI and KISH sh.a, responsible for the drafting and implementation of policies in the field of Innovation Technology.
But, we must also see this investment from the perspective of longer-term benefits, be they economic, but also of a success story that comes from an Albanian entrepreneur with a significant global contribution in the field of artificial intelligence, which can also serve as a model for those young Albanian entrepreneurs who have just launched their start-ups and want to believe in an idea that could turn into a profitable business tomorrow.
Thinking Machines Lab, the artificial intelligence startup, was founded by Mira Murati, former CTO of OpenAI (the organization that created ChatGPT), and is comprised of a team of about 30 researchers and engineers from OpenAI, Meta, Mistral, and Character.AI, (including former OpenAI chief research officer Bob McGrew, and principal researcher for many of OpenAI’s core AI models, Alec Radford). The company is also backed by big names like Andreessen Horowitz (A16z) – one of the largest funds in Silicon Valley and Sequoia Capital, a leading technology investor, as well as other individual investors.
Undoubtedly, such an investment attracted our attention, and here I am talking about the Albanian Investment Corporation, which has a strategic focus on the information technology sector and which, in the role of Agent, will take responsibility for the transfer, investment, monitoring, reporting on the investment, and will benefit from a portion of the return on the investment when it is realized.
I say this because we estimate that the development potential is expected to be much greater, given that Thinking Machines Lab is currently raising funds from various investors, with a target of $2 billion. So far, $1.7 billion has been secured and it is expected that this company will have a value of $10 billion and in the future, a figure that could exceed $50 billion.
On the other hand, the involvement of the Albanian government at this early stage offers considerable profit potential, especially if Thinking Machines Lab achieves a successful exit on international stock exchanges (IPO or acquisition).
In contrast to other AI companies that focus on limited or unclear models, Thinking Machines Lab aims to develop AI that integrates multiple modalities—text, visual, audio, and interaction—into collaborative systems that can serve as intelligent assistants for individuals or businesses.
The company is initially building on open-source foundational models, which enable personalization, security, understanding, and systems that are capable of collaborating with humans. Over time, the team aims to move towards a completely self-developed, end-to-end model structure, which will ensure technological protection and create a foundation for sustainable competitive advantage.
We should also not forget that the lead developer, Mira Murati, is widely considered one of the most influential figures in the field of artificial intelligence, having led important OpenAI projects such as ChatGPT, DALL•E, Codex, and Sora. Therefore, if successful, its products could have wide application in industries such as healthcare, economics, education, and business services.
She also bases this potential success on her team, which includes top AI talent from OpenAI, Meta, and Google. Also, as this project progresses, with the research results that can be achieved, technology giants like Apple, Amazon, Meta, or Nvidia may be willing to buy it for its talent or intellectual property.
All of these opportunities can be exploited by us and make Albania a potential country to significantly increase its international profile as a country that supports technology and innovation, making it attractive to investors, companies and strategic partners who want to invest in this field.
Through this connection, concrete opportunities for collaboration between Albanian talent and one of the most advanced AI centers in the world can be created. This can translate into knowledge transfer, pilot projects in Albania, educational initiatives, and support for Albanian technology start-ups.
As an early investment in a company with extraordinary potential, there is the potential for very high returns, which can support new funding for technological development and national innovation.
Therefore, what we can say is that this investment should not be seen simply as a financial commitment, but as a strategic opportunity to build Albania's technological future, to position our country as a reference point for innovation in the region and beyond, as well as to create a more advanced economy, connected to global knowledge and capital markets.
As for the 2025 budget law, the approved changes consisted of:
• An increase of 1 billion lek in Non-Tax Revenues, as a result of the transfer of revenues from the disposal of confiscated assets to the state budget by the Agency for the Administration of Sequestered and Confiscated Assets/AAPSK.
• An increase of 1 billion lek in capital expenditures under the item "Internal Financing" of the Ministry of Economy, Culture and Innovation, with the aim of transferring capital to the Albanian Investment Corporation (KISH) sh.a., to finance the participation of the Albanian Government in the startup investment project "Machine Thinking Lab".
• Maintaining the Budget Deficit untouched, which after the above changes in revenues and expenditures, continues to remain at the level of around 68 billion lekë, as approved in the initial 2025 budget.
In conclusion, I would like to emphasize that the goal of the Albanian Government is to follow contemporary models, as well as to increase the inclusion of Artificial Intelligence (AI), following the example of other countries. Such projects enable the use of international capacities and talents and this can be a good start for our country, which is still in its early stages and still has limited development and research resources.
However, our commitments and efforts are concrete, as Albania has begun to draft policies and strategies for the integration of AI in public administration and key sectors of the economy. This approach aims to modernize public services, improve digital governance and foster innovation. The use of AI brings numerous benefits to the economy, including increased efficiency, reduced operational costs and the creation of new opportunities for professional development and investment in technology.
Beyond these investments, the focus of our work will also remain on maintaining macroeconomic and fiscal parameters.
The Ministry of Finance will continue to guarantee the downward trajectory of the public debt level in relation to GDP, in accordance with the respective fiscal rule set out in the Organic Budget Law, as well as to ensure the continuity of fiscal consolidation, the medium and long-term sustainability of public finances, as well as macroeconomic stability as a whole. (A2 Televizion)
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