Banking Agency of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina had a big role in reform of banking sector. FBA was founded in late 1996 as independent and nonprofit institution for supervision and licencing. From the beginning, FBA aiming on strong and stabile market oriented bank system leaned on international standards in business and bank supervision.

Law on Banks has determined basic goals of the Agency, as follows:

• issuing licences for establishing and performance of banks and micro-credit organizations,
• issuing licences for changes of organization structure of banks and micro-credit organizations
• issuing approvals for appointment of bank’s management,
• issuing licences for performing internal payment system,
• gathering, analyzing and registering of data that banks submit to the FBA, according to the regulations,
• supervision of banks and micro-credit organizations and taking measures according to Law on Banks, Law on Banking Agency of the Federation of BiH and sub-Acts,
• establishment and supervision of provisional administration, liquidations and bankruptcy, that is recovery of banks,
• revoking banking and micro-credit organizations licencees according to Law,
• declaration of banking sub-acts which regulate bank performance,
• evaluation of satisfying requirements and issuing approvals for issuing new shares,
• gives full support to counterterrorist acts regarding banks, based on law or in accordance with special resolutions of United Nations Security Council,
• takes all necessary measures, including imposing client accounts in any bank in Federation for prevention of financing activities which obstructs peace implementation under the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Agency, along with Central Bank of BiH, makes international contacts regarding:

• issuing banking licence and licence for micro-credit organizations,
• banks and micro-credit organizations supervision,
• Gathering information about banks and micro-credit organizations and their activities on the basis of reciprocity.

Banks and micro-credit organizations are obliged to enable Agency to access entire documentation for doing business from Agency’s competence.

Operation and Business report FBA submits to the Federal Government and than Government submits it to the Parliament of Federation of BiH.

ORGANIZATION AND MANAGING

The FBA's Management Board represents its management body that comprises of five members, who are appointed, as proposed by the Government by the Parliament of the Federation of BiH for five years. The Board is responsible of general oversight of the Agency's performance, while it takes measures for effective and rational performance of duties from the FBA's scope of work.

The new members of the FBA's Management Board were elected at the beginning of 2008 upon the procedure that was implemented at the Parliament of the Federation of BiH: M.Sc.(Econ.) Haris Ihtijarević; M.Sc.(Econ.) Ljerka Marić; B.Sc.(Econ.) Jelka Milićević; B.Sc.(Econ.) Emir Silajdžić; and B.Sc.(Econ.) Rajka Topčić. At its constitutional session that was held on March 27, 2008, the FBA Management Board elected M.Sc. (Econ.) Haris Ihtijarević to be the Chairman and M.Sc.(Econ.) Ljerku Marić to be the Vice Chairman.

The FBA's MB Chairman, Haris Ihtijarević was born in Visoko, in 1969, where he completed the elementary school. He completed the secondary school in Sarajevo, and graduated in Ljubljana (Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology) and in Maribor (Faculty of Business and Economics) – Finance Major. He mastered the economic science in Maribor. Fluent in English and Slovenian.

MANAGINIG

The FBA's Director and Deputy Director are in charge of setting up and managing the FBA's organization and performance. Both Director and Deputy Director of the FBA are appointed, as proposed by the Government, by the Parliament of the Federation of BiH for five years.

The FBA's Director, Zlatko Barš, and Deputy Director, Mustafa Brkić, have been appointed pursuant to the respective Decision of the House of People of the Parliament of the Federation of BiH as of July 10, 2000 and the House of Representatives of the Parliament of the Federation of BiH as of September 5, 2000. Mr. Barš and Mr. Brkić performed their duties at the FBA during the mandate from 1996 to 2000. B.Sc.(Econ.) Zlatko Barš was reelected to be Director of the FBA at the beginning of 2008. At the end of 2008, Nedžad Tuce, B.Sc. (Econ.) was appointed to be Deputy Director of the FBA.

The FBA's Director, Zlatko Barš, was born in Čapljina, in 1954. He completed the elementary and secondary school in Mostar and graduated at the Economics Faculty in Mostar. He has 29 years of working experience in the area of accounting, finance and banking. He is fluent in English.

The FBA's Deputy Director, Nedžad Tuce, was born in Sarajevo, in 1954, where he completed the elementary and secondary school. He graduated at the Economics Faculty in Sarajevo. He has over 20 years of working experience in banking. He is fluent in English.

The FBA's Advisor to the Director is Mustafa Brkić, B.SC. (Econ.) and Assistant Director for Legal Support and Licensing is B.Sc.(Law) Miroslav Krezić (Director of Legal Support and Licensing Department). Director of Department in charge of banks under the FBA's Administration is B.Sc.(Econ.) Miralem Babajić, and Director of Accounting and Administration at the FBA is B.Sc. Enes Pirija.

The FBA’s Public Relation Office (Muris Šećerkadić, B.Sc. Journalist): e-mail: agencija@fba.ba

THE FBA'S ORGANIZATION

The Rulebook of Internal Organization of the FBA sets forth the macro-organizational structure and authorities and job descriptions of individual organizational units.

Functional organizational units of the FBA are the following:

• The Agency's Directorate:
  • Director's Office
  • Development office
  • Office of Advisor to the Director
  • Public Relations Office
• Supervision Department
  • Division for Examination at banks (on-site)
  • Division for Examination of banks' reports (off-site)
  • Division for Prevention of Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing in Banks
• Legal Support and Licensing Department
  • Regulation Division
  • Representation Division
  • Licensing Division
• Department for banks under the Agency's administration
• Department for Supervision of Microcredit Organizations
• Department of the Mutual Functions
  • Division for General and Personnel Issues
  • Accounting – Finance Division
  • EDP Division

There are 61 employees (as of 31.12. 2008.) (four Masters of Science) at the FBA, of which 47 with university degree, four with two-year post secondary degree and 10 with secondary school.