Online transactions in the Albanian banking system amounted to over 162,000 for the first quarter of this year, up by 41 percent over the same quarter of a year ago, the Bank of Albania (BoA), the central bank, said Wednesday.

"The value of the banking system transactions via internet during the first three months of the year amounted to nearly 40 billion lek (346 million U.S. dollars), 60 percent more compared with the same period of 2016," BoA experts said.

The modernization of banking services and the increasing use of technology in Albania is helping the extension of remote banking services. Nowadays, 12 out of the 16 commercial banks operating in Albania offer online banking services.

According to BoA, bank accounts accessible from the internet at the end of last year were around 209,000. Meanwhile it is estimated that about 86 percent of online-related accounts belong to individuals.