From transformation to growth – BPB and the EBRD bring international and local experts and business leaders together in Prishtina to discuss the future of business growth and competitiveness in Kosovo and the wider region.
Following the success of its first edition, Lead the Future returns this year with its second chapter, under the theme “Turning Transformation into Growth: Build. Scale. Compete.”, shifting the conversation from digital and green transformation towards sustainable growth, scale and stronger business competitiveness.
While the first edition, Lead the Future: Young. Digital. Green., focused on the potential of young entrepreneurs, digitalisation and the green transition, this year’s conference builds on those foundations and moves to the next stage: how transformation can translate into tangible business growth, and how companies in Kosovo can become more competitive locally, regionally and internationally.
At the heart of this year’s edition will also be two key programmes of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Youth in Business and Go Digital, which, through the partnership with BPB, support businesses at different stages of their development. The conference will place these programmes within the wider conversation on entrepreneurship, digitalisation, growth and private-sector competitiveness.
Through the theme Build. Scale. Compete., the conference will explore some of the most relevant questions facing the private sector today: what businesses need to build stronger and more sustainable models, how they can expand their capacities, access new markets and compete successfully in an increasingly dynamic economic environment. The discussions will also explore the role that finance, technology, innovation and access to expertise can play in enabling this growth.
Lead the Future 2 will bring together international speakers, local business leaders, entrepreneurs and experts through keynote speeches, fireside chats, panel discussions and practical networking formats. The programme is designed to create relevant and forward-looking conversations, while bringing together perspectives, experiences and ideas that can help businesses take the next step in their development.
The first edition of Lead the Future, held in 2025, brought together more than 300 entrepreneurs, SMEs, experts and institutional representatives. It also marked an important milestone in the partnership between BPB and the EBRD, with the signing of a new EUR 4.5 million financing agreement under the Youth in Business programme.
With Lead the Future 2: Build. Scale. Compete., BPB and the EBRD continue to create a platform where businesses, experts and institutions can exchange knowledge, challenge existing ways of thinking and explore the opportunities needed to build a stronger and more competitive private sector.
Because transformation is only the beginning.
The next step is to build, scale and compete.
