That makes the economy vulnerable towards, and dependent on, this sector. In the United States, on the other hand, it is quite usual for enterprises to obtain money directly from the capital market. And not necessarily in the state in which they have their headquarters. This form of corporate financing makes the economy much less vulnerable towards any problems in the banking sector. It is, however, significantly underdeveloped in Europe. In a monetary union one should also expect a fully integrated capital market. That would mean, for example, that a creditworthy entrepreneur from Osnabrück could issue a bond without any problems in the Netherlands. Or an entrepreneur from Lisbon could do the same in France. After all, France, Portugal, the Netherlands, Germany and 15 other countries share the same currency. A truly integrated capital market would not only benefit the European economy because it would ensure an efficient and location-independent allocation of financial resources. It would also bring with it a greater distribution of risk. First, spreading risk means striving for a balanced financing mix. If Europe’s enterprises do not principally finance themselves with bank loans but also with, for example, corporate bonds, the economy can still prosper when banks are rather hesitant in their lending. Currently in Europe, however, only around 20–50% of debt financing takes place in capital markets. By comparison, in the United States it is around 80%. Now, we cannot expect to have a completely new financing mix in Europe from one day to the next.
The systematic work of our distinguished archaeologists and of the dedicated central bank employees over the years has helped in materialising the efforts for presenting the history of the Albanian currency, from the axes of the Hoard of Torovica, to the first coins struck in Dyrrhachium, to those in circulation throughout various historic periods, up to modern days. Through over 30 exhibits and 5 educational rooms in the Museum, we show interactively the ancient history of our currency. The permanent exhibition in the lower floor displays collections from monetary systems that have existed in our territories over the past two thousand years. They are part of the numismatic collection of the Bank of Albania and the Albanian Institute of Archaeology. We have selected and studied them meticulously in a close and long process of cooperation with archaeologists, numismatists, historians and ethnologists in Albania. I take this opportunity to thank them for their valuable contribution. Our Museum, however, is not just a money museum. It is also the museum of the central bank, which considers financial education as an essential objective. The public needs to be informed in order to be able to make judicious and sound financial decisions, which, in turn, contribute to financial stability. That is why we have dedicated the upper floor of the Museum to financial information and education. Through a number of activities, educational publications, lectures, films, and applications, irrespective of their age, visitors learn about financial products and system.