Regional Trade Summit Banja Luka 2026: the region focuses on digitalisation, sustainability and EXPO 2027

On 28 and 29 October 2026, Banja Luka hosted the Regional Trade Summit for the second time. Entrepreneurs, representatives of chambers of commerce, ministries and economic institutions, as well as guests from across the region, met at the Banski Dvor Cultural Centre. Under the motto “Banjaluka postaje centar regionalne trgovine” (“Banja Luka becomes the centre of regional trade”), the summit once again offered a platform for discussing the future of trade and economic cooperation in the region.

The two days focused on the digital transformation of trade, sustainable development and preparations for EXPO 2027 in Belgrade. In panel discussions, talks and B2B meetings, participants exchanged views on current challenges and made new contacts across borders and industries.

Those on stage included Goran Račić, President of the Chamber of Commerce of Republika Srpska, who spoke on the panel about business as a connecting force in the region, and Jelena Trivan, General Director of M:TEL. Aleksandar Mastilović of the Centre for Digital Transformation in Belgrade showed how artificial intelligence is changing trade. The second day was about the path from producer to customer: alongside a panel on agriculture and trade, Marko Carević, CEO of Ananas E-commerce, Marinko Tomić, CEO of EuroExpress brza pošta, and Srđan Pešević, Executive Director of Sales at M:TEL, discussed the new era of trade and delivery.

The ÖSWF was represented at the summit by Vice-President Mladen Filipović, Vice-President Zoran Subašić and Suzan Kesić, the board member responsible for strategy and international cooperation. For our Forum, the summit is an important meeting point where retail chains, logistics, telecommunications, agriculture, chambers and politics come together in one place. These are exactly the connections between the Austrian economy and partners in Serbia and Republika Srpska that we want to make useful for our members.

The Forum was already represented at the first edition in 2025, then by Rodoljub “Rudi” Savić, head of our trade sector (read the report).

The summit’s programme and partners can be found at rst.ba.