Akbank was founded as a privately-owned commercial bank in Adana on January 30, 1948. Established originally with the core objective of providing funding to local cotton growers, the Bank opened its first branch in the Sirkeci district of Istanbul on July 14, 1950. In 1954, after relocating its Head Office to Istanbul, the Bank rapidly expanded its branch network and had automated all banking operations by 1963.
Floated to the public in 1990, Akbank shares began trading on international markets and as an American Depository Receipt (ADR) after its secondary public offering in 1998.
Akbank’s core business is banking activities, consisting of corporate investment and private banking, commercial banking, SME banking, consumer banking, payment systems and treasury transactions, and international banking services. In addition to traditional banking activities, the Bank also carries out insurance agency operations through its branches on behalf of Ak Insurance and AvivaSA Pensions and Life Insurance.
With a strong and extensive domestic distribution network of 840 branches and more than 14,000 employees, Akbank operates from its Head Office in Istanbul and 22 regional directorates across Turkey. In addition to providing services through branches, the Bank’s traditional delivery channel, Akbank also serves more than 15 million customers through the Akbank Direkt Internet Branches, Akbank Direkt Mobile, the Call Center, 4,200 ATMs and more than 460,000 POS terminals as well as other high-tech channels.
A digital banking pioneer in Turkey, Akbank gathered all its in this burgeoning area under the Akbank Direkt umbrella. This will allow the Bank to meet the financial solution needs of its customers, provide services in the most convenient manner possible and deliver an excellent client experience. In today’s world, where technology advances at lightning speed and customers are ever more demanding, Akbank Direkt strives to satisfy client needs without time or physical location limitations while pioneering technological innovations in both the sector and in Turkey.
Widely known for anticipating changes in trends and customer dynamics to develop new products and channels for meeting the individual financial needs of clients, Akbank has introduced many innovations to the Turkish banking industry. In addition to launching a significant number of new services in Turkey, including the “Big Red House” mortgage loanonly branches and the iPad Banking Branch, Akbank has also broken new ground globally. The Bank is the originator of such pioneering products and services as the Loan Machine and Mobile Loan innovations, which allow customers to obtain loans without having to visit a bank branch.
The recently-launched “Akbank One-Stop Shop Corporate and Investment Banking” enabled the Bank to begin generating much more effective solutions for investment financing in Turkey. This platform allows Akbank corporate banking clients to receive corporate and investment banking services while easily accessing the experience and expertise of Akbank’s subsidiaries, all in one step.
The Akbank Banking Center, which is the highest transaction capacity operations center in Turkey, commenced service in 2010. Equipped with state-of-theart technology, this complex is positively contributing to Akbank’s productivity.
Akbank conducts overseas operations through subsidiary
in Germany (Akbank AG) and a branch in Malta.The Bank’s other subsidiaries, AkInvestment, AKAsset Management and Aklease, provide non-banking financial services alongside capital markets and investment services.
Equipped with state-of-theart IT systems and a staff of experienced professionals, Akbank provides top quality services to an extensive portfolio of consumer and corporate banking customers.
Harvard University Kennedy School of Government (Harvard KSG) has turned Akbank’s transformation story and growth strategy in the aftermath of the 2001 crisis into a case study. The Bank adopted the “New Horizons Restructuring Program” in response to the Turkish economic crisis of 2001, when the country’s economy and banking industry were struggling to deal with the impact of the crisis. The management, change and growth strategy which the Bank implemented turned the Bank’s Program into a lecture topic and a reference success story on how to manage and achieve growth during a sharp economic downturn.
In addition, Harvard University conducted a case study last year regarding Akbank’s steps in digital banking. The study emphasized the fact that digital banking will play a growing part in our lives in the years ahead.
Banking will transition from branches to mobile platforms in Turkey, given its young population with high levels of smart phone and internet penetration. The case study underscores the cost-related contributions of Akbank Direkt as well as the advantage of automated transactions in minimizing human errors, and how it represents the beginning of a new era in banking.
With a robust capital base, reliable deposit structure, ability to raise foreign financing on favorable terms and solid asset quality, Akbank maintains its leading position in the Turkish banking sector. As of end-2016, Akbank reported consolidated net profit of TL 4,854 million (approximately USD 1,387 million) and total consolidated assets of about TL 295 billion (approx. USD 84 billion). The Bank’s consolidated capital adequacy ratio of 14.2%, calculated according to Basel III standards, is among the highest in the sector.
The total loans of Akbank, which continues to conduct its operations to create sustainable value for the Turkish economy, jumped by 16.6% to TL 179 billion.
Akbank’s non-performing loan ratio of 2.3%, attained thanks to the Bank’s effective risk management policies, is significantly below the sector average of 3.2%.
Akbank continued to win prestigious awards in 2016 when the global business cycle weighed on the banks. Akbank was voted as the “Bank of the Year in Turkey” by The Banker, winning the sector’s most important international award. Akbank also registered major accomplishments for the Turkish banking industry by being deemed the “Best Bank in Turkey” by Global Finance and the “Best Bank in Central and Eastern Europe” by Euromoney. Akbank continues to work with a high level of motivation in an attempt to raise the bar even higher in banking and to create more value.
In addition to these accomplishments, Akbank was reaffirmed as the most valuable banking brand in Turkey for the fifth consecutive year in the international brand valuation company Brand Finance’s survey.
As one of the most committed supporters of contemporary art in Turkey and with the aim of being present in all branches of art, Akbank’s arts and culture initiatives span a wide range of fields. In addition to providing banking services, Akbank’s expansive vision includes investments ranging from arts events geared toward social advancement such as jazz, theatre and contemporary arts to environmental protection practices such as the Carbon Disclosure Project.
The first Turkish bank to be a signatory to the United Nations Global Compact in 2007, Akbank shares its sustainability performance with its stakeholders via the Akbank Sustainability Report. The Bank has published this report in accordance with Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standards every year since 2009.
51.1% of Akbank’s shares are listed on the Borsa Istanbul. The Bank’s Level 1 ADRs are traded on the OTCQX in the United States. Akbank’s market capitalization stood at USD 8.9 billion as of December 31, 2016.