The two main items on global markets’ agendas in 2015 were the US Federal Reserve Bank’s interest rate decisions and heightened geopolitical risks. At home, the financial market issues of concern to the Turkish banking sector were an apparent slowdown in emerging markets, fluctuations in exchange rates, and political uncertainties in neighboring countries. A solid equity structure supported by sustainable profitability and a uniquely formulated business model enabled Ziraat Bank to continue meeting the real sector’s needs for financing despite the volatile financial market conditions that prevailed throughout the year.

During 2015 Ziraat Bank served as its customers’ solution partner by supplying them with the right value at the right time in its three basic business lines of Corporate Banking, Mass Banking, and International Banking within the framework of its Customer-Focused Banking approach and its Customer Service Model. The natural leader of Turkey’s banking industry for 152 years, Ziraat Bank continues to stand by customers in every segment and to quickly and effectively provide them with an extensive lineup of products and services. Ziraat Bank remains the only financial services provider at more than 400 locations in the country.

Seeking to pursue sustainable growth along with its stakeholders and to improve its asset quality, Ziraat Bank once again adhered to a real-sector-focused growth strategy in 2015. In keeping with the customer-weighted balance sheet management approach called for by that strategy, the total volume of the Bank’s cash lendings increased by 32% to TL 186.8 billion while cash and non-cash credit of all kinds amounted to more than TL 247 billion. Total assets increased by 22.3% in the twelve months to end-2015 and reached TL 302.8 billion in value.

Ziraat Bank continues to rank among Turkey’s leading banks in the financing of increasingly more important large-scale agroindustry, infrastructure, and energy-sector investments. As of end-2015, the Bank had supplied totals of USD 10.5 billion worth of credit limits and of USD 6 billion worth of cash loans to finance major projects, such as the third international airport called for in the Turkey’s strategic vision projects.

Total deposits, which reached TL 186.5 billion, provided a resource structure that remains as broadly-based and diversified as ever. Last year the Bank developed new deposit products designed to counteract the relatively low level of saving from which the national economy suffers.

Ziraat Bank continues to craft solutions aimed at dealing with the agricultural sector’s need for production-related equipment and mechanization. Particular importance is given to funding models that will bring about organic links between small- and medium-sized producers on the one hand and larger industrial concerns on the other. In 2015 agriculture remained the preferred focus of Ziraat Bank’s lending.

The robustness of Ziraat Bank’s equity structure continues to draw special attention. Noting that “size alone is no guarantee of safety”, The Banker, a magazine, conducted a review to determine the safety and stability of the largest 250 banks in its database of more than 5,000 in 2015 and found that TC Ziraat Bankası ranked second in Western Europe. As of end-2015, the Bank’s TL 31.5 billion in equity corresponded to 10.4% of its total liabilities. As Turkey’s leading financial institution in terms of sustainable profitability for many years, Ziraat Bank defended its standing as the sector’s most profitable bank by increasing its net profit to TL 5.2 billion.

Last year Ziraat Bank continued its efforts to enhance the customer experience through the optimization projects that it carried out in all branch and non-branch channels. Under the “Banking Without Barriers”, conceptual and physical modifications were undertaken at more than 200 branches in order to make it easier for physically-challenged customers to access financial services. At end-2015 there were 1,786 branches in the Bank’s domestic network consisting of 22 Corporate, 80 Entrepreneurial, 83 Dynamic Entrepreneurial, 1,596 Standard, and 5 Mobile branches. In the twelve months to year-end the number of units in Ziraat Bank’s ATM network grew by 8.7% to 6,566.

With its wide service network, strong corporate governance, unrivalled market familiarity, matchless knowledge and experience, and outstanding global reputation, Ziraat Bank continues to shape the futures of both its customers and its country.