We are focused on making life easier with our innovative mindset in a digital world

Esteemed Business Partners and Colleagues, 

The pandemic and vaccine development efforts dominated the global agenda in 2021, a year that marked the beginning of global economic recovery. While this global economic recovery was hindered by the emergence of new strains, there were marked improvement in countries with better access to vaccines and policy support. In particular, the performance of developed countries managed to return to pre-pandemic levels in the third quarter of the year. Developing countries, on the other hand, diverged more from developed countries in terms of growth rate. In a report published in October, IMF reduced its global growth forecast by 0.1 points to 5.9 percent in 2021. The 2022 forecast remained at 4.9 percent. 

Looking at Turkey, we see the country’s economy continue its recovery, having achieved a growth of 7.4 percent in the third quarter of 2021. In the same period, seasonally adjusted GDP climbed by 2.7 percent. According to year-end figures, exports grew 32.85 percent year-over-year to reach USD 225,368 million. With exports outperforming expectations, the 2022 Medium Term Program’s goal of USD 230 billion in exports was revised to USD 250 billion.

Meanwhile, Aktif Bank sustained its remarkable performance in 2021. Thanks to its trend-setting vision in investment banking, continuous investments in technology and innovative philosophy, Aktif Bank managed to surpass its competitors yet another year by posting consolidated profits of over TRY 1 billion before tax. 

In parallel with the rapid digitization across the globe, the industry saw several regulatory developments in 2021. As Turkey’s most extensive fintech ecosystem, Aktif Bank continued to pioneer the industry in this context as well, consolidating its digital expertise with a proactive approach. In 2021, Aktif Bank launched Aktif Ventures, which is set to operate as a fintech founder, and the Bank plans to invest in entrepreneurs with venture funds in addition to creating new fintech startups.  

Aktif Bank boasts the capability of developing and exporting proprietary information technologies, as testified by the sale of card payment systems to Çalık Group banks BKT Albania and BKT Kosovo. 

Aktif Bank maintains its market leading positions thanks to its pioneering subsidiaries in various sectors, from banking to payment systems and insurance, and continues to act as a key driver of Çalık Group’s digitization strategy. In line with this understanding, we aim to take our investments in digital above and beyond the norms of the sector and further enhance our efficiency in 2022.

Sincerely, 

Ahmet Çalık