• • Laying Claim to the Future
  • Chairman's Message
  • CEO's Message
  • Corporate Profile, Our Vision, Our Mission, Our Corporate Values
  • Summary Financial Information
  • Türkiye Finans and Sustainability
  • Sustainability Organization at Türkiye Finans
  • Corporate Governance Organization at Türkiye Finans
  • Awards and Recognition
  • Stakeholders and Stakeholder Participation
  • We Generate Value for our Customers
  • We Generate Value for the Environment
  • We Generate Value for our Employees
  • We Generate Value for the Community
  • About this Report
  • GRI Application Level Check Statement
  • GRI Index

CEO's Message (Sustainability)

The adoption of sustainability as an all-encompassing concept has become a prerequisite of economic life.

The importance of sustainability as an indispensable concept for economic players has been increasing. Corporations that anticipate the economic, social and environmental aspects of sustainability and adopt a total performance - total benefit approach are likely to be more successful and more sustainable.

The launch of the Türkiye Finans Sustainability Strategy

I am delighted to stay that Türkiye Finans, which has recently distinguished itself in the Turkish banking industry with its sound and robust performance, not only achieves consistent financial results but also continues to get actively involved in issues that are of vital importance for Turkey’s future. During this period, we have both extended an increasing volume of financial resources to the private sector in the scope of supporting economic development while also demonstrating efforts in the following areas:

• protecting the environment,
• financing renewable energy investments, and
• raising social awareness on energy efficiency.

We have also launched a series of innovative products and campaigns that have created a tremendous impression. Furthermore, we have covered significant ground in terms of the value which we generate for the community, thanks to our systematic investments in human resources and our corporate social responsibility projects.

Always keeping an eye on developments in the markets and evaluating the level of maturity that it has reached in product and service offering, Türkiye Finans decided to create its own sustainability strategy by the end of 2013 in line with its target of preparing for the coming period in a stronger and systematic manner.

Our sustainability approach, which was shaped by taking into account our stakeholders’ feedback, was launched with the full support of our shareholders. As a result, Türkiye Finans’ journey of sustainability has reached a new and important stage.

Türkiye Finans has defined its sustainability strategy - which will help the Bank achieve its corporate targets - on two tenets.

In the context of our sustainability approach, we focus on achieving successful results in our primary field of activity and for the community. Our target is to increase our contributions to the community by demonstrating examples of best corporate citizenship, while implementing best banking practices. Our strategy, that is also in full harmony with the spirit of the participation banking industry, aims to integrate our best banking practices with our efforts for best corporate citizenship.

Our personnel have now begun to adopt sustainability as a part of our Bank’s corporate culture. We look forward to being able to report to you - our stakeholders - a stronger and more exciting performance in the area of sustainability with each passing day.

Türkiye Finans maintained its strong growth and its title as the most profitable participation bank in 2013.

Highlights from 2013

Türkiye Finans maintained its strong growth and its title as the most profitable participation bank in 2013. The Bank’s total assets grew by 43% YoY and had climbed to over TL 25 billion by the end of 2013.

The total funds collected increased by 32% to TL 15.1 billion. The total amount of funds supplied, including leasing transactions - which indicates our support for economic development - increased by 40% to reach TL 18.3 billion.

The Bank maintained its organic growth in 2013. In line with our targets, we opened 30 new branches in 2013 and the total number of our branches reached 250 by the end of 2013. Supporting its organic growth with qualified human resources, the Bank hired new personnel and grew into a substantial team of nearly 4,000 employees at the end of 2013. The 3 percentage point increase that we have recorded in the ratio of female employees is another issue that provides us with pride in our human resources; women accounted for 29% of our personnel by the end of 2013.

Türkiye Finans adopts a pioneering and strong stance in attaching strong value to its human resources, thanks to its fair, transparent and people-oriented management approach, which is supported by the Bank’s principles. It is our people that set us apart. We act upon the vision to own professional and well-equipped human resources who contribute to the sector, and attach tremendous importance to training. An average of 67 hours of training was provided per employee at Türkiye Finans in 2013. We are determined to maintain our efforts to further improve our human resources in the coming periods and to be one of the most preferred employers in the sector.

In 2013, we launched the “Customer Experience and the Multichannel Strategy Project”, which aims to enhance the customer experience by carrying out deeply rooted changes to the business making style at Türkiye Finans. Within the scope of the project, we have begun to put our Customer Constitution on paper, proving once again that our raison d’être is to generate value for our customers, shareholders and employees.

Another area of strength for the Bank is its ability to effectively deploy technology in its service cycle. Our technological practices, which aim to ensure customer satisfaction, also serve environmental sustainability. Türkiye Finans was the first corporation and financial institution in Turkey to receive the Tier III Constructed Facility certification in 2013 with its datacenter, which is the most modern of its kind in Turkey. With such certification, the Bank has asserted its prominence in technology; it has also served the Bank’s environment-related targets.

With its approach based on customer and employee satisfaction, the Bank was granted a total of 15 awards in 2013, including the following:

• “Turkey’s Best Call Center”,
• “Turkey’s Best Participation Bank”,
• “Respect for People”,
• “Turkey’s Best MASAK-Compliant Bank”, and
• “Best Complaint Managing Participation Bank of the Year”.

These awards demonstrate our success in terms of customer satisfaction and human resources, and confirm our superior priority in ensuring compliance with the law and regulations.

We are determined to manage and improve our assets in the most proper manner and to share the value we create with all of our stakeholders by capitalizing on our strengths.

Our projections for 2014 and beyond:

• The challenging conditions and volatility in the global economy will continue to affect the whole world, and emerging markets in particular. Turkey will continue to distinguish itself and create business opportunities for everyone, thanks to its robust macroeconomic foundations, strong banking industry and accurate financial policies.
• The dynamic Turkish private sector will continue to grow and generate value for the nation with increasing business volumes both at home and abroad. At this point, the responsibility on the shoulders of the financial sector becomes evident.
• SMEs and micro-enterprises represent the most significant areas of growth for the banking industry. At this point, however, it is important that the financial sector supports economic growth with high-quality products and fulfills its consultancy mission.
• Individual banking will remain another area of growth. Individuals will prefer financial business partners who make their lives easier and play a key role in the accurate planning of the future.
• Initiatives taken to tackle climate change, support the transition to a low carbon economy, utilize domestic and renewable energy resources and promote efficiency in the use of resources - particularly energy - will continue to create new business opportunities for banks.

To sum up, in the coming period, financial service providers, which will also carry more responsibility, will focus on comprehensive opportunities for growth. The value offered through financial products and services, as well as the extent to which environmental and social risks are dealt with will determine how financial service providers fare in the competition and shape their financial success.

In the light of such projections:

• As “Turkey’s Finans” we will continue to support individuals, entrepreneurs and corporations with competitive solutions with a strong value proposition.
• We plan to further improve our Environment Policy. In this context, we believe we will manage both our direct and indirect impacts in a sounder manner and meet the targets stipulated by global initiatives.
• We plan to implement social responsibility projects that will create a greater social impact. Through our sponsorship of the historical Kırkpınar Oil Wrestling Festival for a period of 3 years starting from 2013, we have taken a major step towards our target of carrying our traditional values to future generations. In this context, we carry out various new and exciting projects.
• We aim to maintain our strong governance structure in full compliance with the legislation at all times and, in particular, to completely fulfill the current requirements of risk management.

We are determined to manage and improve our assets in the most proper manner and to share the value we create with all of our stakeholders by capitalizing on our strengths.

I would like to extend my sincerest thanks to all of our stakeholders - who have brought the “Türkiye Finans” brand to the present - for their contributions, their trust and their preference.

Yours sincerely,

Derya GÜRERK

CEO