As Akbank, we started our banking operations in Adana on January 30, 1948. This process was formalized by the Council of Ministers' decision dated December 12, 1947 and numbered 3/6710.
When we were established as a private equity commercial bank, our initial goal was to provide financial support to cotton producers in the Adana region. As a significant step in our growth journey,we opened our first branch in Sirkeci, Istanbul, on July 14, 1950. In 1954, we relocated our Headquarters to Istanbul and subsequently expanded our area of operation with our rapidly growing branch network.
In 1963, we took an innovative step in the sector by automating our banking operations and became one of the pioneers of modern banking. Following our public offerings in 1990 and 1998, we started to operate through American Depository Receipts (ADR) on international markets and strengthenedour relations with capital markets.
Today, we offer our clients a wide range of banking products and services, primarily on corporate andinvestment banking, commercial banking, SME banking, consumer banking, payment systems, private banking, wealth management, and treasury operations. We also operate in the insurance sector, providing insurance services through our branches on behalf of Aksigorta Co. and AgeSA Pension and Life Insurance Co.
Through our subsidiaries Akbank AG, AkLease, Ak Investment, Ak Asset Management, AkOde, Akbank Ventures, and AkTech Software Technologies, we offer innovative and integrated solutions for the financial needs of our customers. In addition, we differentiate ourselves in both domestic and international banking sectors with our pioneering products and services such as Axess, Wings, and Private Banking.
With our wide service network and technological infrastructure, our bank provides services to over 15 million active customers through our General Directorate in Istanbul, our Data and Life Center, 19 Regional Directorates across Türkiye, 647 branches, and 12,591 employees. In addition to providing in-person services at our branches, we also offer added value to our customers through Akbank Internet, Akbank Mobile, our Call Center, 6,351 ATMs, and 809,631 POS terminals (including virtual POS solutions). Our branch in Malta and our subsidiary Akbank AG in Germany also contribute to our international operations.