The two days program offers great insights into AKBANK’s remarkable efforts and achievements in digital design and innovation especially how the bank integrates digital technology including AI to deliver customer experiences. Serving almost one third of the SMEs market in Turkey, some of the key factors driving the bank’s significant growth in market share include:

• Automation and digitalization - The bank has heavily invested in automating its marketing, credit approval, and customer engagement processes, which has enabled it to be more efficient and responsive.

• Focus on qualified customers - The bank has deliberately targeted customers with higher credit scores and lower risk profiles, rather than pursuing riskier customers to drive growth.

• Effective marketing and customer engagement - The bank has implemented sophisticated digital marketing campaigns and customer retention programs to acquire new customers and deepen relationships with existing ones.

• Competitive pricing strategy - while the bank's pricing is not the lowest in the market, it is in line with the market average, allowing it to grow market share without relying on undercutting competitors.

• The bank's digital activities, including mobile app and internet web services, are used to reach customers without branch visits. SMS push notifications are used daily to promote strategic products and engage customers. As a result, digital penetration has increased significantly, with 83% of active customers now using digital services.

• Among many other noteworthy innovations are the use of AI especially in the areas of Personalized Package Recommendation for customers, Customer Segmentation, and automation of credit decisioning.

It’s encouraging to see that by integrating digital innovations across its operations, AKBANK has not only enhanced customer experiences but also strengthened its market position, demonstrating the significant role of technology in driving growth within the competitive banking sector.

On behalf of the SME Finance Forum, we'd like to express our sincere appreciation to all colleagues at AKBANK for making this visit a highly memorable and successful one.