OREANDA-NEWS. On 21 March 2008 was announced, that Zhambyl branch of BTA Bank JSC launched new unit #05-03 under a refurbished logotype of the Bank.

TuranAlem Bank JSC has registered its new name, BTA Bank JSC, within the rebranding campaign.

Rebranding launched by the Bank in November 2007 is a milestone in BTA Development Strategy. The strategy provides for creation of a burgeoning banking conglomerate on the international scale. Thus, its member companies will have a single brand, BTA. Moreover, they will share similar standards of business conduct and client approach. Today, the Bank is in talks with member companies and partner banks of BTA banking conglomerate in the CIS to sign a license agreement for the new brand.

Cash settlement center #05-03 has a registered seat at 9a Krasnoarmeyskaya Street, Shu town, Zhambyl Oblast. The unit has moved to a new office as it must cover more prospective clients in a densely population part of the town. It will now also service clients in more comfortable conditions.

The new unit of BTA Bank is located in a downtown of Shu next to the central market. The new building covers more than 273 square meters, which is bigger than the previous office more than 3 times.

Full service unit #05-03 offers an entire range of banking services, including cash services to entities and individuals, foreign currency exchange, all kinds of payments, plastic cards, consulting services and loans to individuals and SMEs.

Between 2001 and 2007 Zhambyl branch of BTA Bank extended 13,159 loans in excess of 38,569 million tenge, including 17,806 million tenge in 2007 alone. Thus, SMEs received 21,121 million tenge loans, including 10,640 million tenge in 2007; agribusiness received 1,835 million tenge, including 734 million tenge in 2007; and population obtained 15,613 million tenge credits, including 6,432 million tenge in 2007.

Individuals deposited 1,586,139 million tenge with the Branch during the reported period, including 523,122 million tenge in 2007. This testifies to a growing trust of the population to BTA Bank. Meanwhile, entities placed 1,362 million tenge on deposit with the Branch, including 616 million tenge in 2007.

As of January 1, 2008 the Branch contributed to 27.2% of all loans accommodated to entities in the region, 7.7 % of credits raised by the population and 8.5% extended to small enterprises.

As of the reporting date the Branch accounted for 12.7% of all bank deposits in the region, including 17% of fixed-term corporate deposits and 12.4% of fixed-term private deposits

BTA Bank runs four cash settlement centers in the regional center, Taraz, Nos 05-05, 05-06, 05-07 and 05-12. In Shu it operates unit #05-03. Moreover, BTA Bank has two cash settlement centers in Korday village, one in Mirny urban settlement and one in Merke village.

Pursuing expansion and higher services to its clients, BTA Bank starts up three more cash settlement centers in Zhambyl Oblast during the second half of 2008. The wholesale economic upturn and consequently growing real income of the population entails a spreading plastic card business which enables receipts and cost planning. Currently, BTA services 1,600 plastic cards of Maksat JSC with nearly 1,000 staff members in Shu. The Branch operates 25 ATMs throughout the region.

As of January 1, 2008 BTA Bank's Zhambyl branch had 26,701 clients, including 1,230 entities and 25,471 individuals.

Zhambyl branch of BTA Bank vigorously contributes to the daily life of the region. The Bank regularly sponsors orphan asylums, handicapped children and the Union of Veterans of War and Labor in the oblast. In 2007 it provided a total of 365,000 tenge of sponsorship.
BTA Bank operating in the CIS and non-CIS countries is expanding into the Commonwealth. Its strategic bank partners cover Ukraine, four regions in Russia, Belarus, Georgia, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan and Turkey. BTA Bank also runs its representative offices in Russia, Ukraine, China and the United Arab Emirates.

In Kazakhstan, BTA Bank’s chain embraces 22 branches and 290 cash settlement centers.

Bank TuranAlem holds a number of industry awards. Reputed Itogi magazine named Bank TuranAlem "The Best CIS Bank 2007." Euromoney declared BTA "A Leading Bank in Corporate Governance in Emerging Europe 2007." BTA also appeared in the Banker’s TOP 300 and ranked the third in its Highest Movers rating. The Europe Business Assembly (EBA, Oxford, UK) awarded Bank TuranAlem JSC (BTA) the "Best Enterprise of Europe" in the Eurasian banking sector.