OREANDA-NEWS. On August 12, 2008 BANK CASPIAN JSC (Almaty), securities of which are traded in Kazakhstan Stock Exchange (KASE) category "A" official list provided to KASE the press release where informs on the following, reported the press-centre of KASE:

Operating results yielded in the 6 months of 2008 as compared with those yielded during the respective period of 2007:

- Assets: 267 billion Tenge, 23-percent rise from 216 billion Tenge

- Loan portfolio: 188 billion Tenge, 31-percent rise from 143 billion Tenge

- Customer deposits: 98 billion Tenge, 36-percent rise from 72 billion Tenge

- Equity: 43 billion Tenge

- Net income:  2.3 billion Tenge

As compared with the respective period of a prior year, the assets grew 23%, rising from 216 to 267 billion Tenge, the loan portfolio grew 31%, rising from 143 to 188 billion Tenge, and the deposits grew almost 40%, rising from 72 to 98 billion Tenge. The equity and the net income reached 43 and 2.3 billion Tenge, respectively.

"Despite complex situation driven by the ongoing global financial crisis, we yielded good results", said Mikhail Lomtadze, Chairman of the Board of the Caspian Bank. "In the last 12 months we have achieved a strong growth of our assets and the loan portfolio. The deposits also grew 36% that was one of the highest growth rates amongst the Kazakh banks".

Speaking about the semi-annual results, Vyacheslav Kim, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Caspian Bank, made the following comment:  "While the competitors were carried away by quantities and were blowing up their balance sheets, the Caspian Bank was bringing about internal improvements", said Mr. Kim.

"As a result, we continue growing steadily. Our depositors and investors have confidence in the bank. The almost 40-percent rise in deposits is the best recognition of our development strategy. The Caspian Bank has strong shareholders, professional international team and "sympathies" of international financial institutions, which continue financing our bank in the environment when the majority of the Kazakh banks have difficulties in accessing capital markets".

Caspian Bank is the only Kazakh bank that in the last 12 months has borrowed money from the leading international institutions. "We have already borrowed 220 million US Dollars as long-term loans, 120 million US Dollars from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and 100 million US Dollars from the International Finance Corporation", says Mikhail Lomtadze. "In the near future we plan to further borrow up to 150 million US Dollars".

"Our strategy aims at one thing - offering our customers demanded high-quality services", added Mikhail Lomtadze. "Before the end of the year the Caspian Bank will offer its customers new deposit and credit products, focusing on such segments as retail and small and medium-sized businesses".

Apart from the fact that the bank has yielded good financial results, the Caspian Bank as a socially responsible financial institution is not consistently laying people off or reducing the branch network.

"Unlike many of our competitors, we have neither laid a single staff off nor reduced the number of branches", comments Mikhail Lomtadze. "We believe that the Caspian Bank must be not only a reliable partner for customers, but also a sustainable employer, both in good and bad times".