Garanti BBVA CEO Assesses 2025 Performance and Outlines the Bank's Roadmap for 2026
Mahmut Akten points to 2025 as a year of strong performance and value creation for Garanti BBVA, setting the foundation for a clear and forward-looking strategic agenda for 2026. Following a period of high inflation in Türkiye, the economy has entered a normalization phase. Akten says Turkish banks should prepare for another challenging year, as regulatory credit limits are expected to remain largely in place to support disinflation efforts. While some adjustments may be considered, Akten underlines that maintaining financial discipline will be critical to achieving price stability and sustained growth.
Akten described 2025 as a year marked by strong results and sector leadership, not only in financial terms but across all strategic dimensions where the bank set out to create long-term value.
"We are closing out another record-breaking year in which we reinforced our leading position," Akten said. "2025 is a year in which we achieved all of our targets, strengthened our value creation and continued to be a pioneer in the sector on multiple fronts."
Growth anchored in customers
According to Akten, Garanti BBVA's core growth strategy in 2025 remained firmly centered on growing together with its customers. As the private bank serving Türkiye's largest customer base, Garanti BBVA surpassed 29 million customers this year, adding 2.3 million new clients in the first nine months.
The bank also maintained its position as the largest private bank in Turkish lira lending, while also protecting the balance between retail and commercial portfolios. It continued to lead in consumer lending, standing out in general purpose loans and overdraft products, while also increasing its market share in mortgage loans among private banks by nearly two percentage points.
On the corporate side, Garanti BBVA remained the private bank providing the largest support to the real sector in terms of total TL cash and non-cash loans. In payment systems, the bank preserved its pioneering position in the sector, with more than 13 million card customers. Along with its traditional leadership in retail card receivables, the bank also achieved leadership in commercial card receivables.
Disciplined balance sheet management
Akten emphasized that balance sheet discipline was critical in an environment of tight financial conditions and elevated costs. By maintaining full regulatory compliance and taking proactive measures, Garanti BBVA mitigated potential cost pressures while preserving asset quality.
The bank continued to grow through diversified, customFCOUNTRer-based funding. Closely monitoring asset quality in this tight monetary policy environment, Garanti BBVA has positioned itself as one of the best-performing banks in risk cost management, supported by a robust risk infrastructure, strong collection performance, and timely balance sheet cleanup actions. The mindset of customer-focused growth also enabled the bank to manage margins more effectively, despite sector-wide cost pressures.
Mahmut Akten, Country Manager of Garanti BBVA.
Leading transformation through technology
One of Garanti BBVA's key differentiators, Akten noted, is its role as a pioneer of technology transformation in the Turkish banking sector. Over the past 25 years, the bank's cumulative technology investments and spending have exceeded $5.5 billion.
Active digital customers approached 18 million in 2025, with 99% of banking transactions now conducted through non-branch channels. Garanti BBVA currently deploys nearly 900 artificial intelligence models across areas including credit assessment, marketing, fraud detection, risk management, software development, and customer satisfaction. Mobile assistant Ugi, now powered by LLM technology, generates dynamic, personalized solutions for customers.
A clear strategic agenda for 2026
Looking ahead, Akten said Garanti BBVA has already defined a clear roadmap for 2026, shaped by evolving market dynamics and supported by the strength of being part of the BBVA Group.
"Our goal remains to use our capital in the most efficient way to create maximum value for the economy and all our stakeholders," he said.
The bank's 2026 agenda is structured around six strategic pillars: delivering best-in-class customer experience through a radical customer perspective; sustainable and capital-generative growth with a strong focus on risk discipline and value creation; sustainability, with a strong emphasis on sustainable finance; continued strengthening in the enterprise segment; leveraging data and artificial intelligence as key enablers to unlock value; and ongoing investment in people, culture, and an inclusive working environment.
Akten highlighted that after exceeding its TRY 400 billion (around $9.4 billion) sustainable finance commitment ahead of schedule, Garanti BBVA has set a new target of TRY 3.5 trillion (approximately $82 billion) by 2029, reinforcing its role in Türkiye's transition to a low-carbon and inclusive economy.
"Our ambition is clear," Akten concluded. "To drive customer-centric growth by creating value, be a trusted partner throughout our customers' financial journeys, lead through innovation, and shape the future of banking in Türkiye."
Loan growth limits expected to continue in 2026
Mahmut Akten noted that Garanti BBVA expects growth across the Turkish banking sector to remain constrained next year, as authorities prioritize inflation control over rapid credit expansion.
Türkiye's annual inflation, which peaked at around 75% in 2024, has declined to approximately 31%, reflecting the impact of tight monetary and macroprudential policies. Regulatory credit limits—introduced to reinforce this policy stance—include caps on consumer loans as well as restrictions on SME and commercial lending.
Gradual relief, but no dramatic shift
Akten pointed out that Turkish lenders experienced some relief in 2025, as credit growth began to outpace inflation, easing pressure on balance sheets. This improvement was partly driven by non-limited areas such as credit cards, overdrafts, and business loans.
However, he cautioned against expecting a sharp policy reversal in the near term. Since mid-2023, tight monetary conditions have put pressure on banks' spreads and margins, increased funding costs, and affected returns. Yet he underlined the sector's resilience, citing its solid capital position, liquidity buffers, and highly qualified human capital.