Çalık Group's Banka Kombetare Tregtare (BKT)

Mavi Boncuk |
Banka Kombetare Tregtare (BKT) English Site

With its foundation dating back to 1920, Banka Kombetare Tregtare (BKT) began operating under its present title in 1993 following the merger of two state-owned banks; Albanian Commercial Bank (ACB) and National Bank of Albania (NBA). Until the establishment of private banks was sanctioned in 1996, BKT remained the sole provider of all banking services in Albania. The Bank was privatized on July 6, 2000 and acquired by the consortium, in which Kentbank owned a 60% stake and EBRD and IFC each held a 20% share. Majority shares of BKT were transferred to Çalık Holding in 2006 and BKT became a 100% subsidiary of the Group following the acquisition of the remaining 40% shares of EBRD and IFC by Çalık Finansal Hizmetler in June 2009.

BKT operates in Albania and Kosovo with 68 branches in total. BKT is one of the oldest banks in Albania and provides services for a significant number of residents in Albania and Kosovo. As Albania’s second largest bank in terms of branch network, BKT also has become the most competitive bank with regard to distribution channels and personal products particularly through investments made in recent years. The synergy generated with the other subsidiaries of the Group operating in Albania, namely the GSM operator Eagle Mobile and fixed line telephone operator Albtelecom, provides BKT with competitive edge in the region.

Çalık Holding A.Ş is a Turkish conglomerate based in Istanbul, active in the sectors of textiles, energy, construction, finance, logistics and media. Through its ventures in and outside of Turkey, Çalık employs a total of 19,000 people.