On October 12^th, Kompanion Bank celebrated its 12^th birthday.

Kompanion was founded by Mercy Corps, an international non-governmental organization, through the consolidation of assets of five microcredit agencies. In 12 years, Kompanion Bank has passed all stages of institutional development and today it is a sustainable community development financial institution with assets of KGS 7 billion. Among 25 Kyrgyz banks, Kompanion ranks eighth by equity and ninth by loan portfolio.

From the day of its establishment, Kompanion Bank has significantly expanded its presence in the market of Kyrgyzstan. Today, more than 1,000 Bank employees serve 98,000 clients in 109 outlets throughout the country. Bank’s shareholders are represented by Mercy Corps, Dutch development bank (FMO) and European investment funds of Triodos Bank.

In its operations, Bank pays particular attention to building long-term partnership relations with clients based on mutual trust, respect and integrity. Aiming for highest service standards, Kompanion adheres to client protection principles adopted in financial sector globally. In April 2014 Kompanion became the first organization in Central Asia that was certified by the Smart Campaign, which means that Kompanion Bank is committed to standards of socially responsible lending.

It’s worth mentioning that Kompanion is the only bank in Kyrgyzstan that has a development team of 30 highly qualified agronomists and veterinarians. Kompanion Bank’s unique integrated approach that involves provision of financial products and business development services allows clients to apply an ethno-ecological approach to management of natural resources and their business assets. In five years, Bank’s agronomists and veterinarians have conducted 12,300 free trainings attended by more than 31,000 households from 725 villages of Kyrgyzstan. Households apply received knowledge and skills and increase their crop yields and livestock productivity, which results in higher income for the population.

“We’d like to thank our clients for their trust, partners for reliable cooperation, and our staff for their commitment to work and priceless contribution to the development of Bank. We appreciate our long-term experience. We are proud of our history and continue to follow our mission by offering best financial solutions to the population of Kyrgyzstan,” noted Ulanbek Termechikov, CEO of Kompanion Bank.