Banking and Financial Services

Garanti Bank

Social Responsibility Projects

Garanti, following a productive, profitable and sustainable growth strategy, offers banking services that add value to both the economy and the society. This approach is also manifest in the corporate social responsibility projects of the Bank. In areas such as culture, arts, environment, education and sports that improve the vision of both the individual and the society, Garanti either creates long-term projects of its own or provides sponsorship support for existing projects. Taking its mission one step further, Garanti aims to provide long-term support for both the cultural life of society and its own corporate culture, through institutions set up under the umbrella of the Bank.

Cultural Institutions

Platform Garanti Contemporary Arts Center

Istanbul’s meeting point with contemporary arts, Platform hosted several exhibitions, workshops and conferences attended by more than 620,000 people since 2001. In addition to its archive of artists’ folders, international contemporary art magazines and DVDs, Platform also functions as a research center with a library of 6,500 publications and as an international source for artists in Turkey. In 2007, Platform hosted 4 exhibitions visited by 69,399 people and 21 activities attended by 3,584.

Garanti Gallery (GG)

Since 2003, GG has been offering a platform where different concepts in architecture and design are debated through exhibitions and additional activities. GG encompasses all disciplines related to design with a special interest in urban planning, architecture, industrial design, graphic design and fashion.

Exhibitions organized by GG since its inception had been seen by 172,627 people by the end of 2007. In 2007, the Garanti Gallery hosted 7 exhibitions visited by 33,823 people and 10 activities attended by 1,385.

Ottoman Bank Museum (OBM)

The Ottoman Bank Museum (OBM) was founded in 2002 to protect the extensive archives of the Ottoman Bank and to shed light on to the years in which the Bank was active. The historical building in Karaköy, which served as the headquarters of the Ottoman Bank for 108 years, is currently being used as a cultural center comprised of a museum, library, movie theaters, exhibition halls, an archive and a cafeteria. With activities ranging from exhibitions to meetings, documentary screenings and science events, the OBM contributes to the revival and preservation of social history.

In 2007, the Ottoman Bank Museum hosted 3 exhibitions visited by 8,524 people and 100 activities attended by 6,799. 4 exhibitions outside Istanbul, attracted 20,825 visitors.

International Projects

Garanti sponsors several important art activities around the world, aiming to reflect on the future from the past and contribute to the promotion of Turkey.

Turks in London

Garanti was one of the main sponsors of the exhibition “Turks: A Journey of a Thousand Years, 600-1600” held at the Royal Academy of Arts in London between January 22-April 12, 2005. This exhibition was later produced in the form of a documentary.

Genghis Khan and his Legacy

Garanti sponsored the exhibition Genghis Khan and his Legacy - The Great Mongol Empire, held at Sabancı University’s Sabancı Museum between December 7, 2005 - April 8, 2006.

Venice Biennial and the Turkish Pavilion

At the International Venice Biennial, regarded as one of the most important art events in the world, Garanti sponsored the Turkish Pavilion in 2005 and 2007.

Sponsorship Projects

Garanti’s approach to sponsorship is based on providing long-term support to selected events or projects that complement the Bank’s corporate culture and adds to the value of its brand. The Bank works like a “partner” with the organizations with which it cooperates and ensures that the project is sustainable.

Garanti Jazz Green

Garanti is a major sponsor of jazz in Turkey. The Bank has been the main sponsor of the International Istanbul Jazz Festival organized by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts since 1998. Garanti continued this support under the slogan “Garanti Jazz Green” in 2007.

Garanti for Nature

Garanti has been the main sponsor of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF-Turkey) since 1992, supporting many of the organisation’s projects for the sustainable use and preservation of natural resources in Turkey.

Garanti supported the Turkish screening of An Inconvenient Truth, former US Vice President Al Gore’s documentary on global climate change, in 2007. Hosted by Garanti and WWF-Turkey, Gore also gave a conference on Global Climate Change, which took place on June 12, 2007 in Istanbul.

12 Giant Men and the Nymphs of Basketball

Garanti is a dedicated supporter of basketball, a sport that reflects Garanti’s values of teamwork, dedication, confidence and discipline. The Bank has been the main sponsor of the “12 Giant Men” (Turkish National Men’s Basketball Team) since 2001 and of the “Nymphs of Basketball” (Turkish National Women’s Basketball Team) since 2005.

Garanti also sponsors the 12 Giant Men Basketball Schools Project, which was launched in 2002 to teach basketball to students and thus add to the sport’s popularity in Turkey. Approximately 21,000 students have so far been trained at these programs. Furthermore, in 2007, Garanti supported the Golden Wrists Basketball School organized free of charge by the Antalya Metropolitan Municipality.

Community Volunteers Foundation

Since 2003, Garanti has been a main sponsor of the Community Volunteers Foundation’s activities. The mission of the Community Volunteers Foundation is to prepare children for their future as sensible and responsible individuals.

Deniz Yıldızları (Starfish) Project

The Deniz Yıldızları (Starfish) Project has been supported by the donations of employees, customers and friends of Garanti since 1998. The schools constructed under this project (a primary school, an Anatolian technical high school, an Anatolian vocational high school, an industrial high school and a technical high school) are located in Darıca on an area of nearly 55,000 square meters.

Shedding Light on the Past

Lycian Way from Fethiye to Antalya

Work on the Lycian Way had begun with the “Four Lights for the Future” Competition, which was organized by Garanti in 1996 to celebrate its 50th anniversary. With the implementation of this project, which won the first prize in the environment category of the competition, the historic Lycian Way, 509 km between Fethiye and Antalya, was turned into a trekking path. Garanti further contributed to tourism in the region by publishing a guidebook for the Lycian Way in 2006, a tribute to the 60th anniversary of the Bank.

Arykanda

Garanti has sponsored excavations in the 4000-year-old city of Arykanda for the past decade. This program aims to uncover the shared heritage of mankind and its preserved values.

Black Sea: A Floating Exhibit of Turkey

This documentary, sponsored by Garanti Bank and the Netherlands Culture Fund, was screened at the Ottoman Bank Museum between December 20, 2006 and March 20, 2007. “The Black Sea: A Floating Exhibit of Turkey” was the result of an important project that offers a new perspective to Turkey’s much-needed promotional efforts. The documentary tells the story of the mobile exhibition project implemented at Kemal Atatürk’s suggestion three years after the proclamation of the Republic, for the purpose of promoting Turkey in Europe.

Services that Create Value for Customers

Garanti Anatolian Meetings

In 2002, Garanti initiated a series of gatherings, known as “Garanti Anatolian Meetings”, to bring industrialists and managers from around Turkey together with leading experts of the country and jointly develop regional solutions. Organized jointly with the Dünya Newspaper, the meetings continued in 2007 with gatherings in Bafra, Bursa, Antalya, Denizli, Nevşehir, Tekirdağ, Ordu, Sivas, Diyarbakır, Gaziantep, Kayseri and Mersin. Thus far, 48 gatherings in 37 provinces have been organized, making it possible for the Bank to meet with roughly 16,000 professionals; 141 speakers took part at these meetings.

Basel II Criteria and Related Opportunities

In 2005, Garanti launched a series of meetings to inform SMEs on the Basel II criteria and help them adapt to the financial practices of the 21st century. As of the end of 2007, 17 meetings had been held in 13 provinces with the participation of economists and Garanti managers as speakers.

Bonus Academy

Founded in 2002, the Bonus Academy organizes conferences and training programs for Bonus Card member companies. Hosting conferences where world-renowned experts and managers share their experience, Bonus Academy also offers training sessions and seminars to support the personal and professional development of the sales teams of member companies. To date, 13 speakers have been invited to Bonus Academy activities.

Garanti Foreign Trade Meetings Legislation Seminars

Beginning in 2004, Garanti has organized a series of Legislation Seminars as part of Foreign Trade Meetings to create opportunities for Turkish companies in international markets. The Bank has shared the latest information on foreign trade legislation, payment methods and letters of credit with its customers through 36 seminars, 7 of which were held in 2007.