Full-service bank with FinTech DNA - Anadi Bank continues to grow

• Annual result doubled to EUR 1.1 million despite extensive strategic investments
• Strong capital base, capital efficiency further increased
• "MARIE": Distribution cooperation with Austria's tobacconists launched
• Expansion to Germany: Digital SME loan rolled out
• Digital loan book more than doubles, with continued strong growth
• Top positions in industry rankings and consumer surveys

Vienna, 8 March 2022

Anadi Bank more than doubled its net profit for 2021 to EUR 1.1 million compared to the previous year (2020: EUR 0.5 million). Profit on ordinary activities also increased to EUR 2.3 million compared to the previous year (2020: EUR 2.2 million). The bank maintained high cost and risk discipline despite extensive strategic investments in the digital business and branches. This discipline and a successful strategic transformation that quickly bore fruit were the success factors. "Our turnaround story continues. We see ourselves as a full bank with FinTech DNA - that means we combine the innovative power and agility of a FinTech with the opportunities and experience of an established full bank," explains Christian Kubitschek, CEO of Anadi Bank.

Strong capital ratio, high capital efficiency
The capital ratios remain well above regulatory requirements, although all strategic business areas (Retail, Corporate and Digital Banking and Public Finance) continued to show strong growth in 2021. The Common Equity Tier 1 capital ratio CET 1 reached 2021 12,8 % (2020: 12,9 %) and the total capital ratio 15,0 % (2020: 15,2 %) at year-end. Anadi Bank's total assets amounted to EUR 2,730 million as at 31 December 2021 (31.12.2020: EUR 2,566 million), an increase of +6.4%. The strong business growth was accompanied by continuously increased capital efficiency: The bank optimised its refinancing strategy and further increased growth, especially in high-margin business areas.

Investment year 2021: Digital business strategy and branch modernisation
Anadi Bank's strategic realignment was initiated in the second half of 2020 and completed in the course of 2021. On the one hand, the bank realised efficiency potentials through profound process optimisations, on the other hand, the bank made far-reaching strategic investments in the modernisation of all branches and in the further development of digital business models. "The Corona pandemic, lockdowns, a volatile global economy, bottlenecks in global supply chains and commodity markets - none of this could slow down our success. It shows that our digital business strategy 2.0 not only bears fruit very quickly, but is also resilient in times of crisis and generates growth. Especially against this challenging backdrop, we will continue on our successful path with determination and continue to implement our business strategy 2.0 in a disciplined manner," affirms CEO Kubitschek.

“MARIE" sales cooperation and digital SME loan as milestones
2021 the bank achieved two milestones in its new strategic direction: Anadi Bank introduced its digital SME loan in Germany and launched the sales cooperation with Austria's tobacconists: Under the MARIE brand, modern, digital banking services are coming to many Austrian tobacconists via tablet. The tablet-based business model is a highly efficient innovation on the market in times of widespread branch closures and supply gaps in standardised banking services. Within a very short time, more than 100 partner tobacconists have already joined the sales cooperation. The nationwide rollout of MARIE will be consistently continued in 2022. Thanks to its high degree of automation, the digital SME loan rolled out in the course of the digital expansion to Germany is a non-bureaucratic and cost-efficient offer for more than 2.5 million small and medium-sized enterprises in the neighbouring country.

Digital loan book more than doubled
The extensive investments had a very pleasing impact on the digital loan book in 2021. The development of the digital consumer loan is particularly noteworthy: "This fully automated and paperless offering is making a full impact on the market and more than doubled the volume of new business. This is all the more remarkable because we were able to achieve this new business growth against a clearly negative market trend," says Alp Dalkilic, Chief Digital Officer on the Executive Board and responsible for the digital agenda.

Anadi Bank convinces industry and consumers
The successes in the financial year 2021 also attracted a lot of positive attention in the market. For example, Anadi Bank was named "Austria's Most Innovative Bank" by the renowned business magazine "Börsianer" and "Best Digital Banking Solutions in Austria" by the international financial medium "CFI.co - Capital Finance International". In addition, the bank was ranked among the best in two consumer studies by the “ÖGVS - Gesellschaft für Verbraucherstudien (Society for Consumer Studies)”: In the overall ranking on online instalment loans, the bank achieved first place, with the highest ratings in the categories "Conditions" and "Customer Service". In the current ÖGVS industry monitor, Anadi Bank was named "Industry Champion 2022" in the area of credit banks and was successful in all three categories "customer satisfaction", "customer service" and "price/performance".

Anadi: full-service bank with FinTech DNA
Anadi Bank's in-house FinTech division, which already employs around 40% (excluding the branch network) of its approximately 250 employees, serves as the motor and driver of FinTech innovations. Another strategic focus of the bank is to strengthen the branch network and the digital FinTech hub in its home market of Carinthia. From there, Anadi Bank is continuously expanding its state-of-the-art digital platform. The Anadi FinTech division is developing new, innovative products and services in order to position them as an attractive digital banking offering for the entire German-speaking region.

In the Retail Banking segment, Anadi Bank's client-oriented focus on competent advice is also reflected in the business volumes and product deals achieved. The branch network, which was fully modernised in 2021, remains a centrepiece of the retail strategy. The Corporate Banking segment continued to record impressive business development in 2021 with high-margin exposures and a broad sector mix. Anadi Bank impresses its corporate clients above all with its speed, personal advice and individual solutions. In the Public Finance segment, Anadi Bank continues to be a reliable and strong partner for public sector financing.

Outlook 2022: Growth in all customer segments, high pace of investment in digital banking
Anadi Bank's strategic focus in 2022 will continue to be on profitable and continuous growth in high-margin areas with efficient use of capital. In doing so, the new, scalable business models in digital banking will be innovatively further developed and vigorously expanded through dynamic growth. Anadi Bank will establish its FinTech DNA even more strongly as a benchmark in the digital financial sector, focusing on retail and SME clients in Austria and Germany. The bank will further strengthen and expand strategic partnerships in the digital sector. The goal is to identify and consistently tap disproportionate growth potential. In corporate banking, the bank will continue to pursue a consistent niche strategy with a focus on entrepreneurial SMEs, especially owner-managed companies, and the comprehensive and long-standing expertise in selected sectors, such as real estate financing. At the same time, the focused and modernised branch network and our Public Finance division remain important building blocks of our business model.

"Anadi Bank is excellently positioned for the future. The basis of our success lies in the continuous efforts of all our employees to actively and successfully shape the Bank's future with innovative strength, implementation power and agility. On this basis, Anadi Bank, with its identity as a full-service bank with FinTech DNA, will succeed in exploiting opportunities and potential sustainably and comprehensively", concludes CEO Christian Kubitschek.

About Anadi Bank
Anadi Bank is an Austrian hybrid bank with the business segments Retail Banking, Digital Banking, Corporate Banking and Public Finance. With its unique value proposition, Anadi Bank challenges traditional banking models: on the one hand, it offers personalised customer care via a multichannel approach with 11 branches in Carinthia and Vienna and a team of customer care agents. On the other hand, Anadi Bank focuses on easy-to-use digital services and is developing its portfolio into a top online banking offering for the German-speaking region: most recently with the launch of a digital SME loan as part of its expansion into Germany, as well as with the start of a unique sales cooperation under the MARIE brand, which brings banking services to tobacconists. The digital DNA of the institution is visible in the bank's internal FinTech, in which about 40% (excluding the branch network) of the total of about 250 employees of Anadi Bank are already working. For its approximately 58,000 customers and as the principal bank of numerous companies in trade, industry and real estate, as well as a large number of municipalities and public institutions, the bank makes targeted use of the advantages of its lean structure and high decision-making speed.