Corporate Social Responsibility

We have been continuously carrying out inclusive social responsibility activities for over 70 years to fulfill our responsibilities towards society and to add value to the present and the future by keeping the values we are entrusted with alive. We support social welfare in various areas, not just finance, by being present where there is a need or room for improvement. We have the mindset that aims to always stand by all the segments of society; to reach anyone in need in all circumstances, to support and produce solutions according to the needs from childhood to retirement, in every period of life, anywhere in Türkiye.

As a bank that has not only focused on the economic results of its activities since its foundation, but has always taken into account its impact on society and nature, we consider sustainable banking as a fundamental element of our strategy. Owing to our sustainability perspective embedded in our DNA from our founding principles, we operate in line with social, ecological, and governance implications in every step we take and every product and service we develop.

We have been taking a leading role in the sector on energy efficiency and climate, financial inclusion, supporting production and employment by following the guidance of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. We continue to support our country with our deep-rooted history, competent team to build the banking of the future from today, strong technological infrastructure, intellectual, social, and financial strength.

We classify our activities in the field of corporate social responsibility, which we consider as one of the main pillars of sustainable banking, under three main headings: ‘education’, ‘culture’ and ‘sports’, and we prioritize creating value for the society with the long-term support and investments we provide.

With the awareness that the dream of a single child shall drive change and development in society and the world, we support children looking at the future much more hopefully by producing projects that support their dreams as a force that is there for them.

In collaboration with the Ministry of National Education of the Republic of Türkiye, we have touched the lives of more than 50 thousand gifted children under the umbrella of the Science and Arts Training Centers (BİLSEM) that enable children to unlock their potential since 2017. Undertaken the construction of 80 mechatronics, mind games, and artificial intelligence workshops, as well as over 170 information technologies laboratories. We aim to reach out to children through BİLSEMs, not only today but also in the future.

We have been taking part in social responsibility projects with the 'Goodness Ambassadors' project we have developed since 2021. Within the scope of our internal communication strategy, in 2024, we carried out in-house social responsibility activities with the Goodwill Ambassadors consisting of 125 Bank employees working on a voluntary basis. Following the trainings on social responsibility and the book writing workshop, VakıfBank Goodwill Ambassadors wrote pedagogue-approved books suitable for the 4+ and 6+ age group under the main topic of sustainability, then received storytelling training. In this context, they organized storytelling and sustainability-themed activities at schools in various provinces.

We bring together young people who produce innovative solutions focused on sustainability with the Hack to the Future hackathon, which we have been organizing every year since 2018.

We raise awareness in our society by sharing blog posts about financial literacy, sustainability, digital, financial solutions and events on our VakıfBank Blog page.

In 2024, we started publishing monthly Sustainability Bulletins in order to inform our Bank’s employees about environmental and social developments in our country and the world and to promote sustainability awareness at the grassroots level.

On May 27, 2024, we opened VakıfBank B’iz Museum, which bears the traces of our journey from 1954 to today and consists of banking transactions and equipment, personal collections of our employees and retirees. VakıfBank B’iz Museum, the first museum of Istanbul Finance Center, was granted the status of Private Museum under the Ministry of Culture and Tourism on October 8, 2024.

In 2025, we published our Corporate Sustainability Reporting TSRS Implementation Guide book, which is a comprehensive guide covering all aspects of the sustainability reporting process from start to finish for the first time in Turkey and enriched with application examples, providing companies and institutions with the information they need in a clear, understandable and applicable format within the framework of sustainability reporting, which has become mandatory as of 2024.

Launched in 2018 in the field of cultural publishing, VakıfBank Culture Publications (VBKY), with its ‘And Unique’ approach, brings readers works in a wide range of fields such as literature, history, economics, philosophy, children, classics, intersections, art, human, and society. Our publications, prepared in line with basic criteria such as reliable sources, measurable research, and the use of strong and accurate language, constitute a reference for everyone who values knowledge and art.

VBKY’s main mission is to enrich and expand Türkiye’s cultural and artistic life first on a national and then on a universal level, preserve the assets and values it is entrusted with, and pass them on to future generations. To this end, it presents the works of many local and foreign authors from different disciplines to large audiences. While expanding our cultural heritage through VBKY, we aim to provide our readers with quality works in which every line is imbued with meaning.

With a rich selection of books reaching 350 works in the coming period, VBKY will continue to work with the vision of contributing to Türkiye’s cultural heritage with the aim of being the publisher of works that will be read and carefully preserved not only for today but also for years to come.

You can visit our website (www.vbky.com.tr) to review the books published by VBKY.

15 Social clubs, established to help employees develop and demonstrate their artistic and sports skills, continued their activities. These clubs include theater, water marbling, Turkish Classical Music, Turkish Folk Music, Polyphonic Music, Football, Basketball, Chess, Folk Dances, and Healthy Life clubs in Istanbul, Ankara, and Izmir. In addition, in various corporate tournaments and organizations, employees represented VakıfBank in different fields, especially rowing, tennis and chess. Four concerts and two exhibitions were organized with our employee clubs.

VakıfBank Sports Club, VakıfBank’s longest-running social responsibility project, stands out as the most successful sports club in Türkiye, proving what Turkish women can achieve in the international arena and making significant contributions to the development of Turkish sports.

Thanks to the volleyball schools and infrastructure investments we have contributed to Turkish sports, we have introduced thousands of girls to sports and enriched their lives. Our club has managed to be the locomotive of Turkish sports with sustainable achievements for more than 38 years. VakıfBank Volleyball School, opened by VakıfBank in Sarajevo in 2018, has achieved exemplary success on an international scale by earning the title of ‘the first club to open a volleyball school in Europe’. We have raised more than 100 national players from our infrastructure for Turkish sports to date. In addition, we combined social responsibility awareness with sports through our projects aimed at raising awareness for disabled and disadvantaged youth.

With VakıfBank Women’s Volleyball Team, we became the pride of Turkish volleyball thanks to our achievements in the international arena. With 4 FIVB Club World Championships, 6 CEV Champions League, 1 CEV Top Teams Cup, and 1 CEV Challenge Cup Championship, we hold the title of the ‘Team with the most trophies in the international arena in Türkiye’. With a 73-match winning streak between October 23, 2012, and January 22, 2014, we have achieved the title of ‘The volleyball team with the most consecutive official wins’ and with 6 championships in the CEV Champions League the ‘Team with the most wins in the FIVB Club World Championships’ and the ‘Club with the most wins in the CEV Champions League’, and thus, we have managed to enter the Guinness World Records three times.

In the upcoming period, VakıfBank Sports Club will continue to elevate Turkish sports to new heights on both national and international stages by transcending the traditional role of a sports club through all these achievements.

You can visit the Club site (www.vakifbanksporkulubu.com) to discover the VakıfBank Sports Club, a source of pride for our bank and country.

VakıfBank, always with you

Corporate Social Responsibility

Our Bank