Sberbank OJSC is the largest financial institution not only in Russia, but also in the CIS. It has a large network of units. The main field of activity of the institution is the provision of a wide range of investment and banking services. The main shareholder and at the same time the founder of the financial institution is the Central Bank of the Russian Federation. He owns more than half of the authorized capital and the voting share. About 40% of the shares are owned by foreign companies. The position of president of the institution and chairman of the board belongs to German Gref.
A bit of history
The central Sberbank began its history in 1841. It was during that period that Emperor Nicholas 1 issued a decree on the formation of savings banks. The first ticket office was opened in 1842 in the territory of St. Petersburg. In 1987, it was she who served as the basis for the formation of a bank for savings and lending to the population, including legal entities. The financial institution included 15 republican banks. At that time, it was very problematic to say unequivocally that Sberbank is a commercial or state financial institution. Since the summer of 1990, by decision of the Supreme Council of Russia, the Republican Bank was officially recognized as the property of the Russian Federation. By the end of 1990, the financial institution was transformed into a battery. In 1991, it was already possible to unequivocally answer the question of whether Sberbank is a commercial or state-owned bank. After the institution became the property of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, it received the official status of a joint-stock commercial bank.
Moments of crisis and state assistance
During the default period in 1998, a financial institution successfully copes with problems not only due to an increase in fees for services, but also due to state support. Sberbank shares are mostly owned by the Central Bank of Russia, which explains the government’s interest in the operation of the institution. A similar mutual support scheme helped the financial institution to get out of the 2008 crisis . So, in 2010, the bank has completely canceled commissions related to mortgages, consumer loans and car loans. Individuals were credited at individual rates. This situation caused difficulties when considering whether Sberbank is a commercial or state bank, since the institution offered many preferential programs in the post-crisis period.
Bank outside of Russia
In 2012, the largest bank in Russia has already received the title of leader in the field of credit cards. The volume of loans issued at that time amounted to more than 150 billion rubles. In parallel, a sale of 7.6% of the shares for a total of more than 5 billion rubles was carried out. The answer to the question: is Sberbank a commercial or state bank? ” lies in its structure. The financial institution has three subsidiaries in the CIS. Branches of the financial institution successfully operate in Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Belarus. Representative offices are also available in Europe. These are Sberbank Europe AG with an office in Austria, DenizBank with a head office in Turkey and Sberbank Switzerland AG with an official representative office in Germany. Representative offices are still in India and China.
Bank activities today
The answer to the question as to whether Sberbank is a state or commercial bank is obvious. The commercial structure takes a leading position in terms of the volume of assets, as well as in the number of settlement accounts of corporate clients, of which there are at least a million. Despite the fact that the shares of Sberbank are mainly owned by the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, it continues to flourish as an independent institution, it accounts for at least 45% of private deposits of the domestic market. About 11 million people receive salaries through a financial institution; more than 12 million people receive pensions. The financial institution has established about 19 thousand ATMs and 70 thousand self-service terminals throughout the country and issued more than 30 million plastic cards. The headquarters staff has long exceeded the figure of 240 people. The territorial network has 18 thousand units. The Sberbank Online @ Mobile and Mobile Bank applications are being actively developed. The customer base of remote systems has at least 5.4 million users.
Total information
Sberbank, whose system is very extensive, offers a wide range of services, ranging from various types of lending to broker services. Among the clients of a commercial institute there are not only private individuals, but also corporate clients, which account for 1/5 of the loan portfolio. The assets of a financial institution are differentiated as follows: the loan portfolio occupies 71% (73% of the loan portfolio are loans issued to enterprises and organizations), the securities portfolio covers 14%, and funds in accounts and cash registers - 5%. Liabilities have the following structure: deposits of individuals account for 46%, balances on corporate customers accounts - 23%, equity within 15% and interbank loans cover 11%.
Form of ownership: Sberbank of Russia - commercial or state bank?
The documentary side of the issue is very controversial. Let’s try to understand gradually, Sberbank is a state or commercial bank. By the type of its activity and based on everything written above, the structure conducts exclusively commercial activities. As for the form of ownership, it is state-owned. Moreover, the authorized capital, as the property of the Central Bank, has the format of federal property. The commercial bank partially belongs to the state sector of the economy. Moreover, the state does not bear any responsibility for the debts of the bank, and the bank for the debts of the state. The fact that a financial institution belongs to the category of open joint-stock companies indicates its commercial structure. In accordance with the registration number of the enterprise, it belongs to the category of mixed Russian property with part of the federal property.