Kyrgyzstan: AUB looks to be big in Bishkek

“We want to build the best retail branch network in the country” Mikhail Nadel, AUB

AsiaUniversalBank, Kyrgyzstan’s largest financial institution, is looking to up the ante in the central Asian republic’s increasingly competitive banking marketplace, with a big expansion of its retail banking operations. Designed to take advantage of the increasing bankability of the country’s population of about 5 million, the move will involve AUB increasing its branch network from four to about 100 by the end of next year, with the bank’s headcount set to soar from 300 to 800.