56.1. Financial instrument strategy

The Group’s core business focuses on financial products offered to customers: retail customers, entrepreneurs and enterprises, public sector and budget institutions as well as non-banking financial institutions. Short-term fixed rate deposits as well as current and savings accounts are the key items of the Group’s liabilities. On the other hand, the Group’s assets comprise such credit products as mortgage loans, cash loans, credit cards, overdrafts, investment and revolving loans, subsidised loans, factoring facilities, leasing, guarantees, international trade finance transactions (e.g. letters of credit), the majority of which are medium- and long-term instruments bearing interest based on short-term market rates.

The Group uses financial market instruments in the first place to manage the liquidity, interest rate and currency risk inherent in its core business, considering the internal risk appetite as well as market trends in the medium and long term.

Additionally, the Group offers access to financial market instruments to its customers for purposes of hedging market (currency, interest rate or commodity) risk inherent with their core business.