Brief Introduction:

Allied Bank started its operations in Lahore in 1942 under the name of Australasia Bank. It became Allied Bank of Pakistan in 1974. In August 2004, because of capital reconstruction, the bank's ownership was transferred to a consortium comprising Ibrahim Group; hence, it was renamed as Allied Bank Limited in 2005.

As of now, with its existence of over 70 years, the bank has built itself a foundation with a strong equity, assets and deposit base and is the fifth largest commercial bank of Pakistan.

It offers universal banking services, while placing major emphasis on retail banking. The Bank has a large network of over 1000 online branches and ATMs in Pakistan and offers various technology-based products and services to its diverse clientele.

Financial Performance CY15

Allied Bank Limited has gone from strength to strength - focusing mainly on balance sheet growth. It was very recent when the bank was recognised as the "Strongest Bank by Balance Sheet - 2015." The top line growth stayed moderate as interest rates remained on the lower side, coupled with limited asset growth. Banks of late have been shying away from high yielding riskier assets. The focus has shifted towards the safer havens of government securities - hence the limited top line growth.

Lower interest rates did not mean lower net interest income as ABL played smartly to rationalise cost of deposits. The deposit base has been increasing steadily, without being spectacular. But the real deal is the right kind of deposits being added to the liability book. ABL's CASA has been steadily improving over the years, having crossed 74 percent as at December end 2015. The gross spread ratio was recorded at a five-year high in CY15, despite challenging interest rate environment - a testament to ABL's drive towards rationalising deposit mix.