[1] Until 1999, it mainly granted loans and provided settlement and cash services to farmers and agricultural organizations in Yegorlyksky District.

At the end of 1998, former employees and clients of the Gukovsky branch of Rostovsocbank acquired a 100% stake in the authorized capital of the loss-making SCB “Yegorlyk,”[11] which was later renamed to “Donskoy Narodny Bank.” The logo has changed.

[13] The phenomenon of the “Donskoy Narodny Bank,” based on close ties with local communities, has been studied by scientists and museum workers.

[16] Bank, despite significant credit risks, provided loans to these organizations and their employees and local administrations of mining cities and regions of the Don.

[17] To improve the financial literacy of the population, offline and television meetings of citizens with the management of the Bank and its divisions were held regularly.

When issuing loans, the Bank used as creditworthiness indicators the size of farmland and household plots, productivity and reviews of fellow compatriots about potential borrowers.“Donskoy Narodny Bank” introduced some innovative services: new types of deposit products, including those with hedging of currency risks, overdrafts to the accounts of individuals and entrepreneurs, loans for the development of personal subsidiary plots, gasification and housing construction.

In particular, DNB was a sponsor and, together with the All-Russian State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company “Don-TR,” co-organized the TV project “Erudite of the Don,” dedicated to the sights of the Rostov Oblast.

It created an obstacle to continuing high growth rates and led to the need to find a strategic investor.

Based on the DNB, the Rostov branch of OTP Bank was created, with its head office in Gukovo.