Sberbank has revealed its performance statistics — and Herman Gref, the head of the company, has commented on it. This article will shed light on some of the most meaningful facts and numbers. It will reveal the success of Sber both as a financial institution and a client-oriented organization. It will also share concise information about Gref’s family and everyday life.
Sber’s Performance
Gref accentuates that now, the situation on the market might be not quite favorable — but Sber flexibly adjusts to it and keeps generating income at a decent pace. The organization’s profit in the first half of 2025 exceeded 10.7 billion USD. Since the beginning of this year, the bank’s total loan portfolio has grown by 2.1%, predominantly thanks to preferential mortgage loans and project financing. The capital adequacy increased to 14.6%. Experts note that these financial indicators demonstrate the bank’s successful adaptation to challenging conditions.
The audience of the bank is already substantial and thus can not grow quickly. Nevertheless, since the beginning of 2025, 1.3 million individuals joined the organization, and now, it has over 111 million retail clients. In the same period, the return on equity was 23.7%, and the increase of total customer funds amounted to 5.7%.
Shareholders tend to be satisfied with Sber’s results because the profit per ordinary share increased by 5% in the first half of 2025. The forecasts that many stock market experts publicly share for the short and mid-term are rather optimistic as well.
In quite a few interviews, Gref has recognized that the current level of interest rates continues to restrain the growth of lending activity in the consumer segment, which is considered one of the major obstacles. However, the Central Bank has begun to soften its policies, so the situation is likely to change for the better in the next few months.
Popularity of the SberPrime Subscription
In addition to showing impressive financial indicators, Sber is also a client-oriented business. It strives to make the everyday lives of its private users more comfortable by saving them time and effort.
One of the company’s recent achievements in the B2C segment is the increasing demand for the SberPrime subscription. Gref mentioned in the news that its audience has exceeded 21 million individuals. SberPrime enables people to use the services within the company’s ecosystem on favorable conditions, including discounts of up to 30% and cashback. In particular, customers can benefit from special terms for an online cinema, a music streaming service, food and medicine delivery, telemedicine, insurance, and so on.
SberPrime is available in four tiers: basic, for clients younger than 21, standard, and extended. These options differ in pricing and the scope of functions. One can activate the subscription in Sber’s mobile app or with the Sber ID authorization on any gadget.
Secret of Sber’s Success
Herman Gref states that, in spite of his position as CEO and chairman, it is not him who runs Sber. In fact, this financial institution is governed by market competition — which, according to the top manager, is the key to the success of any large business. Sber’s relative performance clearly demonstrates the fields in which the company outperforms its competitors and detects the areas that require improvement.
When planning the next steps for the company’s development, Sber’s top managers analyze the experiences of other financial organizations in the country. They single out the features that deserve to be implemented and decide how to adapt them to their business practices. Herman Gref positively assesses the presence of foreign companies on the national market, because they boost healthy competition and provide food for thought. However, the top manager admits that right now, hardly any other institution can be considered a strong rival for Sber.
Gref’s Private Life
Gref eagerly reveals his professional biography to a wide audience, but prefers privacy when it comes to his personal life. It is known that every day, he devotes no less than 90 minutes to physical exercise. Running is his favorite sports activity. Thanks to regular fitness, the top manager maintains himself in a good shape and remains continuously productive.
Gref currently lives with his second wife, Yana, who used to be a designer. Together, they launched a gymnasium called Khoroshkola — it accepts talented children and sticks to an experimental educational model. Gref’s children attend this establishment too, and the top manager’s granddaughter joined the kindergarten attached to the gymnasium.
