History
Ayandeh Bank was established on August 7, 2013 with registration No. 442325 following the merger of two credit institutions and a bank. It started functioning as a private bank under the supervision of the Central Bank of the Islamic Republic of Iran with the license No. 93/349144 dated March 17, 2015. [4] Ayandeh offered the highest interest rates to retail depositors of any bank in Iran but had many non-performing loans on its books. [1]
The bank's largest investment was the Iran Mall, which opened in 2018. [1] In December 2020, the bank announced the sale of the Iran Mall for $3.5 Billion in a move to divest its non-banking assets. [5] Founder Ali Ansari loaned money to his own companies; according to Tasnim news agency, "90% of the bank’s resources were tied up in projects under its own management" when it was closed by banking authorities. [1] [6]
Ayandeh Bank operated of 270 branches all over Iran, including 150 in Tehran. [7]
The dissolve
On 23 of October 2025 Iran Central Bank revoked Ayandeh operating license. [11] The central bank of Iran announced that the bank would be dissolved and merged with Bank Melli, the government-run national bank. [7] [12]
The former governor of Iran's central bank Mohammad-Reza Farzin revealed that the bank has 5.5 quadrillion rials ($5.1 billion) in accumulated losses, 3.13 quadrillion rials ($2.9 billion) in overdrafts, and a negative 600 percent capital adequacy ratio. [11]
Much of the blame to the dissolution of the bank is put on corruption. [13] Ayandeh was established in a period of weak regulatory oversight and corruption in Iran's banking system. This instability coincided with economic pressures stemming from United Nations sanctions imposed on Iran in connection with its nuclear program .During this period, numerous unlicensed financial institutions, many affiliated with parastatal bodies, military organizations, or religious foundations, expanded rapidly across the country. These entities attracted deposits by offering exceptionally high interest rates but frequently failed to honor repayment obligations, resulting in big losses and restricted access to funds for many depositors. [13]
After gaining control of Bank Ayandeh, Ali Ansari tied the bank's financial position to Iran Mall. [14] The financing for Iran Mall was largely provided through Bank Ayandeh via extensive related-party lending to Ansari-linked companies. By late summer 2025 Bank Ayandeh had extended more than 140 trillion tomans in loans to affiliated entities, the majority of which were classified as doubtful receivables. [14] The largest borrower was the Iran Mall International Development Company, which accounted for roughly 70 percent of all related-party loans and the bulk of non-performing debt. Additional Ansari-linked firms and politically connected companies also received significant financing. [14]
An officials at the Iranian Central Bank accused the bank in running a Ponzi Scheme. That is, they the loaned more money than they could possibly repay. And that's what you have in a Ponzi scheme, by giving out loans that it cannot repay. [6]
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16,000 billion IRR (2017)
