Ivan Dachev: The stable growth is no coincidence – it is built on consistency and right decisions

There is no separate measure of trust in banks’ financial statements, but according to Ivan Dachev of ProCredit Bank, it underpins every key result.

Dachev is the Chief Financial Officer of ProCredit Bank and has worked there since 2002, when he started as an accounting trainee. He is now a member of the financial institution’s Management Board and says that it takes him between 10 and 15 minutes of professional discussion with a candidate for a new position to work out whether they share the same values and can pull in the same direction.

Ivan Dachev likes numbers, but considers what lies behind them to be more important – namely, people. In them, he looks for curiosity, a desire to learn and consistency.

Between rapid growth and consistency, Dachev chooses the latter.

In 2026, ProCredit Bank will celebrate its 25th anniversary in Bulgaria. If he had to sum up the journey so far, he would do so in a single sentence:

“We support our clients’ development and grow alongside them.”

Today, he describes the bank as an organisation that is “in its youth, yet mature for its years”. 

“We are no longer that young organisation still finding its way, but we remain dynamic, adaptable and enthusiastic. At the same time, we have developed maturity in our management, risk culture, processes and customer relations. 

Our clients are growing; they are developing and expanding their teams and broadening their markets. The Bank is changing alongside them – not only to meet expectations, but also so that we ourselves can be a catalyst for progress.”

This does not mean that the Bank’s most dynamic years are behind us. They may not even have arrived yet.

The challenges now come simultaneously from the economy, politics, geopolitics and technology.

“We operate in a constantly changing environment. We are a smaller bank; we adapt quickly and are often the driving force behind change, so that we can meet our customers’ expectations and requirements.

Customers expect banking services to be provided immediately, remotely and without unnecessary red tape or a lot of steps.”

Predictability and a systematic approach are key when decisions need to be made, says Dachev. And although ProCredit Bank’s customers are the end-users of the services, with no insight into the processes behind them, their feedback indicates that they particularly value the financial institution’s consistency and predictability. 

Dachev does not favour abrupt moves resulting from spur-of-the-moment decisions. “Rapid changes involve greater risk. If we then have to go back and rework what has already been done, that does not fit with our way of working. We have spent 25 years building trust with our customers, and that can be called into question in a single day. That is a risk we are not prepared to take.

A big leap is not necessarily a great success.”

For Ivan Dachev, a good result is one underpinned by clear logic and a well-planned strategy, and one that can be explained. Growth must be well-founded. Profits must be sustainable. The technology must be tried and tested, and the customer must know what to expect. Everything else can change relatively quickly.

“For us, profit is not an end in itself, nor is it the most important indicator. Of course, every investor expects a return. But more important than the figures themselves are the sustainability of the financial results and their predictability.”

A strong year looks good on the financial statements, but for Dachev the more important question is where the results come from and what follows. “When there are ups and downs over the years, this quite often indicates a lack of consistency and long-term vision.”

If you expect Ivan Dachev to start his day early in the morning simply by reviewing the figures, you’ll be in for a surprise. They are important, but on their own they don’t tell the whole story. The key lies in understanding the processes and the factors behind them, so that the results are expected rather than surprising.

“In a dynamic environment such as the banking sector,” explains Ivan Dachev, “the value lies not just in monitoring the indicators, but in understanding the mechanisms behind them. In this way, the figures confirm expectations rather than creating them.”

“Our focus is on strategic and key business indicators, which we forecast with a high degree of accuracy. The basis for this is constant communication with middle management and their teams, as well as the analysis of various possible scenarios. That is why there are usually no surprises when the official results are released, because we think several moves ahead,” summarises Dachev.

The difference isn’t in the debit card.

ProCredit Bank’s clear profile as a bank focused on small and medium-sized enterprises helps when comparing it with the largest financial institutions in this market segment. “If we compare only the positions in this segment, ProCredit Bank ranks among the top four, and in some periods over the past 25 years, it has even been among the top three banks in the Bulgarian market,” explains Ivan Dachev.

“We aim to retain and attract customers in a slightly different way – not just through competitive pricing, but through service, innovative products and processes that, in the long term, will lead them to recognise us as their bank,” adds Dachev. 

It is difficult for banking products to be entirely unique. They all offer cards, accounts, loans and digital banking.

“Debit cards are available everywhere. The difference lies in the bank – in terms of service and flexibility, but also in terms of its overall philosophy and culture,” argues Dachev, adding:

“ProCredit Bank is what it is thanks to the people who work there. Together with the team, we achieve everything. Behind every satisfied customer lies the professional approach of our colleagues.” 

Ten minutes are enough.

Dachev takes part in the final stage of the recruitment process for his departments. His interview with the candidate usually lasts around 15 minutes – once the candidate’s professional knowledge has already been assessed in the earlier stages of the selection process. 

The Chief Financial Officer wants to understand why the candidate would specifically want to work at ProCredit Bank and is interested in their reaction when discussing the bank’s values.

“It is so important to be open-minded, consistent, eager to learn, and to keep our skills up to date. When I see how a candidate reacts to and takes on board the topic, I can tell very quickly whether they share our values.”

“Any gaps in knowledge can be filled, but if we aren’t all pulling in the same direction, we usually part ways quite quickly.”

“The key is whether a person wants to learn. And whether they want to do so with us.”

At ProCredit Bank, staff are given the time to develop and try out different roles.

“When processes are developing positively and sustainably, even if there are temporary fluctuations, we do not resort to drastic changes. This makes us predictable.”

That is precisely what trust is all about: not changing direction at the first sign of a wobble, but building confidence within the team that they will overcome any challenge.