Prosperity Trust Bank, often abbreviated as PTB or BPN, is a major private bank in the Divine Republic of Kresimiria. A wholly-owned subsidiary of the conglomerate Maj Holdings, it serves as the financial engine of the corporate empire built by Senator Bran Maj.
Founded in 2009, PTB was established explicitly to break the financial stranglehold of the Sinj-based establishment, represented by STP Credit. While it has grown into a multi-billion Krejt institution, popular among the industrial workers of Zahodecelska and the farmers of Pologradska, it faces constant regulatory obstruction from the central government.
History
The Credit Trap (Pre-2009)
For decades, Maj Holdings relied on loans from STP Credit to finance its expansion into steel and retail. However, as Bran Maj entered politics and began challenging the Blue Dawn status quo, he found his credit lines being squeezed. In 2008, following Maj’s acquisition of Kasa24, STP Credit (under the influence of the Czyhlarz family and Chairman Edar Brov) arbitrarily raised interest rates on Maj’s corporate debt, threatening the conglomerate’s liquidity.
Foundation and Expansion
Recognizing that financial independence was a prerequisite for political power, Maj founded Prosperity Trust Bank in 2009. He capitalized the bank using the foreign currency reserves of his logistics division.
The bank aggressively courted clients ignored by the Sinj elite:
- The North: PTB opened branches in Bistrica and Lipovljana, offering low-interest loans to forestry cooperatives and mining subcontractors, building goodwill in Northern Power strongholds.
- The West: In Cetingrad, PTB became the primary lender for the workers of Maj Steel, offering mortgages that tied employees closer to the company.
The Banking War
PTB exists in a state of cold war with STP Credit.
- The Digital Lockout: Following the 2015 Digital Vigilance Act, the government awarded the exclusive contract for clearing Digital Krejt transactions to STP Credit. This forces PTB to route its digital payments through its rival’s systems, paying a transaction fee to STP for every transfer—a situation Bran Maj has denounced as “state-sponsored theft.”
- Regulatory Harassment: The Bank of Zvonomir, under pressure from the Council for Growth, frequently audits PTB. In 2017, PTB’s license to trade foreign derivatives was suspended for six months, a move Maj claimed was orchestrated by Petar Czyhlarz.
Operations
Despite these hurdles, PTB remains profitable due to its vertical integration. It handles the payroll for the entire Maj Holdings workforce (approx. 85,000 employees) and manages the accounts of the Kasa24 retail network.
It is headquartered in the Maj Tower in Polograd, physically and symbolically removed from the “Gold District” of Sinj.
Controversies
“Grey Money”
The CRF and the CIA have accused PTB of laundering money for the “grey import” market. Allegations suggest that PTB facilitates the purchase of uncustomed goods from Kruhlstutt for sale in Kasa24 stores, bypassing federal tariffs.