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Ziraat Bank

Ziraat Bank Overview

Ziraat Bankası or “Agriculture Bank” is a Turkish state-owned bank. It provides commercial loan support to companies and tradesmen, as well as personal finance including consumer, vehicle and housing loans.

In 1863 Midhat Pasha, the governor of Nis province, reorganised Memleket Sandığı or “Homeland Funds”. It was the first agricultural financial institution founded by the state and operated with a state guarantee.

In 1888, Homeland Funds was renamed Ziraat Bankası and Ziraat Bank’s head office in Istanbul was established.

Ziraat Bank Moscow, Kazakhstan Ziraat International Bank, Turkmen Turkish Commercial Bank and Uzbekistan Turkish Bank were founded in 1993.

In 2001 Emlak Bankası wholly merged into Ziraat Bank. Ziraat Bank Greece opened in 2008.

The bank has more than 1,700 branches, including those abroad in countries including England, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.

It is owned by the government of Turkey.

Ziraat Bank News

Turkey Wealth Fund owns almost half of Turkish Airlines

UAE banks back Turkey Wealth Fund’s $1.2bn loan

State-backed Turkey Wealth Fund has secured its first loan without a treasury guarantee, backed by UAE-listed banks, a local newspaper reported. The sovereign fund raised €1.1 billion ($1.2 billion) two-year syndicated loan from 20 banks from 12 countries, Daily Sabah reported. The interest rate was set at Euro interbank offered rate, plus 2 percent annually for […]

Turkey Wealth Fund will continue its diversified investments in strategic sectors, President Erdogan said in the 2022 annual report

Turkey transfers shares in 12 companies to its wealth fund

The Turkish government has transferred treasury shares of 12 companies to the state-run Turkey Wealth Fund (TWF), according to a presidential decree published in the official gazette. Among these companies are Borsa Istanbul-listed Koza Altin Isletmeleri, Koza Anadolu Metal Madencilik Isletmeleri and Ipek Dogal Enerji Kaynaklari Arastirma, the decree said. However, no details on the […]

A Garanti branch in Istanbul. It is one of Turkey's largest banks by assets

Stable lira and bonfire of red tape help Turkish banks

Turkish banks are under less operational pressure thanks to a more stable lira, simpler rules and policymakers’ swing back towards economic orthodoxy, Fitch said on Wednesday.  Analysts at the credit rating agency warned that rising funding costs would compress lenders’ net interest margins, however. Fitch has raised its long-term foreign-currency issuer default ratings for 18 […]

Mir payment cards

Arab banks shun Russian Mir payments system after pressure

Along with losing ground on the battlefield in recent weeks, Moscow’s foothold in the Arab world’s financial system has also hit setbacks. Turkey’s finance minister Nureddin Nebati last Thursday announced that three state banks – Vakifbank, Ziraat Bank and Halkbank – had suspended the use of the Russian Mir payment system which is the country’s […]