Banking & Finance Turkey moves out of FATF grey zone Turkey has been removed from an international watch list of countries with lax regulations on international money laundering and countering funding to illegal groups. The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) announced it was taking Turkey off its grey list at the watchdog’s plenary session in Singapore on Friday. It said the country had made significant […] June 28, 2024
Real Estate Turkey announces plans to drop cap on rent increases Turkey is set to remove a two-year-old cap on residential rental increases, but some analysts warn that the lifting of restrictions may spark a further rise in rents and feed into already high inflation. On May 20 treasury minister Mehmet Şimşek announced restrictions on rental increases would be abandoned at the beginning of July, saying […] June 25, 2024
Retail Turkish retailers’ confidence wavers as inflation bites Confidence is falling among Turkish retailers, according to a survey from the country’s statistics agency Turkstat. Shoppers have been scaling back on big-ticket purchases, spending instead on basic consumer goods as inflation piles pressure on household incomes. May’s business confidence report, released by Turkstat on June 24, showed sentiment in the retail sector at its […] June 24, 2024
Economy Turkey to impose minimum corporate and income taxes Turkey has finished work on a proposed new economic reform plan, which includes a minimum corporate and income tax to increase the take from direct taxes. The package, which will be submitted to the parliament soon, proposes a minimum 15 percent corporate tax on multi-national companies with more than €750 million ($804 million) in annual […] June 21, 2024
Real Estate Foreigners turning back on Turkish real estate Foreign buyers are increasingly shunning the Turkish property market, wary of high prices, the expensive cost of living and a less welcoming environment for overseas real estate investors. There were only 2,064 residential units sold to foreign buyers in May, 35 percent down on the same month last year, data issued by the state statistics […] June 16, 2024
Finance Turkey repays $5bn Saudi deposit to cut liabilities Turkey’s central bank has repaid a $5 billion deposit by Saudi Arabia as part of its plan to lower external liabilities. The amount was returned to the Saudi Fund for Development, received in 2023, the central bank said in a statement. “Our external liabilities have recently improved by $7 billion through the reduction of deposit […] July 25, 2024
Aviation Price talks rumble on between Turkish Airlines and Boeing Turkish Airlines will not announce a deal with Boeing at the Farnborough Airshow this week as negotiations over the engine price continue, chairman Ahmet Bolat has said. “We are not going to announce anything in Farnborough,” he said, adding talks were being held with engine supplier GE on Monday. “I think we are close, but the […] July 23, 2024
Tourism Rising costs and fewer visitors hit Turkey tourism Turkey’s tourism industry is contending with rising costs and a slowing of the domestic economy which is affecting the plans of local holidaymakers. There are also concerns that high prices could hit foreign arrivals as the country sheds its reputation as a cheap holiday destination. Some parts of the industry are nonetheless enjoying a strong […] July 23, 2024
Economy Moody’s upgrades Turkey’s credit rating by two notches Turkey’s efforts to improve its economic credentials and attract investment have been given a boost by the credit ratings agency Moody’s, after what the agency said was a return to a more balanced economic policy programme. In a statement on July 19, Moody’s said it had upgraded Turkey’s long-term foreign and domestic currency issuer and […] July 22, 2024
Logistics Ports merged to form logistics centre in Turkey DP World, a global port operator, and Istanbul-headquartered Evyap Group have merged two ports on the Marmara Sea to create a new logistics centre in Turkey. The merger followed regulatory approval from the Turkish Competition Authority, the UAE state-run Wam news agency reported. No financial details were released. Evyapport, located in the port of Izmit on […] July 22, 2024
Opinion Markets Regional debt issuance boosts Islamic bond take-up Large Muslim countries have skewed global sukuk markets July 19, 2024
Construction Earthquake rebuild fuels rise in Turkish construction hires A sharp increase in hirings and orders point to a rebound in Turkey’s construction sector, although rising costs, high interest rates and weak demand for new residential properties remain big challenges to continued growth. Employment levels in the construction sector reached 80-month highs in May and more than 1.8 million workers were on the books, […] July 18, 2024
Finance Turkey targets business with steep taxes to raise revenue Multinational corporations operating in Turkey face a steep increase in their tax bills, thanks to one of the new revenue-raising measures outlined by the government in draft legislation aimed at narrowing the budget deficit. Under the new tax reforms, tabled before the parliament on July 16, multinationals with more than $817.6 million in annual consolidated […] July 17, 2024
Trade Turkey slashes current account gap by 84% Turkey has cut its current account gap by more than 80 percent in a year, with improved trade data and strong portfolio inflows. However, a slowing of foreign direct investment points to underlying caution by outsiders. The current account deficit for May was $1.2 billion, a report issued by the Turkish Central Bank on July […] July 16, 2024
Manufacturing Chinese EV maker Byd to open $1bn plant in Turkey Chinese electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer Byd will construct a $1 billion plant in Turkey, according to a news report. The agreement was signed between the Chinese company and Turkey’s industry and technology ministry on Monday in the presence of Turkey’s president Tayyip Erdogan. Bloomberg reported citing officials that the announcement planned on Monday. The electric […] July 8, 2024
Construction Turkish contractors bag $7.6bn worth of overseas projects Turkish contractors have started work on overseas projects valued at $7.6 billion in the first half of 2024, according to official data. The number of projects reached 82 in the January-June period, state-run Anadolu Agency said, quoting trade ministry data. The average project value increased to $92 million in the first half of 2024, up […] July 5, 2024
Manufacturing Turkish manufacturers struggle to regain momentum Turkey’s powerful manufacturing sector is still pessimistic about the country’s short-term economic prospects, with new orders slowing further and reduced employment levels, a closely watched survey of confidence has revealed. There were, however, some hopes that a softening of inflation could herald better sales later in the year, the survey found. The Istanbul Chamber of […] July 3, 2024
Manufacturing Tesla outpaces Togg with Turkey-specific model Tesla sales in Turkey surpassed those of the local brand Togg in June, following the introduction of a model tailored for the Turkish market. The US electric vehicle (EV) maker sold 2,670 units of the Model Y RWD sport-utility vehicle (SUV), designed to avoid high taxes on vehicles exceeding 160 kilowatts of power, the Daily […] July 3, 2024
Economy Turkey holds interest rate at 50% despite inflation risks Turkey’s central bank maintained its benchmark interest rate at 50 percent and will retain a tight monetary stance until inflation is tamed. The last 500 basis points rise to the benchmark rate was announced in March following a deteriorating inflation outlook. The rate has been hiked by 4,150 basis points since June 2023 to ease inflation […] June 28, 2024
Finance UAE’s e& buys Turkish cloud provider GlassHouse The UAE telecom operator e&, formerly Emirates Telecommunications Group company and Etisalat, has acquired the Turkish cloud services provider GlassHouse through its wholly owned subsidiary e& enterprise. A binding agreement has been signed between e& enterprise and Mediterra Capital, a private equity firm that provides investments in Turkey, to take over 100 percent of GlassHouse […] June 26, 2024
Food & Drink Mubadala injects $250m to revive Turkey’s Getir Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala Investment Company will invest $250 million in Turkish grocery delivery startup Getir as part of a restructuring programme that will split it into two standalone units. The first standalone business will focus on domestic online groceries and food delivery services, with Mubadala, an existing shareholder, holding the management and majority stake, Reuters […] June 25, 2024
Economy Cairo and Istanbul feel biggest cost of living squeeze Dubai has become the most expensive city in the Middle East for expatriate workers, while Cairo and Istanbul were among the cities that saw the biggest rise in the cost of living this year, as soaring inflation impacted wages. Dubai, the UAE’s largest city, saw rental prices rise by about a fifth in the last […] June 18, 2024
Economy UAE to invest in Turkey’s economic sectors says minister The UAE is willing to invest across numerous sectors in Turkey, said Emirati energy and infrastructure minister Suhail Al Mazrouei. The Gulf state is exploring opportunities in the energy, agriculture, transportation, tourism and other sectors, state-run Anadolu Agency (AA) news agency reported, citing the minister on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. […] June 16, 2024
Employment Unemployment rate falls in Turkey but warnings persist Turkish unemployment levels fell to their lowest rate in more than 11 years in April, helped by strong first-quarter growth. However, troubling longer-term prospects could mean job queues lengthen again. Turkey’s headline unemployment rate, covering those aged 15 and over, fell to 8.5 percent in April, the lowest since November 2012 and down from 10 […] June 11, 2024
Oil & Gas Deal for Iraq oil via Turkish pipeline coming ‘soon’ A deal is expected soon for Iraq to resume oil exports via a pipeline to the Turkish port of Ceyhan on the Mediterranean coast. The Iraqi oil ministry, Kurdistan’s Ministry of Natural Resources and international oil companies met on Sunday in Baghdad to discuss resuming production and exports, said Iraq’s oil minister, Hayan Abdul Ghani. […] June 10, 2024
