With interest rates falling, Turkey’s banks have moved away from financing of government debt to providing loans and mortgages. Metin Demirsar reports.Turkey’s banking system is growing rapidly due to cross-border transactions and a buoyant economy. Banks are shifting funds from government securities to loans, as interest rates fall, and competition is intensifying in consumer banking and housing finance.
Israel’s biggest financial institution, Bank Hapoalim, announced on September 13 that it had signed a memorandum of understanding to acquire a 50% share in Turkey’s C Kredi ve Kalkinma Bankasi (C Bank) for $113m, with the aim of breaking into the lucrative Turkish mortgage and project finance markets.
Greek hesitancy to invest in Turkey’s financial sector is set to change, according to senior Greek and Turkish bankers who attended an inaugural joint meeting in Athens in May under the umbrella of the Washington-based Institute of International Finance, the global association of financial institutions.
KoÇ Financial Services, a 50-50 joint venture between Koç Holding of Turkey and UniCredito of Italy, has acquired 57.4% of Yapi ve Kredi Bankasi for €1.160bn. The deal, May 9, comes as foreign banks rush headlong to acquire Turkish banking assets ahead of membership talks between Ankara and the EU in October.