Türk Ticaret Bankası Resumes Operations
The launch event of Türk Ticaret Bankası, which has resumed operations with a renewed structure, was held at the Türkiye Exporters Assembly Foreign Trade Complex.
Türkiye Exporters Assembly (TİM) Chairman Mustafa Gültepe stated: “Türk Ticaret Bankası will henceforth operate not merely as a lending institution, but as a strategic partner that facilitates exporters' access to financing and offers alternative solutions to collateral challenges.”
With its 112-year history as the first private capital national bank of Türkiye, Türk Ticaret Bankası announced the commencement of its operations under its revitalized structure. Following the briefing session held at the Conference Hall of the Türkiye Exporters Assembly Foreign Trade Complex, the inauguration of the bank's first branch within the TİM campus—the European Central Branch—was also conducted. Entering the sector with a robust strategy and a 'phygital' banking vision that integrates digital and physical services, the bank delivers solutions that will give exporters a competitive edge in global markets. Through its reliable, swift, and efficiently structured innovative banking services, Türk Ticaret Bankası aspires to become the strategic guide of exporters.
A New Chapter for Türk Ticaret Bankası
At the launch event detailing the bank's new journey, Republic of Türkiye Deputy Minister of Trade Ö. Volkan Ağar, Türkiye Exporters Assembly Chairman and Türk Ticaret Bankası Board Member Mustafa Gültepe, Türk Ticaret Bankası Chairman of the Board Prof. Dr. Yusuf Balcı, and Türk Ticaret Bankası Board Member and General Manager İlker Yeşil shared their insights on the bank's innovative offerings for exporters, strategic objectives, and its projected contributions to the Turkish economy.
“It will serve Türkiye's export-oriented development vision”
Expressing that the reactivated Türk Ticaret Bankası is now positioned as an entirely export-focused financial partner for exporters, Ağar continued:
“This bank will function both as a deposit bank and a provider of swift and favorable financing directly to exporters. It will serve Türkiye's production capacity and export-driven development vision. In this regard, we believe Türk Ticaret Bankası should be seen not merely as a traditional bank, but as the financial pillar of Türkiye's export strategy. With the goal of revitalizing our Bank, which holds immense brand value and a deeply rooted history, through a renewed vision, we are resolutely continuing our efforts to reposition Türk Ticaret Bankası at the center of the export-oriented financial ecosystem, which reached a total volume of 1.9 trillion TL by the end of 2024. We will soon witness a bank that surpasses its former glory and leaves a new and lasting imprint on Turkish banking. May this new era of Türk Ticaret Bankası bring prosperity to our country, our exporters, the real sector, and the Turkish financial industry.”
“A solution partner for exporters”
Türkiye Exporters Assembly Chairman and Türk Ticaret Bankası Board Member Mustafa Gültepe remarked, “Value-added production and exports serve as the driving force of Türkiye's economy. The path to national development and societal prosperity lies in efficiently utilizing our resources, enhancing the value of what we produce, and increasing our export volume. With this awareness, the Türkiye Exporters' Assembly (TİM) mobilizes all resources to generate greater foreign currency inflows to our country.”
Highlighting the objective of positioning Türkiye among the top 10 exporting nations as the Republic enters its second century, Gültepe said: “To realize this goal, we must invest in high-tech facilities, modernize our existing production infrastructure, and transform digital and green transitions into national opportunities. Access to affordable and long-term financing is now more critical than ever for exporters to achieve these objectives. Recognizing this need, we integrated Türk Ticaret Bankası—an institution with 112 years of heritage in banking—into our export family two years ago through İhracatı Geliştirme A.Ş. Henceforth, Türk Ticaret Bankası will operate not only as a lending institution, but as a strategic partner that simplifies access to finance and provides alternative solutions to collateral issues for exporters.”
“The exporter's own bank and solution partner”
Türk Ticaret Bankası Chairman of the Board Prof. Dr. Yusuf Balcı underscored that the bank's renewed focus is on enhancing Türkiye's export potential, facilitating exporters' access to finance, and generating solutions to bolster competitiveness, stating:
“The revival of Türk Ticaret Bankası marks a critical turning point not only for the banking sector but also for Türkiye's export-oriented development trajectory. Relaunched under this vision, and as a subsidiary of İhracatı Geliştirme A.Ş., Türk Ticaret Bankası is the exporter's own bank and solution partner. We aim not only to deliver financial services, but also to support exporters with consultancy to ease their access to new markets. We are progressing with great determination to make Türk Ticaret Bankası—one of the most established brands in Turkish banking history—the main bank of exporters and a pillar of their strength.”
“We aim to allocate 150 billion TL in credit to exporters by year-end”
Türk Ticaret Bankası Board Member and General Manager İlker Yeşil noted that Türkiye's robust export performance contributes 28% to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). However, he pointed out that exporters only receive 12% of the credit extended by the banking sector, stating, “To bridge the gap between the financing support exporters receive and their contribution to the national economy, we are taking decisive steps at Türk Ticaret Bankası. Through our customized services tailored to exporters' needs, we aim to contribute both to national development and sectoral growth.”
He further stated that, in addition to innovative financial products and services, the bank assumes an advisory role to support exporters in navigating challenging markets, evolving regulations, and new legal frameworks:
“Thus, our goal is to be more than a bank that provides financing; we strive to be a business partner that stands by our exporters in their growth journey. With our digital model that places artificial intelligence and data analytics at the core of banking, we are streamlining exporters' financial processes and delivering timely, accurate solutions. In the future, we will continue to empower exporters by expanding their horizons, strengthening their financial operations, and solidifying Türkiye's position in the global arena. As of today, Türk Ticaret Bankası operates with four branches and 270 employees, aiming to close 2025 with 15 branches.”
Türk Ticaret Bankası General Manager İlker Yeşil announced that, as of March 31, 2025, approximately 20 billion TL in financing support had been provided to exporters, with around 550 exporter firms having received credit allocations. He stated that the goal is to raise this number to 1,500 by year-end and increase the total credit volume to 62 billion TL.
About Türk Ticaret Bankası
Founded in 1913 as Türkiye's first privately funded national bank, Türk Ticaret Bankası made significant contributions to the national economy over many decades. It was acquired in 2023 by İhracatı Geliştirme A.Ş. (İGE), which was established through the partnership of TİM, Eximbank, 61 exporter associations, and 20 banks.
Embarking on its new journey with a vision to become the main bank for exporters by providing financial support for Türkiye's export-driven growth, Türk Ticaret Bankası continues to work towards delivering all banking products and services needed by exporters, commercial entities, and individual customers with maximum speed, security, and optimal conditions through innovative financial solutions.