Isbank

İşbank, the largest private lender by asset, has become the first bank to issue Turkish Lira-denominated green bonds in Türkiye.

In a filing with Borsa Istanbul, the bank said it completed the issuance of the 500 million lira nominal valued green bonds with 728 days of maturity.

Bonds with floating rates and quarterly coupon payments were sold to qualified investors.

The current level of interest rates is high enough to lure foreign investors, says Hakan Aran, the general manager of private lender İşbank, adding that the Central Bank may post another rate hike.

The Central Bank last week lifted the policy rate from 40 percent to 42.5 percent, which marked the seventh hike since June.

Foreign fund inflows to Türkiye are likely to gather momentum not after but before the local elections, says Hakan Aran, the general manager of İşbank, one of Türkiye's largest private banks.

The consensus is that foreign investors' interest in Türkiye usually increases before elections, he said.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is providing a loan of $ 109 million to Türkiye's largest private lender İşbank for on-lending to businesses and individuals affected by the 6 February earthquakes that hit the country's south-eastern region.

Kalyon Enerji, the developer of the largest solar facility in Turkey, on Nov. 30 signed a $812 million loan agreement with six Turkish banks, U.S. lender JPMorgan Chase & Co and U.K. Export Finance (UKEF).

Turkey's seven largest banks have sufficient short-term foreign currency (FC) liquidity to service FC debt during the event of a brief market closure, Fitch Ratings said on Sept. 23 in a report. 

A bank commercial on Turkish television featuring the imitation of Zeki Müren, an iconic Turkish singer touted as the country's "sun of art," has stirred a vicious debate on social media involving famous figures.

The debate was ignited last week by a remark made by Barış Yarkadaş, a former lawmaker of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) and also a columnist.

A historic building that once served as a bank branch for many years and eventually was registered as a "cultural property" by authorities in Istanbul's iconic İstiklal Avenue will now serve as a painting museum after the completion of restoration works.

Private lender İşbank on May 27 announced that it became the first Turkish bank to offer payment guarantee in foreign trade using blockchain technology.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has provided a fund of €40 million (over $47.9 million) to boost Turkey's resource efficiency and renewable energy projects.

In its first transaction with Turkish leasing firm Is Finansal Kiralama, the bank is providing loan to finance investments in green projects, according to a press release issued on Feb. 5.