‘We are ready’: Turkish Ziraat Bank eyes banking sector in Syria

Türkiye’s largest bank, Ziraat Bank, is “in close communication with the public authority” regarding the opening of a new branch in Syria, Director General Alpaslan Cakar stated.

“We are ready. We will establish our presence there; that is our goal,” Cakar remarked.

Speaking at Anadolu Agency’s (AA) Finance Desk, organized with contributions from Istanbul Financial Center on Tuesday, Cakar addressed current economic issues and answered questions from journalists.

Highlighting that 20% of Türkiye’s foreign trade is conducted through Ziraat Bank, Cakar noted that the bank operates at 127 locations across 20 countries. He also mentioned that the expansion process for its Romania and Albania branches is ongoing and that Ziraat Bank is closely following developments regarding the potential opening of a new branch in Syria after the collapse of the 61-year Baath regime.

“We are ready, but we must act within a certain framework of coordination. If we are assigned a task within that coordination, which I anticipate we will be, it could even involve establishing a new bank. We will position ourselves there—that is our objective,” Cakar said.

Ziraat: The leader of Türkiye’s banking sector

Cakar emphasized that Ziraat Bank has reached a total asset size of 5.7 trillion Turkish liras, making it the leader of all key indicators within Türkiye’s banking sector.

“As one of the main drivers of Türkiye’s economy, we will continue to grow and invest accordingly in the coming period,” he concluded.

Ziraat Bank recently inaugurated its first branch in Algeria, marking its 20th international operating country.