A panel titled "The Capital of Production, the Power of Exports" was held as part of Türkiye Innovation Week 2026, organized by the Turkish Exporters Assembly with the support of the Ministry of Trade. The event took place at the Haliç Congress Center as part of the organization, held for the 13th time this year under the theme "Humanity 6.0—The New Phase of Humanity."
Mehmet Ali Kılıçkaya, director general of exports at the Ministry of Trade, moderated the panel and said Türkiye’s exports were nearing $284 billion. Kılıçkaya said financing played an important role in the formation, growth and development of exports.
Kılıçkaya described exporters’ access to finance as one of the most important issues and said that a large share of Türkiye’s exports was conducted on a goods-against-payment basis, making financing opportunities critically important.
İGE has connected nearly 15,000 exporters with credit
Fatih Tuğrul Topaç, director general of İGE, said the company provides its own guarantees to banks to facilitate exporters’ access to finance. Topaç said nearly 15,000 exporters had gained access to credit facilities to date.
Topaç said İGE provides guarantees without creating an additional operational burden for exporters through protocols and integrations with banks, adding that the company serves as a bridge between banks and exporters. He also said İGE was working to improve its advisory services so exporters could benefit from financing opportunities more quickly and effectively.
Türk Ticaret Bankası directs 74% of its lending to exports
İlker Yeşil, general manager of Türk Ticaret Bankası, said 74% of the bank’s loans were directed toward exports. Yeşil said the bank aimed to serve as a bridge for exporters’ access to finance and provide advisory services for foreign trade transactions.
Yeşil said they wanted to contribute to the growth of Türkiye’s exports and said, "We have only one concern: the growth of Türkiye’s exports. Our responsibility is to serve as a bridge for our exporters’ access to finance." He said the bank aimed to support foreign trade activities in areas where exports are conducted and where investment and production are converted into exports.
Ziraat Bankası plans a branch or bank in Syria
Mehmet Şükrü Taşcı, deputy general manager of corporate banking at Ziraat Bankası, said the bank provides 16% of the export loans extended across the sector. Taşcı said 25% of Turkish exports were carried out through Ziraat Bankası and that $125 billion of Türkiye’s foreign trade passed through the bank.
Taşcı said this amount represented a share of approximately 20–21% in the sector, adding that they regarded becoming an export bank, alongside agricultural banking, as one of their main objectives.
Taşcı said Ziraat Bankası operates in many countries, adding that the bank was closely following developments in Syria and maintaining contacts. Taşcı said, "We want to open a branch or a bank in Syria; this has even been discussed with the Wealth Fund. We are in continuous contact with Syria and want to open it as soon as possible."
VakıfBank has deployed €1.1 billion in financing
Tevfik Erpek, head of the SME, retail and personal banking group at VakıfBank, said the bank’s development-focused value banking approach directed financing toward areas that would contribute to Türkiye’s growth, employment and export growth.
Erpek said the bank had secured €1.5 billion in financing from the World Bank and had deployed €1.1 billion of that amount to approximately 20,000 customers within five months. He said 96% of these customers were SMEs and that the financing had reached customers through approximately 1,000 branches across all 81 provinces of Türkiye.
Erpek said €800 million of the financing had been deployed to support women’s employment, young entrepreneurs and customers in disaster-affected areas.
Halkbank directs 55% of commercial loans to SMEs
Murat Yıldırım, deputy general manager of SME and retail banking at Halkbank, said supporting SMEs that want to grow their businesses, invest and operate in international markets was one of the bank’s main responsibilities.
Yıldırım said 55% of the commercial loans extended were directed to SMEs. He said the bank provides SME support under three main categories: cost-effective financing, diversification of collateral and services designed to facilitate foreign trade activities.
Yıldırım said financing was provided to businesses operating in manufacturing, tourism, education, the environment, energy and infrastructure. He added that Halkbank was continuing talks with international institutions and aimed to expand its activities for exporters in 2027.
Yıldırım also said the bank facilitated exports by businesses working with Europe through its operations in Serbia, North Macedonia, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
Türk Eximbank targets $60 billion in support for 2026
Mustafa Çağrı Altındağ, deputy general manager of marketing at Türk Eximbank, said the bank operates to support companies exporting goods and services and increase their competitiveness in international markets.
Altındağ said Türk Eximbank provided $54 billion in support to exporters in 2025 and had set a target of $60 billion for 2026. He said the total had reached $50 billion in lending and receivables insurance as of the end of September 2026.
Referring also to rediscount loans, Altındağ said the Central Bank opened a daily 5 billion lira window for the banking system and that Türk Eximbank had utilized 2.7 billion liras of it. Altındağ also provided information on export preparation loans and work conducted with international markets and institutions.
