Türkiye Finans’ Milestones

Founded upon merger of Family Finans and Anadolu Finans with a paid-up capital of TL 250 million, Türkiye Finans began operating on 30 December 2005, with a network of 108 branches.

2006

Increased the number of branches to 122.
Increased the paid-up capital to TL 279 million.

2007

Launched commercial credit cards (“Business Card” and “Ticari Kart”) targeting corporate and commercial customers, to the use of the business world.
Increased the number of branches to 137.
Increased the paid-up capital to TL 292 million.

2008

National Commercial Bank (NBC), the bank with the largest capital in Saudi Arabia and across the Middle East, acquired 60% of Türkiye Finans and became the Bank’s controlling shareholder.
Launched SMS Banking service with electronic signature.
Increased the number of branches to 174.
Increased the paid-up capital to TL 800 million.

2010

Launched “Organik BES”, Turkey’s first interest-free Individual Pension Scheme (IPS).

2011

Secured the then-largest murabaha syndicated loan, worth of USD 300 million.
Received BBB in foreign currency credit rating from the international credit rating agency Fitch, becoming one of the top five Turkish banks with the highest credit rating.
Increased the number of branches to 182.

2012

Overhauled its corporate identity and chose Turkey’s trademark color turquoise as its corporate color to emphasize its stance as the more accessible, active, sincere and innovative bank.
Secured the then-largest murabaha syndicated loan, worth of USD 350 million.
Launched “Finansör”, the first of its kind in participation banking that provides consumer financing in card form.
Sponsored the Anatolian Brands Competition to spread the awareness for branding across Anatolia.
Increased the number of branches to 220.
Increased the paid-up capital to TL 1,650 million.

2013

Launched the card fee-free credit card Happy Zero and the Turkey’s first mother-tailored credit card Happy Anne.
Launched Haremeyn Card, offering privileges in hajj and umrah visits, and Haremeyn Şua card, showing the qibla on the compass it features.
Launched Siftah Card, offering SME customers the option of installment purchase over cash payment price, and Faal Card, targeting tradesmen and businesses.
Launched “Akıllı Hesap”, the time deposit product offering lucrative profit shares and other advantages.
Secured the then-largest murabaha syndicated loan of the participation banking scene, worth of USD 500 million.
Sponsored the exhibition “Dialogue in the Dark”, visited by more than 7 million people across 130 cities.
Undertook the commitment to support The Historic Kırkpınar Oil Wrestling Tournament, added to the List of UNESCO Intangible World Cultural Heritage, for 3 years.
Overhauled Türkiye Finans Mobile Branch with a new, user-friendly interface.
Increased the number of branches to 250.
Increased the paid-up capital to TL 1,775 million.

2014

Türkiye Finans’ first Sustainability Report became the first and only report among Turkish deposit and participation banks to be rated A+ by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI).
Mobile Branch app updated to expand to Windows Phone users.
Secured a murabaha syndicated loan worth of USD 350 million, arranged by 21 banks from 12 countries.
Issued the first sukuk in Malaysian Ringgit, worth of MYR 800 million. Said issuance stands as the largest sukuk issued by a foreign institution in Malaysian Ringgit.
Türkiye Finans Customer Contact Center began to offer services in English and then in Arabic, thus capable of telephone banking service in 3 languages.
Increased the number of branches to 280.
Increased the paid-up capital to TL 2,600 million.

2015

The corporate website, www.turkiyefinans.com.tr, was renewed with a modern and user friendly design in May 2015. With its new design, customers can quickly and easily find whatever they are looking for from all devices.
The Bank issued a MYR 360 million sukuk in Malaysia and a TL 1.1 billion sukuk in Turkey in 2015 through its asset leasing companies that are among the Bank’s subsidiaries.
TF Asset Leasing, a subsidiary of the Bank, is Turkey’s biggest active asset leasing company. TF Asset Leasing successfully undertook the biggest domestic issuance to take place at any one time in 2015, with the issuance amounting to TL 250 million.
Türkiye Finans meets its customers’ needs through the Bank’s wide product portfolio. The Bank continued to serve its corporate customers through its asset leasing companies in 2015. Türkiye Finans issued a TL 243 million lease certificate in which corporate customers were users of funds.
The first international branch of Türkiye Finans was opened in Bahrain.
The number of branches was increased to 286.

2016

In 2016, the Bank notched up a 41% YoY increase in turnover from its 45,000 POS devices. The Bank ranks first among the participation banks in terms of the number of POS devices and the turnover from these devices.
In 2016, the new internet branch offered fast, user-friendly and uninterrupted services which exceeded customer expectations.
The Bank offered effective financing solutions, especially for solar energy projects. It raised the project financing loan volume by 30% YoY to TL 2.6 billion.
The number of active customers in the mobile branch grew by 74% YoY while the number of financial transactions grew by 82% YoY. The Bank’s all mobile banking applications were downloaded more than 180,000 times in 2016.

2017

Türkiye Finans R&D Center established on 21 February 2017. Türkiye Finans becomes the third bank to have an R&D Center in the sector.
Became leader among participation banks by allocating TL 3.5 billion Credit Guarantee Fund in 2017.
Maintained leadership position among participation banks with respect to the number of POS and POS revenues.
Launched “Bol Kepçe” (Big Ladle) innovative product that combines the participation account and lease certificates. The product is the first of its kind in the participation banking product range
First management trainees joined the bank in July 2017 under the MT Program.
Moved to the new Ümraniye head office in May 2017.
Sales Service Model launched in July 2017, where branches were split into commercial and retail branches, and regional structures renewed.
Launched TFXTARGET Mobile Application in October 2017.

2018

Head Office building was opened with the participation of the Senior Management from the National Commercial Bank (NCB) on 23 March 2018.
The Bank launched its internal and external communication activities with its new look within the scope of Corporate Identity renewal project on 14 May 2018.
In July 2018, the Information Systems Business Group took on its first executive candidates through the MT Program
The number of branches reached 306 after 20 new branch openings in 2018.
In accordance with the Bank’s social responsibility work, the “Lend a Heart to Children” (Çocuklara Gönül Ver) project was initiated with the contribution of customers and employees, through which more than 8,000 books were collected and libraries were established in schools, reaching around 1,000 children. Within the context of the project, the Türkiye Finans IT and Language Lab was opened in the Bolluca Children’s Village Cultural Center with the computers donated to Koruncuk Foundation.
Developed for firms to manage their working capital, “Flexible Support Financing (FSF)” was launched in mid-2018, a first in participation banking.
Within the framework of participation banking principles, the “Problem Solving Financing” product was initiated to meet the indispensable needs of customers.
As of end of 2018, the number of ATMs increased to 610, up from 587 in 2017.
In 2018, the Bank issued a total of TL 4.3 billion in debt certificates in line with its TL 5 billion debt certificate issuance ceiling.
As of November 2018, the number of active customers in the mobile branch had grown by 156% YoY while the number of financial transactions also grew by 156% YoY. The Bank’s all mobile banking applications were downloaded more than 250,000 times in 2018.

2019

Following the change in its corporate identity in 2018, the Bank’s reason for existence, its goals and its values were redefined and shared with all employees, and shaped as “We Are Focused On Customers, We Are A Single Team, Diversity Is Our Richness, Innovation Is Our Strength and Success Is Our Passion”.
ATM penetration was increased, with the number of ATMs rising from 610 points at the end of 2018 to more than 8,700 ATM points in cooperation with the PTT and Yapı Kredi, offering the widest ATM network after the public banks.
The Bank issued a total of TL 8,400 million in lease certificates in 2019 in line with the lease debt certificate issuance ceiling.
As of end of 2019 the number of active customers in the mobile branch had grown by 49% YoY while the number of financial transactions also recorded 72% growth.
“Daily Account” product was launched in 2019 through which the customers’ savings are evaluated on daily basis.
New services including ATM cash placement for contractual firms, customs tax payments via SMS, Support Check, supplier financing were in Cash Management.
The “Lend a Heart to Children” project, which was initiated within the social responsibility work, continued with the “Don’t Let Children Get Cold This Winter” campaign as nearly 1,400 children in 50 village schools in 14 provinces sent winter shoes. Within the context of the “Türkiye Finans Lend a Heart to Children” project, parks were established with the Bank’s Charity Club members in the Silvan and Çermik districts of Diyarbakır, in addition to painting the classrooms and exterior walls of the schools.
Within the scope of learning from each other programs; TF Talks program was designed and implemented for internal communication.

2020

A number of new applications were implemented in 2020 under the motto of “No Phobia for SMEs!”, including Digital Transformation in Cash Management, FAST and KOLAS which provide ease in money transfers without requiring an IBAN number, on a 24/7 basis, the Virtual IBAN which allows ease in collection, availability of collection cheques, guarantee cheques and letters of guarantee in the channels in a self-service format, and infrastructure which were developed to automatically verify instructions with an e-signature.
TFXTarget Mobile, the investor platform which allows instant monitoring of global markets, became an investment platform which appeals to different investor profiles with added stock and mutual fund features. TFXTarget customers, who can trade in foreign currency and precious metals at real-time and preferential exchange rates, 24 hours a day, 5 days a week, are now able to make use of their savings with the best investment tools by trading stocks and mutual funds.
The number of active digital customers increased by 34% compared to 2019. Meanwhile, the number of financial transactions increased by 36% and the number of customers gained through digital channels increased by 136%.
In 2020, the Bank introduced its “Fast Finance” product, a first in participation banking, which stands out with its digital infrastructure and convenience. With the “Fast Finance” product, the Bank offer financing to meet consumer needs and vehicle financing with thousands of contracted dealers by moving consumer finance out of the branch, and where customers can access financing services when they need them, without having to go to the bank.
In 2020, a total of TL 7.55 billion worth of lease certificates were issued within the scope of the issuing ceiling of two lease certificates of TL 5 billion which the Bank received in the year.
In partnership with Fast Company, one of Turkey’s most prestigious economic publications, the webinar series titled as “Back to Production”, which attracted a number of business leaders, was implemented as part of the Bank’s vision based on contributing to production and the real sector.
The “JEST” flexible working model, in which the Bank offers its employees the opportunity to work flexibly both in time and in space, was implemented.

2021

The addition of foreign stocks and investment funds to the TFXTarget application was a first in the Participation Banking sector, with the number of active customers using the app reaching 126,000 by the end of 2021.
Permission was granted for a lease certificate issuance ceiling of TL 15 billion, and TL 15.2 billion of lease certificate issuances were made during the year.
The Bank’s credit card turnover increased by 109% while the number of active credit cards also grew by 28%.
The service of Account Opening by Video Call was introduced, and credit and debit card applications started to be received through this service.
The Bank’s “Premium Banking” services were brought together under the roof of Âlâ in February. The Bank started to offer banking services full of advantages to wealthy customers and their families.
20,000 saplings were donated under the aid campaign launched by the TEMA Foundation with the slogan “Together, we will regenerate life and hope!”.
The Bank became the first and only participation bank in Turkey to win the “ISA 2021 - International Occupational Safety Award” awarded by the British Safety Council. The funds increased by 47% to TL 84.5 billion.

2022

The sixth of the “Back to Production” meetings, implemented in cooperation with the Fast Company, one of Turkey’s most prestigious business publications, was held with the participation of the CEOs of Turkey’s most valuable conglomerates and corporations under the title of “Sustainability Leaders Discussing the return to Production”. During the meeting, the participation finance system and vision of returning to production were scrutinized in respect to the future of sustainable production.
With the traditional donations to the Educational Volunteers Foundation of Turkey on Republic Day on October 29th and Teachers’ Day on November 24th, one-year education of a total of 641 children was supported.
In the list determined on the basis of international criteria set out jointly by Fortune Türkiye and Fortune USA, Fahri Öbek, Deputy General Manager of Information Systems and Operations, was ranked as one of the “Top 50 Technology Leaders” who shape the future of Turkey.
Türkiye Finans won an array of national and international awards and achieved a number firsts with the communication activities carried out throughout the year. The Corporate Communications Department won the Bronze Stevie Award in the “Marketing Department of the Year” category at the 19th International Business Awards, considered as the Oscars of the global business world, following an evaluation by 300 industry professionals around the world. In addition, in 2022, Türkiye Finans won a total of four awards in the Felis and Crystal Apple awards, which are considered to be one of the most prestigious events in the advertising and marketing industry.

2023

From the first moments of the Kahramanmaraş-epicentered earthquake disaster on February 6, which deeply saddened our country, Türkiye Finans took action to support the region in cooperation with relevant institutions and non-governmental organizations. First, all Türkiye Finans employees affected by the earthquake were contacted one by one and their needs and those of their families were met. Significant convenience was provided in financing needs and payments to support businesses and individual customers in the disaster area. Aid was provided with the motto ‘Now is the Time for Solidarity’. In addition, emergency humanitarian aid materials such as food, clothing and heating were delivered to the region by trucks.
Listed in the “Companies with the Highest Proportion of Women in the Board of Directors” and “Companies with the Highest Proportion of Women in Middle Management” categories of the Women’s Power in Business Research conducted by Inbusiness magazine, Türkiye Finans was recognized as one of the “Top 100 Companies Leading Equality for Women’s Advancement”.
Züleyha Büyükyıldırım, Deputy General Manager of Human Resources, was included in the “Top 50 Most Innovative HR Leaders” list by Fast Company.
Fahri Öbek, Deputy General Manager of Information Systems and Operations, was included in the Next 2022: Technology Leaders C-Suite Series 50 CTO list prepared by Fortune Turkey magazine, prioritizing growth, digital transformation, artificial intelligence and technology topics.
Fahri Öbek, Deputy General Manager of Information Systems and Operations, listed in the “Most Innovative Leaders” category at the CIO Awards, an organization that honors successful digital transformation projects led by technology executives.
Türkiye Finans has been recognized as one of Turkey’s most innovative 50 companies in Fast Company magazine’s “Top 50 Most Innovative Companies” list, which is considered one of the most prestigious publications in the business and finance world.
Additionally, Türkiye Finans has been honored with the “Most Innovative Participation Bank” award by ‘Global Business Outlook’, one of the leading financial publications in the United Kingdom.
In the “Women-Friendly Companies” research, which focuses on the employment of women employees, women managers, and women board members in Turkey’s largest companies, Türkiye Finans ranked 69th on the “Women Employee-Friendly 100 Companies” list with 1,506 female employees and 82nd on the “Women Manager-Friendly 100 Companies” list with 50 female managers. The Bank is the only participation bank listed in both categories of the research.
With the traditional donations to the Educational Volunteers Foundation of Turkey on Republic Day on October 29th and Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day on May 19th, one-year education of a total of 400 children was supported.
With the establishment of Digital Banking Group; as of September 21, 2023, Melis Tosun Arslan, the Director of Operational Excellence and Business Development, was appointed as the Execute Vice President of Digital Banking.
In the “Turkey’s Most Preferred Companies” research conducted by Realta Consulting, which attracted the participation of nearly 63,000 university students and nearly 29,000 young professionals, Türkiye Finans was ranked as the 34th most preferred company in Turkey.