International ratings agencies keep a close eye on Turkey’s banking sector, given its size and importance, and the penetration of major foreign investors. Ratings movements can affect the borrowing costs of Turkish financial institutions and, at a time when Turkish banks have taken on substantial foreign debt, can be a gauge of the borrowing costs they are likely to bear.
The foreign presence in the Turkish banking market is currently undergoing a shake up, with new entrants arriving looking to expand their presence in a large and dynamic emerging market, while others are looking to pull out due to external pressures.
Turkey’s banking sector has proved resilient to both the global economic crisis and more recent fluctuations in the country’s economy. Loan growth remains fairly high by developed-market standards but has trimmed in recent years, reflecting the market’s increasing maturity as well as regulatory moves to contain credit expansion with an eye on risk profiles.
As the IMF and others have noted, the Turkish banking system’s non-performing loan (NPL) ratio is relatively low, despite the recent economic slowdown and foreign exchange risk. The ratio varies across the sector, however, with some banks more susceptible than others. While NPLs are not high by regional standards – and even by those of some eurozone members – and are well-...
Turkey has spent the last decade trying to maximise the potential of its geographical position and ability to expand its economy with export-led growth. While this has been hampered by a heavy dependence on imports and a bulging current account deficit, the country has made great strides in growing trade and diversifying markets.
Many have hailed Turkey’s notable development performance over the past decade, and for good reason. The country averaged 5.4% growth between 2003 and 2013, one of the highest rates in the world. This was accompanied by drops in joblessness and poverty, as well as gains in school enrolment, home-ownership and life expectancy.
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