31.03.2018 İzmir
Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım, Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek, Customs and Commerce Minister Bülent Tüfenkci, Signatures were set down in İzmir for the new Respite Credits which will be actualized with the contributions of chambers and exchanges under TOBB’s leadership with the attendances of Minister of Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communications Ahmet Arslan, Minister of Health Ahmet Demircan and TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu.
The TOBB Breathing Credits are expected to benefit approximately 50,000 SMEs
within two to three months with a monthly interest rate of 0.99 / 12 months and
a maturity of 12 months; will be issued by Ziraat Bank, Denizbank, Halkbank,
Vakıfbank, Ziraat Participation and Foundation Participation.
TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu said that they had come together
to continue the Breathing Credits that President Erdoğan gave to "Innovation
in Financing" in 2018, which they launched in 2017, in his speech at the
signature ceremony and said "We have been organizing TOBB, Ziraat Bank-
Denizbank and KGF This year we joined Halkbank, Vakıfbank, Vakıf Participation,
Ziraat Participation Banks. We march stronger now.”
Pointing out that they had talked to the Customs and Commerce Minister
Bülent Tüfenkci last year on the idea of Respite Credits, the TOBB President
said, “We discussed the issue with the Prime Minister. Later, with the support
of Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Şimşek, the Treasury and Credit Guarantee Fund were
involved. Our SMEs were given 85% bail on the loans under this project. Lastly,
Ziraat Bank, the largest public bank, and Denizbank, the only private bank which
supported the project for two years, having provided funding to the project despite
risks. So we created a credit volume of 5 billion TRY for SMEs. 30,000 SMEs utilized
loans in a short period of 2-3 months. We’ve contributed as the private sector
to the policy of lowering the interest rates initiated by our President and
Prime Minister.
Hisarcıklıoğlu reported that they are restarting the Respite Credits
launched under Prime Minister Yıldırım in 2017 and stated, “Despite those stubbornly
trying to create a negative atmosphere in the market, TOBB, 365 Chambers and
Exchanges, Ziraat Bank, Denizbank, Halkbank, Vakıfbank, and KGF stand firm and
united. I would like to thank all the bank general managers for their
leadership. Again, I would like to thank the chairmen and board of directors of
our chambers and exchanges. They mobilized all their resources for membership.”
Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that he is proud of all the chambers and commodity
exchanges which are the main representatives of Turkish entrepreneurs and SMEs.
“Thanks to them, we will be able to provide credit to our 50,000 SMEs in 5
billion TRY in 2-3 months.”
The TOBB President, providing information about the Respite Credit
system, said, “Starting Monday, our member SMEs will be able to apply to the
bank branch they work with the membership certificate they will receive from
the Chambers and Commodity Exchanges. Our Respite Rate will be 0.99% per month.
A member can access a maximum of 200,000 TRY in credit in 12 installments. 85%
of the loan will be covered by Treasury-backed KGF bail. In other words, our
SMEs will not be seriously burdened by collateral. We will continue to innovate
financially.”
Hisarcıklıoğlu reported that by providing access to 5 billion TRY in
loans for SMEs, while ensuring savings of 400 million TRY by lowering interest,
both SMEs and Turkey will benefit.
The TOBB President stated Turkey would break records again in 2018 the
way it did as a G20 member with 7.4% growth in 2017.
Hisarcıklıoğlu reported that they’ve held a meeting in regareds to the
reforms passed on the YOİIKK platform under the auspices of Prime Minister
Yıldırım on Wednesday, “I also said there, TOBB, like YOİKK, will continue to
do our duty we have with the mobilization of employment, respite credits, domestic
automobile production. Because it always pays to invest in Turkey. Turkey has
always reached its destination. As Turkish traders and industrialists we will
do our best again. We will work harder, produce more, we will profit more, our
employees will earn more, Turkey will win. As long as there is power of unity
we will achieve many successes. We would like to extend our deepest gratitude
to the President of the Republic, to the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister
as well as the Customs and Commerce Minister.”
- Prime Minister Yıldırım
Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım reported that returns on respite credits granted
last year is 10 times more than the national average, below 0.01%
Yıldırım said that this ratio is normally 2.9, “There are no failures here,
solid money, because the SMEs are robust, the SMEs are faithful businesses.
They may be small but provide a big contribution to the economy and they serve
a more common platform.”
Yıldırım stated, “Turkey's economy will continue its sustainable
growth.”
- Deputy Prime Minister Şimşek
Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek noting that SMEs represent a
significant economic volume in Turkey, 3.5 million SMEs constituting 99.8% of
firms in Turkey, contributing greatly employment, investments, exports and added
value.
Simsek pointed out that despite the importance of SMEs in the economy,
they did not get enough shares from the credits and pointed out that, “Accessing
finance is the biggest problem of SMEs. As the government, we took 3 important
steps to solve SME access to finance. Not only real estate, vehicles, but also
the receivables that they will get from patents, which is a very fundamental
and structural reform which will increase the access to finance.”
- Minister Tüfenkci
Customs and Commerce Minister Bulent Tüfenkçi is stated that they continually
meet with SMEs in the ministry, listen to their ideas and suggestions,
developing various applications with these in mind. “Since the 2016 schemes played
on Turkey, we’ve always beat the odds together. Turkey is the envy of the world
with a growth of 7.4% in 2017, this is a real success.”