Milestones in the History of Ziraat Bank

Benefiting from the unrivaled knowledge and experience that it has built up in the course of its corporate history, Ziraat Bank is focused on making an increasingly bigger contribution to Turkey’s sustainable development.

1863-1888

• On 20 November 1863 Mithat Paşa spearheaded the establishment of Memleket Sandıkları (Homeland Funds) in the town of Pirot/Serbia which formed the core of Ziraat Bank.
• Turkey’s first statutorily regulated credit system is launched.
• Memleket Sandıkları (Homeland Funds) are reconstituted as Menafi Sandıkları (Benefit Funds). The funds are reorganized to make them stronger and more sustainable.
• Ziraat Bank’s headquarters are opened in İstanbul.

1889-1913

• Ziraat Bank extended credit to the Imperial Treasury for the first time.
• Ziraat Bank supplied credit for grain to needy refugees and others in drought-stricken İzmit.
• A project to fund purchases of European agricultural equipment using Ziraat Bank’s capital is studied.
• Ziraat Bank offices are opened in Kerek, İpek, Prizren, Timişoara, and Karacasu.
• Ziraat Bank provided drought-stricken Kosovo farmers with low-cost credit on convenient terms.
• Ziraat Bank opened a branch in Medina.
• Ziraat Bank branches opened in Baghdad and Basra
• Ziraat Bank branches provide earthquake-stricken farmers with loans.

1914-1938

• Ziraat Bank began lending to commercial enterprises.
• The first seed-finance loans are provided.
• With the opening of the Grand National Assembly in Ankara, the city’s Ziraat Bank branch is made responsible for the administration and oversight of all bank branches and offices in localities controlled by the Nationalists.
• Control of Ziraat Bank’s İzmir and İstanbul operations was given to Ankara.
• Under an Act of Parliament, Ziraat Bank ceases to be a state-owned bank and is transformed into a joint-stock company.

1939-1963

• Work is completed on the set of operational regulations called for by Statute 3202. Consisting of 198 articles, the regulations governing the operations of Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Ziraat Bankası went into effect.
• Ziraat Bank became a member of Confédération Internationale du Crédit Agricole (CICA), a non-profit worldwide association of banks and other entities interested and involved in rural financial processes.
• Under Statute 7052, Ziraat Bank was authorized to restructure agricultural loan repayments.

1964-1988

• Ziraat Bank’s representative office opened in Hamburg.
• Ziraat Bank opened its Lefkoşe, Gazi Magosa, and Güzelyurt branches in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
• Ziraat Bank’s representative’s office in New York is transformed into a branch while new offices are opened in Duisburg, Berlin, Munich, Stuttgart, and Rotterdam.
• Under the Ziraat Bank 86 project, the first steps to adapt improvements in technology to banking services so as to deliver them faster, more efficiently, and at better quality are taken with the automation of a total of seven branches located in Ankara and İstanbul.
• Ziraat Bank ranks 452nd among the world’s 500 biggest banks as measured by equity according to Euromoney, a magazine.

1989-2013

• The Ziraat Bank Banking School began instruction in order to keep the Bank supplied with the qualified human resources that it needs.
• The first investment fund (Fund I) was established.
• Gold sales were initiated under the name of Ziraat Gold. The first consumer loan was issued, along with the first credit card.
• The Bingöl-Muş Rural Development Project was initiated.
• "Self-Service Banking" is introduced. As well as ATM machines, foreign currency exchange machines were brought into service for the first time in Turkey, along with self-service information terminals, voice messaging systems which included a branch not requiring human staffing, aiming to provide uninterrupted 24-hour service.
• Ziraat Bank Moscow, Kazkommerts Ziraat International Bank (KZI Bank), Turkmen Turkish Commercial Bank (TTC Bank) and Uzbekistan Turkish Bank (UT Bank) were established and entered operation.
• Ziraat Bank was ranked 202nd in Euromoney’s top 500 banks, 41st in terms of net profit, and the world’s first in terms of its return on equity. Moreover, the Bank ranked 12th in the “World’s 50 most rapidly developing banks” listing.
• The Sofia Branch entered operation.
• The Stuttgart, Hannover, Frankfurt and Duisburg representative offices began to operate as branches. Newly-launched banking software made it easier to create and offer new products and services.
• Turkish-Ziraat Bank Bosnia DD received Visa and Europay International licenses and began processing Visa acquiring and issuing transactions for the first time in Bosnia- Herzegovina in coordination with Ziraat Kart AŞ.
• The Law numbered 4603 passed on 25 November 2000 paved the way for Ziraat Bank to be transformed into a joint-stock company.
• The scope of the banking software centralization project (Fin@rt) is expanded.
• In Greece, the Athens and Komotini branches entered operation.
• The Bank announced TL 3.51 billion net profit, the highest profit ever announced by a Turkish company until 2009.
• Branches were opened in Baghdad, Erbil and Jeddah.
• Ziraat Bank purchased the rights to the Turkish Cup name.
• Ziraat Bank launched its “Together, to a Better Future” Change & Transformation Project.
• Ziraat Bank celebrated its first century and a half in business with its employees.

2014

• Ziraat Bank announced the Turkish banking sector’s highest profit with a net profit of TL 4,051 million.
• On 30 September 2014, the Board of Directors approved and announced the Sustainability Policy which summarizes Ziraat Bank’s sustainability vision, goals and approach and defines the Bank’s stance on the pillars of the environment, society and products and services.
• Ziraat Bank published its first sustainability report, which was GRI rated at A+ standards.