Türkiye İş Bankası and Halkbank in Turkey support women entrepreneurs in the region which was affected by the massive earthquakes.
Türkiye İş Bankası considers it its task to help women entrepreneurs from the disaster zone to continue to provide active economic life.
With the “Women Empowerment Declaration”, Türkiye İş Bankası committed to providing financial support of TL 100 billion (approx. EUR 4.8 billion) to women entrepreneurs within 5 years through programs for entrepreneurial women, micro loans extended to women, and financing of companies where women have a say in employment and management.
The declaration includes issues such as women taking a more active role in business life, having equal rights, facilitating their access to financial services, preventing discrimination and implicit bias in marketing activities, and developing practices that take care of all stakeholders in the value chain, and create a positive impact.
All kinds of support that will enable women to take an increasing share of the added value created by actively participating in production has become even more important for the Turkish economy and the Turkish state.
“We will embrace the pains of earthquake disasters together in solidarity. I believe that our TL 100 billion (approx. EUR 4.8 billion) support for women throughout our country, which we have committed to provide in 5 years, is comprehensive enough to contribute to women in the earthquake region. In this way, we will touch the lives of the women affected by the disaster and contribute to the healing of the wounds in the region,” – mentioned Hakan Aran, Chief Executive Officer at Türkiye İş Bankası.
Türkiye İş Bankası Women Empowerment Statement consists of the following 7 items:
• The Bank sustains women’s economic independence and takes an active role in business life.
• It focuses on studies on women’s access to financial services.
• It supports women’s place in economic life through non-financial activities such as experience sharing, training, and collaborations.
• It also demonstrates an attitude toward preventing gender discrimination in marketing and advertising activities.
• The Bank observes gender equality in all its activities and aims to create opportunities to raise awareness on the subject.
• It considers the differing demands and needs of women in human resources policies.
• It carries out practices and collaborations that encourage the increase in the ratio of female employees and managers.
At the same time Halkbank also announced a special financial support package for women entrepreneurs and women cooperatives in the earthquake region.
“With the support package we have prepared to reintegrate our producer women, who were damaged by the earthquake, into social and economic life as quickly as possible, we aim to implement the solidarity and redevelopment project in the region,” – said Osman Arslan, Chief Executive Officer at Halkbank.
With the Women Cooperatives Support Loan, women cooperatives operating in the earthquake-affected provinces of Adana, Adıyaman, Diyarbakır, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kahramanmaraş, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, Şanlıurfa and Elazığ will be given a loan without fee with an upper limit of TL 50,000 TL (approx. EUR 2,450) to be used in business expenditures. The loan that 143 women cooperatives operating in the earthquake zone can benefit from, includes a one-year grace term. It can be repaid in a total of 36 months and equal monthly installments.
Women Entrepreneurs Support Loan by the Credit Guarantee Fund created for earthquake-affected women entrepreneurs will cover micro, small and medium-sized enterprises. Women entrepreneurs will be able to benefit from a 36-month term business loan and a 60-month investment loan in total under the one year non-refundable guarantee.
Halkbank reached more than 172 thousand women entrepreneurs across Turkey with the Women Entrepreneurs Loan Support Package and contributed to the strong presence of women in the business world with total support of more than TL 30 billion (approx. EUR 1.4 billion).
Source: The press releases by Türkiye İş Bankası dated March 07, 2023 and Halkbank dated February 06, 2023
