The opening ceremony was attended by Trabzon Governor Tahir Şahin, Trabzon Metropolitan Mayor Ahmet Metin Genç, Ortahisar Mayor Ahmet Kaya, Şalpazarı Mayor Refik Kurukız, Turkish Exporters’ Assembly (TİM) President and Türk Ticaret Bankası Board Vice Chairman Mustafa Gültepe, Türk Ticaret Bankası Board Member and General Manager İlker Yeşil, Erkut Çelebi, President of the Trabzon Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Eyyüp Ergan, Chairman of the Board of the Trabzon Commodity Exchange; and Ahmet Hamdi Gürdoğan, Vice President of the Eastern Black Sea Exporters’ Association (DKİB), as well as numerous exporters operating in the region.

Speaking at the ceremony, TİM President and Deputy Chairman and Türk Ticaret Bankası Board Vice Chairman Mustafa Gültepe emphasized that production and exports are of critical importance to the Turkish economy. He noted that they are working towards the goal of positioning Türkiye among the top 10 exporting countries, Gültepe said: “To achieve this ambitious goal, we must invest more in high technology, R&D, and innovation, and turn the digital and green transformation into an opportunity for our country. Of course, ensuring our exporters have access to affordable and long-termfinancing is of great importance for all these efforts. Through IGE A.Ş., the Türk Ticaret Bankası—which we have integrated into our export family—provides companies with direct, swift, and favorable financing support, thereby supporting production capacity and our export-focused development vision.”

İlker Yeşil, Board Member and General Manager of Türk Ticaret Bankası, also noted in his speech that access to financing under favorable terms has always been a top priority for exporters. Recalling that they restructured Türk Ticaret Bankası with the goal of becoming the primary bank for exporters, Yeşil stated:“We are establishing our branches our branches in the centers where production and exports are most concentrated. In 2025, while increasing our number of branches to 11, we provided exporters with 76.3 billion TL in financing support. Thus, we disbursed a volume exceeding our 2025 target of 75 billion TL in loans. In 2026, we aim to offer 100 billion TL in financial support to exporters. Within this framework, we will continue to open new branches in centers with high export activity to serve companies. We will increase our number of branches to 15 in the first quarter of 2026.”

DKİB Vice Chairman Ahmet Hamdi Gürdoğan noted that Trabzon, with its port, logistics infrastructure, industrial zones, and diverse profile of exporters, is one of Türkiye’s strategic centers for foreign trade. Gürdoğan stated: “The Türk Ticaret Bankası’s commencement of services in Trabzon, leveraging its export-focused expertise, will make a significant contribution to enabling our regional companies to establish a stronger and more secure presence in international markets. “The bank’s proximity to the market will enable needs to be met at the right time and with the right tools. I believe the branch will bring speed, depth, and newopportunities to the production and export ecosystem of the Eastern Black Sea region; I hope this step will be beneficial for both our city and our country’s exports,” he said.