KUTSO CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS ESİN GÜRAL ARGAT ATTENDS THE REAL SECTOR–FINANCE SECTOR DIALOGUE ENHANCEMENT MEETING

The Real Sector–Finance Sector Dialogue Enhancement Meeting was held at the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye (TOBB) Twin Towers, hosted by TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu. The meeting brought together Ziraat Bank General Manager Alpaslan Çakar, VakıfBank General Manager Osman Arslan, Türkiye Halk Bankası General Manager Recep Süleyman Özdil, and representatives of the business community.

Esin Güral Argat, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Kütahya Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KUTSO), attended the meeting.

In her address, Esin Güral Argat stated:

“Greater collaboration between our banks and investors, accompanied by stronger financial support, is of critical importance for the future of our economy. Current lending practices predominantly rely on collateral-based financing, with a strong emphasis on real estate assets. However, the true value of production and investment lies in the projects themselves. We therefore believe that project-based lending should become more widespread. Well-founded projects with strong feasibility studies represent not only secure investments for entrepreneurs but also reliable returns for the financial sector. In this context, I would also like to express our satisfaction with the new support package announced yesterday by our President following the Cabinet Meeting.”

Highlighting the significance of the European Green Deal, Argat noted that it would directly influence financing processes in the coming period, adding:

“Investments that reduce carbon emissions, promote environmental responsibility and support sustainability are no longer a matter of preference—they have become a necessity.”

Argat further emphasised that the banking sector could make a substantial contribution to production and investment by expanding green finance models to support the real sector and by strengthening cooperation between banks and chambers of commerce and industry.

She also proposed several practical measures to reinforce cooperation between banks and chambers and commodity exchanges, including the establishment of project-based credit evaluation committees, the preparation of a Green Finance Guide to support environmentally sustainable investments within the framework of the European Green Deal, and the development of specialised loan packages. In addition, she suggested creating a Shared Data Platform to improve transparency in the real sector, enabling investment plans to become more measurable, accessible and assessable.

Source: KUTSO Press Office