Türkiye’s largest lender Ziraat Bank will open a branch in Albania, taking the number of countries in which it operates to 21, the state-owned bank said on Saturday
Ziraat said it had secured approval from the Bank of Albania after completing the required procedures and plans to start operations soon in the capital, Tirana.
The move will expand the bank’s footprint in the Balkans to six countries, adding to its operations in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Kosovo, Montenegro and Greece.
“We continue to strengthen our international network day by day, providing strategic support to our country’s foreign trade and mutual investments,” Chief Executive Alpaslan Çakar said in a statement. He noted that more than 20% of Türkiye’s foreign trade volume passes through the bank.
Çakar said Ziraat’s total assets are approaching $200 billion, including domestic and overseas subsidiaries, and expressed confidence that the new branch would boost trade and investment between Türkiye and the Western Balkans.