Foreign lenders seek a slice of Turkish banking

Lucrative stakes in Turkey’s Akbank and Finansbank have been added to the for-sale list, while Dexia approaches a deal with Russia’s Sberbank to sell Denizbank. With EFG Eurobank leaving the Turkish market to Kuwait’s Burgan Bank and Lebanon’s Bank Audi establishing a unit in Turkey, the trend is hard to ignore: Arab investors have discovered Turkish banking.

With the European Central Bank’s long-term refinancing operation running out of steam and Greek politics dragging the eurozone into new turmoil, EU policymakers and banking executives might have too much trouble on the domestic front to ponder what is happening elsewhere. However, the eurozone crisis is having a profound effect on Turkey’s banking sector, known for its high growth potential, strong fundamentals and iron-fisted regulators.

The first sign came in October 2011 when French-Belgian lender Dexia put Denizbank, its profitable Turkish retail bank, up for sale.

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