Wholesale Banking (APEX)

Wholesale Banking (Apex) employs a specialized model to effectively serve SMEs, the cornerstones of our national economy and vital sources of production and employment. This approach enables financing through commercial banks with extensive branch networks, as well as leasing companies and factoring firms. The chief aim of wholesale banking projects is to enhance the competitiveness of micro, small, and medium-sized firms by improving their production and efficiency capacities, thereby contributing to employment growth. Through wholesale banking loans, our Bank channels thematic funds secured from international financial entities, including the World Bank, the Council of Europe Development Bank, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, and KfW, through intermediary financial institutions to address the investment and working capital requirements of SMEs, diversifying financing solutions, and creating growth and development opportunities for the real sector.

Projects Completed within the Last 3 Years

1. The World Bank’s Formal Employment Creation Project

The primary objective of this project is to enhance formal employment by fulfilling the investment loan requirements of financially robust SMEs located in 24 provinces designated by the World Bank. This project is financed by the World Bank and supplemented by grant and technical assistance components from the European Union’s FRIT-II resources, and seeks to improve formal employment by providing beneficiary firms with access to the financial resources and expertise needed to scale and develop their businesses.

The total budget of the Formal Employment Creation Project amounts to EUR 396 million. Of this amount, EUR 316 million has been provided as a loan by the World Bank, with EUR 126 million disbursed directly to large enterprises employing more than 250 individuals. Additionally, EUR 190 million has been allocated through the Wholesale Banking model to SMEs employing fewer than 250 individuals via commercial banks and leasing companies. In addition, training sessions have been conducted to enhance the corporate capacities of companies that are beneficiaries of the loans and grants through the technical assistance component.

Under the European Commission's Facility for Refugees in Türkiye (FRIT-II), managed by the World Bank, a grant amounting to EUR 75.9 million has been secured. Of this total, EUR 70 million is earmarked for Small, Medium, and Large Enterprises through the Kayist Grant Program, contingent upon the creation of formal employment. Moreover, a technical assistance component is in place to provide specialized training sessions to strengthen the institutional capacities of both loan and grant beneficiaries.

For more detailed information regarding the Grant Component and the Kayist Grant Program, please visit the grant programs section on our Bank's website or the official project website: https://www.kayist.org

2. The World Bank’s Emergency Firm Support Project

The World Bank has allocated a loan of USD 250 million, aimed at supporting businesses with fewer than 250 employees that have been significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and that fall into one of the following target groups:

SMEs that have experienced a decline of at least 20% in gross sales (Target Group-1)
SMEs classified as "Women-Inclusive," "Young Enterprises," and "Enterprises in Less Developed Regions" (Target Group-2)
"Enterprises in Less Developed Regions" refers to businesses located outside the metropolitan city boundaries (1. Adana, 2. Ankara, 3. Antalya, 4. Aydın, 5. Balıkesir, 6. Bursa, 7. Denizli, 8. Diyarbakır, 9. Erzurum, 10. Eskişehir, 11. Gaziantep, 12. Hatay, 13. Mersin, 14. İstanbul, 15. İzmir, 16. Kayseri, 17. Kocaeli, 18. Konya, 19. Malatya, 20. Manisa, 21. Kahramanmaraş, 22. Mardin, 23. Muğla, 24. Ordu, 25. Sakarya, 26. Samsun, 27. Tekirdağ, 28. Trabzon, 29. Şanlıurfa, 30. Van) . Notably, businesses located in metropolitan cities affected by the Kahramanmaraş earthquakes on February 6, 2023 (1. Adana, 2. Diyarbakır, 3. Gaziantep, 4. Hatay, 5. Malatya, 6. Kahramanmaraş, and 7. Şanlıurfa) were included in the project scope.
SMEs requiring financing for digitalization, hygiene, and similar investments to adapt to COVID-19 conditions (Target Group-3).

The loan was primarily allocated to address SMEs' working capital needs. Priority was given to women-inclusive SMEs, young enterprises, and SMEs operating in less developed regions.

The disbursement of credit was executed through the Wholesale Banking model, utilizing designated commercial banks and leasing companies. The project concluded successfully on June 30, 2025.

Project Documents:

3. Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) Covid-19 Project

The USD 300 million loan program offered by the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) was designed to enhance access to finance and address the liquidity needs of SMEs and large-scale companies operating in the infrastructure and eligible manufacturing sectors across Türkiye, which were adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Of the total AIIB loan amount, USD 270 million was disbursed directly by our Bank to large enterprises. In addition, USD 30 million was allocated through the Wholesale Banking model to support SMEs and micro-enterprises. This portion specifically targeted firms employing fewer than 250 individuals, with an annual turnover not exceeding EUR 50 million, or an annual balance sheet total limited to EUR 43 million.