Trtturk.com.tr – The evolution of Turkey’s financial capital into an international finance center wins British backing. Stating his readiness to share London’s experience as a financial hub, the Lord Mayor of the City of London, Alderman Roger Gifford said that the UK was ready to be Turkey’s partner in Istanbul’s development as a regional and global financial center.

Visiting Turkey, accompanied by a large trade delegation, the Lord Mayor of London attended an event entitled “UK and Turkey: Great Partners!” held at the British Consulate in Istanbul and which explored ways to deepen trade and business links between the two countries. Noting that Turkey has become the center of attention in its region, the Lord Mayor said that cooperation between London and Istanbul was very important and that London would throw all its support and expertise into backing Istanbul as an international financial center.

Also speaking at the event, the President of the Investment Support and Promotion Agency of Turkey (ISPAT), Ilker Ayci, underscored Istanbul’s status as a symbol of economic growth and a trade hub and drew attention to Turkey’s rapidly developing Anatolian cities; Gaziantep, Konya, Kayseri, Bursa and Eskisehir, which are all becoming centers of economic activity and presenting their own growth opportunities.

 
Istanbul’s emergence as an international financial center coincides with Turkey’s rise as a top investment destination over the last decade. Launched as a project by the government in 2009, the Istanbul Finance Center is an integrated complex located in the Atasehir district of the city, and is intended to be a central hub providing services in all the segments of the financial sector. The historic city is already home to the regional headquarters of an increasing number of multinational companies such as Microsoft, Coca-Cola, and GE Healthcare which manage surrounding markets from Turkey.

Turkey and UK target to double their bilateral trade by 2015, currently standing at USD 14 billion.  Source; IIT