EBRD Vice President Patrone to hold talks in Türkiye

ISTANBUL

Matteo Patrone, the vice president for Banking at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), will be in Türkiye from June 22 to 26, with scheduled stops in Gaziantep, Kahramanmaraş and Istanbul.

The visit will feature meetings with private-sector clients and will be Patrone’s second official visit to the country in his capacity as the EBRD vice president, according to a statement from the development bank.

Private-sector engagement remains a key priority for the EBRD in Türkiye, including in regions affected by the devastating earthquakes of February 2023, where reconstruction efforts are still under way, the bank said.

In the aftermath of those earthquakes, the EBRD announced a 1.5 billion euro investment program for affected regions, private-sector involvement, credit lines, infrastructure projects and targeted support for small and medium-sized businesses, the statement noted.

“The EBRD places private-sector development at the heart of its mission in Türkiye, regarding it as the key driver of sustainable growth, innovation and job creation,” Patrone said ahead of his visit.

“I am very much looking forward to speaking to our private-sector partners about recent challenges and opportunities relating to their operations,” he added.

In 2024, the bank invested a record 2.6 billion euros in Türkiye, driven by the private sector’s appetite for the green transition and the bank’s continuing support for regions affected by the earthquakes.

The EBRD is one of Türkiye’s key investors, having invested a total of more than 22 billion euros since 2009, with 92 percent of that investment being channeled to the private sector.