BANKING - Bank Asya new CEO - Abdullah Celik

Bank Asya'dan yapılan yazılı açıklamada Cemil Özdemir'in, genel müdürlük ve Yönetim Kurulu üyeliği görevlerinden kendi isteğiyle ayrıldığı, bunun üzerine, genel müdürlük görevine Türkiye Kalkınma Bankası AŞ Yönetim Kurulu başkanlığı ve genel müdürlüğü görevlerini ifa etmiş olan Abdullah Çelik'in atanmasına ilişkin Bankacılık Düzenleme ve Denetleme Kurumu'na (BDDK) başvuruda bulunulmasına Bank Asya Yönetim Kurulu'nca karar verildiği bildirildi.(full story)

Bank Asya Board of Directors decided to assign Mr. Abdullah ÇELİK as a board member and apply BRSA (Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency) to appoint Mr. Abdullah ÇELİK as a President & CEO accordance with relevant article of Turkish Banking Law due to resignation of Board member and President-CEO Mr. Cemil ÖZDEMİR as of March 10, 2011. (source)

BANKING - Qatar Islamic Bank eyeing up Bank Asya

The new, but lucrative participation banking sector in Turkey is attracting the covetous glances of foreign Islamic banks, at a time when the Arab world is in turmoil. Local news source, Haberturk, raised the specter that foreign buyers were looking to secure a stake in Asya Katilim Bankasi, Turkey’s largest participation bank. Because of Turkey’s secularist constitution, Islamic banks are referred to as participation banks. The report claimed that HSBC had been mandated to sell 25% of Bank Asya to Qatar Islamic Bank – this was swiftly denied by Bank Asya, but neither confirmed nor denied by QIB. (full story)

BANKING - Bank Asya Aims 20 Percent Asset Growth Next Year, Sabah Says

Asya Katilim Bankasi AS, a Turkish bank lending according to Islamic finance rules, targets 20 percent growth in assets next year, Sabah newspaper reported, citing the bank’s chief executive Cemil Ozdemir. The bank known as Bank Asya, may consider opening branches in the Middle East and expanding activities of a financial holding set up with Islamic Development Bank in Africa, Ozdemir said, according to Istanbul-based Sabah. Bank Asya has 40 percent stake in the joint company, he said.