22.11.2025 16:36
The Minister of Trade, Ömer Bolat, spoke at the TESKOMB Presidents' Meeting in Antalya. Addressing the tradespeople, Bolat said, "The subsidized tradesman loan, which we reduced from 50% to 25% at the beginning of the new year, the interest rate reduction on Halk Bank loans, and the reduction of financing costs will hopefully be worked on and implemented at the beginning of the new year. May it be beneficial."
Trade Minister Ömer Bolat announced 4 new updates regarding the 50% subsidized credit, a maximum limit of 2.5 million TL for machinery purchases, the removal of numerous pending files from Halk Bank's shelves, and a one-year extension of the invoicing application that shows the reason for purchases in tradesman loans.
The meeting of the Turkey Tradesmen and Artisans Credit and Guarantee Cooperatives Central Union (TESKOMB) with the participation of Trade Minister Ömer Bolat took place in Antalya, with a strong attendance from representatives of credit and guarantee cooperatives across Turkey. The meeting was also attended by Antalya Governor Hulusi Şahin, former Foreign Minister and AK Party Antalya Deputy Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, CHP Mersin Deputy Talat Dinçer, TESKOMB President Abdülkadir Akgül, TESK President Bendevi Palandöken, Halk Bank General Manager Osman Arslan, and other guests. Minister Bolat stated that Turkey has truly risen to a very good position in the world after 22 years, being the 17th largest economy globally, and provided information about the efforts carried out in cooperation with the Ministry, Halk Bank, TESK, and TESKOMB for tradesmen.
2.5 MILLION TL MAXIMUM LIMIT FOR MACHINERY PURCHASES
Minister Bolat noted that the number of tradesmen has reached 2 million 300 thousand, supporting a population of 10 million with their families. He stated, "I want to express this new point: firstly, the subsidized tradesman credit, which we have reduced to 50% up to 25%, and the interest rate reduction on Halk Bank loans, as well as the reduction in financing costs, will hopefully be worked on and implemented at the beginning of the new year. I wish it to be beneficial. Secondly, as you know, the maximum limit for tradesman loans for commercial vehicles was raised to 2.5 million TL. As a new application, the maximum limit for machinery purchases has also been raised to 2.5 million TL," he said.
CREDIT FILES BEING REMOVED FROM SHELVES
In a statement regarding the credit files that everyone is eagerly waiting for, Minister Bolat said, "Currently, we have reached 148 billion Turkish liras in tradesman loans during the 10.5 months of this year. This is a 46% increase over last year's figures. This year, thanks to the great efforts of our government, tradesman supports have reached this high figure. However, our colleagues also express that there are many pending files. These pending files will hopefully be removed from the shelves by Halk Bank by December 31 and necessary actions will be taken," he stated.
ONE YEAR EXTENSION FOR CREDIT INVOICING
Referring to the fourth topic raised by TESKOMB President Abdülkadir Akgül, Minister Bolat stated, "When tradesman loans are given, there was a one-year postponement in the invoicing application that shows the reason for the purchases. Thanks to the efforts of our Ministry of Trade, TESKOMB, and TESK, our Ministry of Treasury and Finance had realized this one-year postponement. During the time that has passed, we have seen that our tradesmen need a little more time. We thank our Ministry of Treasury and Finance and our esteemed President together. The 30% invoicing application, which will start to be implemented from the beginning of this year, is postponed for one more year. The decision of our Ministry of Treasury and Finance has been sent to our Presidency. It will hopefully be released shortly. I wish it to be beneficial," he said.
1.5 MILLION NEW TRADESMEN IN THE LAST 5 YEARS
Emphasizing that the AK Party is a tradesman-friendly government and highlighting the difficulties experienced in the last 5 years, Minister Bolat said, "What has happened to us is something that has not happened to a cooked chicken. There was Covid, there was a pandemic, there was the Russia-Ukraine war, there was an energy crisis, there was a food crisis, there were earthquakes, there was economic stagnation, and before that, there was high inflation. But even during this period, in the last 5 years, 1 million 585 thousand of our tradesmen have opened businesses, registering anew. In contrast, 585 thousand have closed. There have been 3 openings for every 1 closure, and the number of our tradesmen continues to increase. We are very happy to see this reality. The more our number of tradesmen increases, the more the Turkish economy and trade will grow," he stated.
WORK STARTING FOR CREDIT FILES
Halk Bank General Manager Osman Arslan also stated in his speech that their efforts for tradesmen continue, saying, "In 2024, we provided 115 billion TL in tradesman loans. We increased this figure to 148 billion TL by November 2025. In 2024, we provided an additional financing of 38 billion TL. As of now in 2025, we have raised it to 40 billion TL. Of course, we are aware of the pending files of our tradesmen. At this point, my colleagues and I are working intensively, and starting from Monday, we will begin efforts to quickly remove the pending credit files in your chambers, cooperatives, and branches. I promise this. In the meantime, I sincerely thank you for the almost zero follow-up rates. Because the proper use of our loans for their intended purpose and their successful repayment is very important for the continuation of the loans. I also thank you very much for the sensitivities you have shown in this regard," he said.
"WE ARE OPENING A NEW LOAN"
Osman Arslan announced that they have developed a new set of credit products to be provided to tradesmen upon request, apart from subsidized tradesman loans, saying: "We are offering some products that will have favorable interest rates without being subsidized. One of these involves taking a mortgage from our tradesmen. The cooperatives place the first degree on these mortgages. By placing a second degree mortgage on them, we are opening a new loan of up to 1 million TL to our tradesmen from our own resources and without subsidies. This will hopefully provide relief. I wish it to be beneficial. Additionally, we have also held discussions with the Credit Guarantee Fund. They are also creating an additional credit limit of 500 thousand TL with the guarantee they will provide. This will hopefully be beneficial as well. Furthermore, we have our Paraf tradesman credit card. We are increasing our limits here to 500 thousand TL per tradesman. This will also be beneficial. With God's permission, starting from the new year, we will also make a significant reduction in the interest rates that our tradesmen currently pay, which is 25%."
I want to announce this good news as well. We truly appreciate what we do for our tradespeople. Our tradespeople are the backbone of our country's economy.
At the end of the meeting, representatives of the tradespeople took a photo with Minister Bolat and protocol members. A draft of the decree containing a new annual deferral period related to invoicing from the Ministry of Treasury and Finance was also displayed on the screen after Bolat's speech.