07.10.2025 10:53
While millions of citizens are focused on the upcoming price hikes in January 2026, the competition among banks for retirement bonuses has also intensified. Ziraat, Garanti, ING, Akbank, Yapı Kredi, and other banks have announced new campaigns specifically for October. Albaraka Türk is offering bonuses of up to 32,000 TL in total, along with additional rewards.
```html
The pension increase to be made in January 2026 is gradually taking shape. With the inflation data for September announced by the Turkish Statistical Institute, SSK and Bağ-Kur retirees have already guaranteed an increase of 7.5%. According to the Central Bank's year-end inflation forecast, if the rate reaches 29%, the pension increase will be 10.56%, and if it occurs at the 30% level, it will be 11.42%. In this case, the lowest pension payment is expected to exceed the limit of 18,000 TL.
COMPETITION AMONG BANKS HEATS UP
With the increasing expectations of the raise, banks have accelerated their promotion competition for retirees. As of October 2025, public and private banks have started to offer record levels of cash payments and additional reward opportunities to retirees who transfer their salaries. Ziraat Bank, which is among the public banks, provides a promotion of up to 12,000 TL to retirees who commit to receiving their salaries from the same bank for three years. Halkbank offers payments ranging from 5,000 to 12,000 TL depending on the salary range, while VakıfBank similarly offers payments between 5,000 and 12,000 TL based on the salary amount.
In private banks, the competition has become even fiercer. Garanti BBVA offers promotions and bonus opportunities of up to 25,000 TL to retirees who transfer their salaries, while ING Bank provides a total cash promotion of up to 28,000 TL with additional payments. Yapı Kredi rewards customers who use digital banking and set up bill instructions with rewards reaching 30,000 TL. Akbank offers a promotion of 15,000 TL to retirees who transfer their salaries, while this amount can increase to 30,000 TL for those who add bill instructions. DenizBank reaches a level of 27,000 TL with additional opportunities, while İş Bankası provides a promotion opportunity of up to 24,000 TL in total.
RECORD PAYMENTS FROM PARTICIPATION BANKS
Participation banks are also drawing attention with ambitious campaigns in the promotion race. Albaraka Türk offers a total promotion of up to 32,000 TL with additional rewards, while Türkiye Finans stands out with cash, bonus, and reward opportunities reaching 29,500 TL. QNB Finansbank provides a promotion of up to 15,000 TL depending on the salary range, while the total reward can rise to 20,400 TL with additional payments. TEB offers promotion opportunities of up to 21,000 TL to customers who set up bill instructions. Şekerbank increases the total promotion amount to 27,500 TL with the additional product advantages it offers.
WARNING FROM EXPERTS: FOLLOW THE CAMPAIGNS
Experts expect the competition among banks to increase even more in the coming weeks. Therefore, it is recommended that retirees closely follow the current campaigns before transferring their salaries. With the January increase, retirees will be able to benefit from both the new salary increase and the high promotions offered by banks at the same time.
```