05.04.2026 11:20
The Ministry of Treasury and Finance denied the assessments in Reuters' London report, stating that Minister Mehmet Şimşek did not comment on interest rate policy in any meeting. The Central Bank emphasized that the information shared with investors is limited to publicly available data. Thus, it was stated that the claims regarding the sharing of confidential information and signaling an interest rate increase in the meetings in London do not reflect the truth.
The Ministry of Treasury and Finance reported that Minister Mehmet Şimşek has "never" commented on interest rate policy in principle at all domestic and foreign meetings.
The ministry made a statement regarding Reuters' news about Şimşek's contacts in London. In the statement, the following expressions were used: "Our Minister of Treasury and Finance, Mr. Mehmet Şimşek, never comments on interest rate policy in principle at all domestic and foreign meetings. In this context, the assessments regarding monetary policy conveyed as 'impressions' in the Reuters news signed by Jonathan Spicer and Marc Jones do not bind our Ministry and our Minister in any way."
STATEMENT FROM THE CENTRAL BANK
On the other hand, the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey (CBRT) also stated in its announcement regarding the issue that the CBRT conducts its communication policy within the framework of transparency, consistency, and simultaneous information principles, and in this context, it regularly holds widely attended information meetings with market participants both domestically and abroad.
The statement emphasized that claims circulating in the public regarding the technical information meetings held in London, stating that "information and assessments not previously shared were shared with investors," do not reflect the truth.
In the meetings, it was stated that technical questions regarding the general macroeconomic outlook, financial markets, and the banking sector were answered to contribute to the correct understanding of monetary policy practices, and the following was recorded in the statement:
"All shares made in this context are limited to monetary policy texts that are already public and published macroeconomic data. There is no sharing of any information or policy assessment that is not publicly available domestically or abroad. Please do not trust comments, impressions, and statements outside the official communication channels of the CBRT."
WHAT HAPPENED?
Reuters reported that Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek and Central Bank President Fatih Karahan met with investors in London. According to the news, investors stated that the officials did not give a clear signal regarding interest rates.
One participant said that unless a significant calm is seen in the Iran war until April 22, they concluded that the CBRT's "base scenario" is to raise interest rates. The investor, who requested anonymity, expressed that if there is a significant escalation in the war, the step could be taken earlier.
Another participant said, "They did not completely rule out a rate hike, but they did not seem in a hurry to take any steps either. They will not allow the TL to weaken."
A third participant noted that the officials referred to the measures already taken, indicating that the shock created by the war would not be as high as feared with these steps.