About

Finansbank is the high-performing Turkish bank established by leading Turkish banker Hüsnü Özyeğin in 1987. For a period, it was the Turkish bank with the largest network of foreign branches, and its success has allowed it to attract much ownership interest outside of Turkey. Consequently, it was purchased by the National Bank of Greece in 2006, and again by the Qatari QNB Group in 2016. For the legal team of a bank that has been acquired twice in the last 10 years, the tasks of integrating, incorporating and acclimatising have almost become second nature. Therefore, it is unsurprising that the bank experiences little problems complying with Turkish and European Union regulations. The team is currently focused on securing compliance with Qatari regulations, due to the foreseeably profound presence it is destined to have in the country. Emel Yilmaz Özbay is in charge of Finansbank’s legal department, which is subdivided into different units, including corporate and banking. By cultivating a dynamic partnership with Ahmet Erzengin, head of the compliance division, and Zeynep Aydın Demirkıran, head of risk management, Özbay and team are able to effectively help Finansbank build on its 29 years of success, overcoming legal hurdles.