BBVA announced that Garanti BBVA and KAGIDER celebrated the Republic of Türkiye's 100th anniversary at the Women Entrepreneurs of the Year Summit. The event featured participation from Garanti BBVA CEO Recep Baştuğ, KAGIDER Chair of the Board Esra Bezircioğlu, and Ümit Boyner from the Boyner Group according to a press release by BBVA.
During the summit, BBVA revealed that it plans to continue increasing its financial support for women entrepreneurs exponentially. Garanti BBVA's CEO, Recep Baştuğ, highlighted the importance of women's empowerment in entrepreneurship and noted the significant increase in the percentage of women entrepreneurs in Türkiye, which has grown from five to 14 percent in just 17 years.
Esra Bezircioğlu, the Chair of the KAGIDER Board, emphasized the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Türkiye as an opportunity to reflect on progress and find solutions to accelerate women's entrepreneurship. She stressed the crucial role of women in Türkiye's development and mentioned that KAGIDER has actively promoted women's entrepreneurship for 21 years through collaborative projects with stakeholders, including Garanti BBVA.
"Our wish is to live in a world with 100 percent equality for women. Garanti BBVA has played a pioneering role by raising awareness of the importance of women entrepreneurship," said Garanti BBVA CEO Recep Baştuğ. He further mentioned that Garanti BBVA launched the Women Entrepreneurs Program in 2006 to support women entrepreneurs who create economic value, take risks, and stand on their own feet.
However, Chair of the KAGIDER Board Esra Bezircioğlu acknowledged that there is still work to be done in achieving gender equality in Türkiye. "Unfortunately, it is not possible to say today that women have taken their rightful place in economic, political, and social life in our country," she said. Bezircioğlu emphasized that women's entrepreneurship is an area where progress can be made parallel to the empowerment of women in all fields.
In closing, Bezircioğlu stated, "We will continue to work resolutely to expand women's entrepreneurship, empower women in every field, and make their power and voice heard more in the second century of our Republic."