TAKASBANK

According to the Articles of Incorporation of Istanbul Settlement and Custody Bank Inc.-Takasbank, the major purpose and activity of the Bank is to provide clearing, settlement and custody services within the framework of capital market and related exchange regulations as well as rendering investment banking services within the scope of the Banking Law and other banking regulations. With its “central counterparty” and “banking” licenses, Takasbank mainly provides clearing, settlement and custody, central counterparty and banking services to its members in Turkish capital markets.

Takasbank is authorized to provide cash and securities settlement transactions as the central clearing and settlement institution to Borsa Istanbul equities, debt securities, foreign securities, derivatives and precious metals markets. Securities delivery/receipt as well as cash obligations of Borsa Istanbul members arising from the buy-sell transactions in the related markets are executed via Takasbank.

Being a bridge between money and capital markets by providing reliable and robust cash transfer services with low costs, Takasbank renders clearing and settlement services, within the framework of capital market and Borsa Istanbul legislation, for Borsa Istanbul markets in full automation environment via on-line connection with the organized markets.

Over the years, Takasbank has expanded its banking product range to support the get through of settlement with instruments that include cash and non-cash loan opportunities.Addition to cash credit facilities, Takasbank operates markets such as Takasbank Money Market (TMM), Türkiye Electronic Fund Trading Platform (TEFAS) and Securities Lending Market (SLM). Through these markets, Takasbank offers cash and non-cash credit opportunities and through banking facilities, Takasbank aims to complete settlement transactions of Turkish Capital Markets with minimizing risks, providing liquidity to the relevant money and capital markets and without errors and on time. Thus, in addition to effective process management in cash and securities transfer transactions, it also ensures the safe and timely payment of settlement obligations on the value date. 

By developing an effective central collateral and risk management system, Takasbank contributes to the management of counterparty credit risk and systemic risk in the markets, strengthening the risk management infrastructure of capital markets and reducing intermediation costs in the market. Takasbank, within the legal framework ensured by the 6362nd numbered Capital Markets Law, guarantees the settlement obligations for the transactions and contracts occured in the markets with the title of “central counterparty” and role of “buyer against seller” and “seller against buyer” since 2 September 2013 in Securities Lending Market, 3 March 2014 in Borsa İstanbul Futures and Options Market, 14 October 2016 in Borsa Istanbul Money market, 19 June 2017 in Borsa İstanbul Equity Market, 2 July 2018 in Debt Securities Market, 01 October 2018 in Borsa Istanbul SWAP Market and 19 December 2019 in OTC Derivatives.

Takasbank was assigned as the "Central Settlement Bank" to be used by the market operator and market participants in the Electricity Market, which was put into operation within the framework of the developments in the energy markets, for the purpose of operating the collateral mechanism, ensuring continuous cash flow in the market by making timely and accurate payments, and securely managing collateral management. Within this framework, Takasbank, which has been providing cash settlement and collateral management services in the Electricity Market since 01.12.2011, has also been the Central Settlement Institution for the transactions carried out in the Electricity Futures Market (VEP), which started to be operated on 01.06.2021 within Enerji Piyasaları İşletme A.Ş. (EPİAŞ), in the EPİAŞ Renewable Energy Resource Guarantee (YEK-G) Market, in the Organised Wholesale Natural Gas Sales Market within EPİAŞ since 01.09. 2018, in the Organised Wholesale Natural Gas Sales Market within EPİAŞ as of 01.09.2018, and in the Natural Gas Futures Market (VGP), which started to be operated on 01.10.2021, as the Central Settlement Institution and continues its projects and activities in line with Türkiye's National Energy and Mining Policy.

Furthermore Takasbank, by the approval of the Ministry of Trade, provides following services for the spot platform where electronic commodity certificates based on cotton, wheat, barley, bean, lentil, corn, oat bran, olive, rough rice are traded: commodity certificate registration in Takasbank system, ISIN allocation and execution of settlement transactions through Takasbank RTGS DVP systems.

On 23 March 2016, Capital Market Board (CMB) announced that it recognized Takasbank as qualified CCP (QCCP) which fully complies with CPMI-IOSCO Principles for Financial Market Infrastructures.

Assigned as the responsible institution with the Central Bank of the Republic of Türkiye for the 17th numbered action plan of Istanbul International Finance Center (IIFC) strategy “integration with international payment and clearing and settlement systems”, Takasbank continues its studies to develop services provided to foreign residents in both local and international markets and to local residents in international markets within the framework of integration with international clearing and settlement systems. In this context, cooperation with other international settlement and custody institutions in addition to Euroclear Bank, building business relationships with other post-trade institutions with an aim to provide both local and international settlement and custody services to foreign residents, implementation of necessary account infrastructure and enhancement of automation in Takasbank infrastructure comes among Takasbank strategic objectives.

Providing cross-border services to market participants, Takasbank represents Türkiye in international organizations through the international clearing and settlement institution identity it possesses. In line with the vision to be a preferred institution in international markets, Takasbank continues its studies for many projects aiming to develop its technological infrastructure.

Takasbank provides custody service for the capital market instruments through its accounts held at international central securities depositories-ICSDs (Euroclear ve Clearstream) and global custodians (Citibank). Thus, it provides to access to more than 65 markets around world-wide. In order to increase its effectiveness in international clearing, settlement and custody transactions, our Bank establishes the necessary account infrastructures for post-trade services with the settlement and custody institutions of the relevant countries within the framework of the "Project for Establishing a Connection between Borsa Istanbul and the Trading Platforms of Stock Exchanges Residing Abroad" conducted by Borsa Istanbul. 

As a national numbering agency of Türkiye, Takasbank has been a member of the ANNA since 1995. In our country TAKASBANK assigns ISIN codes (ISO 6166) to equities, government bonds, investment / exchange traded / private pension funds, corporate bonds, all kinds of certificates, futures and options contracts, indices, commodities, electronic product certificates (EPCs) and for other securities and financial instruments. Within the scope of Takasbank Numbering service, Takasbank launched the Takasbank ISIN Portal in 2022 in order to eliminate physical documents, integrate the technological infrastructure and accelerate the reporting process. Takasbank fully complied with ISO 6166 ISIN standards. The BEFAS Credit Utilisation Project was completed and the BISTECH Trading System Architecture Dynamic Load Allocation Clearing Interaction Project was implemented within the scope of the BISTECH 3.0 Programme. 

Takasbank also provides valuation, control, commitment and reporting to CMB in relation to the assets of; Stock and Shares Investment Trusts, Investment Funds and Individual Retirement Funds. This is the service of controlling of the Collective Investment Institutions (investment funds, retirement funds, investment trusts) with the criteria, which have been specified by CMB and reporting of the results to CMB. 

Our Bank provides portfolio custody services to the securities mutual funds, mutual trusts, exchange traded funds, real estate mutual funds and venture capital mutual funds since July 24, 2014. 

Within Law No. 5746, Takasbank became an on-site R&D Centre on 21.04.2017 with the approval of the Ministry of Science, Industry and Technology of the Republic of Türkiye. In this context, Takasbank diversified and expanded its activities and was accepted as the Institution where cheque clearing activities will be carried out with the "Regulation on Cheque Clearing and Settlement Activities" published in the Official Gazette dated 9 June 2018 and numbered 30446, effective as of 02.07.2018. With Takasbank Cheque Clearing and Settlement System, Settlement and Return Distribution Transactions, Settlement and Guarantee Mechanism Contribution Share Transactions started to be carried out from a single centre.

As of July 16, 2018, the "Person To Person" Gold Transfer System, which allows increasing the mobility of gold in the economy, bringing the gold under the pillow into the economy, and using gold as a means of payment instead of being a means of savings, has started to serve banks and customers. Thanks to the system, gold has been transferred at EFT speed, and the Gold Transfer System, one of the most important components of the Istanbul International Financial Center Project, has become a milestone in the development of Islamic Finance in our country and in our country's goal of "becoming a gold center on a global scale”.

On December 30, 2019, Blockchain Based Transfer Platform was launched with “BiGA- Digital Gold”. The Platform has been created that allows digital asstes to be transferred using blockchain technology. The asset to be traded on the platform is the digital value which is called “BiGA” that is produced as the equivalent of each 1 gram of gold, the equivalent of which is phsically stored in Borsa İstanbul’s safes. It is possible to digitalize the dematerialized gold and convert them to BiGA and also, it is possible to BiGA can convert into dematerialized gold. Through this system, an entire structure was established between end to end phsycial asset and the dematerialized asset. With this blockchain infrastructure, transfer, settlement and reporting of digital assets were provided. With this infrastructure, 3 main capabilities are submitted such as issuing, redemption and transfer, designed in a modular structure that allows the transfer of other valuable assets by digitilazing.  

With the Capital Markets Board's “Communiqué on Equity-Based Crowdfunding”, Takasbank serves as an “Escrow Agent” where the fund collected through crowdfunding platforms will be blocked until transferred to the venture company or returned to the investors. As of 30/01/2020; Takasbank have started to provide collateral custody services for the Domestic Clearing and Settlement (YTH) System, operated by The Interbank Card Center (BKM) within the scope of the collateral management mechanism they have established.

In 2015, our Bank launched TapuTakas System, which allows simultaneous exchange of the ownership right and the sales price of the real estate which operates in integration with the General Directorate of Land Registry and Cadastre. The e-Devlet integration of the system was completed in December 2022 with the contributions of the Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Treasury and Finance, Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change, Republic of Türkiye Digital Transformation Office, General Directorate of Land Registry and Cadastre and Türksat A.Ş. The knowledge and experience gained through the Land Registry Clearing and Settlement System pioneered the launch of another platform. Takasbank, the first depository institution in the Secure Payment System, which is the product of the joint work carried out between the Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Commerce and the Notaries Association of Türkiye in order to prevent fraud and theft incidents frequently experienced in the purchase and sale of vehicles, put the Vehicle Clearing and Settlement System into practice and put the system into the service of our people as of 03.02.2023, and successfully provided e-Devlet integration in 2023 by completing all developments.

The Private Pension Fund Trading Platform, which is an electronic platform that allows the sale and repurchase of pension mutual funds participation certificates in the Personal Pension System to the participants of other pension companies that are members of the Platform, and the clearing, settlement and custody of these transactions through the Takasbank system has been put into service in 2021.

As of 1 September 2021, Takasbank has started to provide “Public Collateral Management Service” covering the processes of acceptance, custody, registration as revenue, return, extention of validity and reporting of temporary electronic letters of guarantee on behalf of administrations issued for submission to tenders held within the scope of the Public Procurement Law no. 4734. As of 3 January 2022, temporary electronic surety bonds have been included in the process.

Takasbank is supporting IIFC project actively through the aforementioned projects and comprehensive studies being carried on and continues to strengthen its position in local and international markets. Hence, Takasbank is endeavoring to reach its strategic target of becoming a referential instution among other international settlement and custody institutions.