What happened
The World Bank has approved a $485 million loan for Türkiye’s Technology and Industry Transformation Project. The programme is intended to help export-oriented manufacturers develop and finance investments that advance digital capability and lower-carbon industrial activity.
For manufacturers participating in the Ministry of Industry and Technology’s digital transformation and green transition programmes, the immediate task is to develop credible investment plans and assess the technologies they may seek to finance. The project will be jointly delivered by Türk Eximbank and VakıfBank.
Its first component focuses on investment readiness. Companies will receive support to create digital transformation road maps, deal with certification processes and prepare proposals suitable for financing. The second component will channel longer-term funding through participating financial institutions.
Potential investment areas include artificial intelligence, factory automation, efficiency measures, technologies for lower-carbon production, circular-economy approaches and digital systems that improve product traceability.
Why it matters
The project links technical preparation with access to finance, addressing both the planning and capital requirements of industrial transformation. Manufacturers that can turn operational priorities into financeable proposals may be able to pursue upgrades through the participating banks.
The programme also contains dedicated outreach and assistance for women-owned businesses and businesses led by women. This is intended to strengthen their readiness for investment and their ability to obtain finance.
For sustainability and operations teams, the financing scope indicates that decarbonisation projects may be considered alongside productivity, automation and data-enabled traceability investments, rather than as stand-alone environmental measures.
Targets through 2032
By 2032, the project aims to support roughly 400 companies in producing investment-ready transformation plans. It also targets financing for 280 firms and assistance for 200 businesses pursuing more digital or greener transformation goals.
The initiative is expected to mobilise about $180 million in private capital. According to Yeşil Ekonomi, it could also generate more than 102,000 higher-paid jobs.
