RBC: one of the largest banks in Turkey has again tightened the conditions for opening accounts for Russians

Since the beginning of 2024, one of the largest banks in Turkey, DenizBank, has tightened the conditions for opening accounts for Russian citizens and practically stopped approving such applications. This was reported by RBC with reference to two intermediaries who help Russians obtain cards from Turkish banks.

According to one of the intermediaries, Sergei Ovsyannikov, DenizBank has practically stopped opening accounts for citizens of the Russian Federation - “out of ten applications for opening an account, only one receives approval.” He claims that it is impossible to open an account even with a residence permit (residence permit) and registration in Turkey.

Ovsyannikov added that the bank makes exceptions only for clients with a large deposit - from 100 thousand dollars and above. Lenar Rakhmanov, managing partner of Lenar Wealth Management, who works in Istanbul, noted that the likelihood of opening an account is influenced by the “caliber of the client.”

Another intermediary, Elena Chernyshova, recalled that since 2024 DenizBank no longer opens accounts for foreigners, including Russians, as tourists. According to her information, now when filling out an application you must provide a residence permit and registration in Turkey, and the decision will be made after checking the client. However, even the presence of these documents does not guarantee the opening of an account. “Therefore, with a full package of documents, it is easier for Russians to apply to another bank,” she added.

According to Chernyshova, approximately 60% of applicants - Russian citizens - do not have registration in Turkey.

One of the clients who contacted DenizBank in April 2024 said that the bank refused to open an account with a tourist residence permit and local registration. According to him, the bank accepted the documents, but then, after checking them, sent a refusal.

• After the outbreak of a full-scale war in Ukraine, DenizBank has already tightened conditions for clients from Russia several times, for example, it sharply increased the minimum deposit amount and the minimum amount of outgoing transfers using SWIFT. In February, it was reported that the bank sent letters en masse to clients from Russia asking them to provide documents confirming their right to reside in Turkey.
• From 2012 to 2019, DenizBank belonged to Sberbank.