Türkiye Not Facing Energy Security Problem Amid War but Situation ‘Volatile’

Travelers cross from Iran into Türkiye at the Kapikoy border crossing in eastern Van province, Türkiye, Saturday, April 4, 2026. (AP)
Travelers cross from Iran into Türkiye at the Kapikoy border crossing in eastern Van province, Türkiye, Saturday, April 4, 2026. (AP)
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Türkiye Not Facing Energy Security Problem Amid War but Situation ‘Volatile’

Travelers cross from Iran into Türkiye at the Kapikoy border crossing in eastern Van province, Türkiye, Saturday, April 4, 2026. (AP)
Travelers cross from Iran into Türkiye at the Kapikoy border crossing in eastern Van province, Türkiye, Saturday, April 4, 2026. (AP)

Türkiye is not ‌facing any problems regarding energy supply security due to the Iran war, but the situation is "volatile", Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar was quoted as saying by Turkish media on Tuesday.

"We hope the war will not last any longer. But the process is currently under our control," Bayraktar told reporters on Monday evening after a cabinet meeting, broadcaster Haberturk reported.

"There is no problem or difficulty in energy ‌supply security."

Türkiye ‌is a big energy importer which ‌neighbors ⁠Iran and is among ⁠the most exposed emerging market economies to the global energy price jump.

Bayraktar said in late March that Türkiye’s dependence on Middle East oil was at a "manageable" 10% of total supplies and that the country had taken protective diversification steps.

At the ⁠time he said every $1 increase in ‌oil prices adds about $400 million ‌to Türkiye’s energy bill, while there had not been ‌any natural gas supply cuts so far from ‌Iran, Türkiye’s fourth largest supplier last year.

On Monday, Bayraktar told reporters that he had spoken with the Hungarian foreign minister and discussed the issue of protecting the security ‌of the TurkStream pipeline, which carries Russian natural gas to southern Europe through ⁠the ⁠Black Sea and Türkiye.

Explosives were found near the TurkStream pipeline in Serbia at the weekend, prompting Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to convene an emergency defense council.

Russia and Türkiye formally launched the TurkStream pipeline, which has a capacity of 31.5 billion cubic meters per year, in January 2020. The pipeline allows Moscow to bypass Ukraine as a transit route to Europe.

"The security of the pipeline in the Black Sea and on our side is important," Bayraktar said.



Turkish Central Bank Keeps Key Interest Rate at 37%

The Turkish Central Bank headquarters in Ankara (Reuters)
The Turkish Central Bank headquarters in Ankara (Reuters)
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Turkish Central Bank Keeps Key Interest Rate at 37%

The Turkish Central Bank headquarters in Ankara (Reuters)
The Turkish Central Bank headquarters in Ankara (Reuters)

Türkiye's central bank left its key interest rate at 37% on Thursday, as expected, keeping it unchanged for a fifth consecutive meeting as it continues to monitor the inflation impact of the Iran war.

The central bank said recent indicators suggested that the underlying trend of inflation was decelerating, though elevated energy prices posed an upward risk to the inflation outlook.

"The impact of geopolitical developments on the inflation outlook through the cost channel, economic ⁠activity and expectations is ⁠closely monitored," Reuters quoted the bank as saying in a statement.

The lira held steady at 48.4950 against the dollar after the announcement, while the main Istanbul share index was slightly lower.

In a Reuters poll, 16 of 17 economists had forecast the policy rate would remain at 37%, while ⁠one had expected a 100-basis-point cut.

The central bank also did not adjust its overnight lending and borrowing rates from 40% and 35.5%, respectively. The bank uses the rate corridor to adjust the cost of funding to the market, when necessary, without changing the benchmark rate.

Last month, the central bank resumed one-week repo auctions, which had been suspended since March in order to control the inflationary impact of the Iran war. Overnight interest rates, which had ⁠remained ⁠at around 40% since the suspension, fell by 300 basis points.

The war-related surge in energy prices has rattled import-reliant economies such as Türkiye, where inflation was 31.51% last month.

In the latest inflation report, the central bank raised its inflation forecast for the end of 2026 to 28%, from 26%. The government sees inflation at 28.4% at the end of this year.

Economists continued to expect monetary easing over the remainder of the year, but are closely monitoring new tensions in the region and their impact on inflation.


OPEC Further Lowers 2026 Global Oil Demand Growth Forecast

FILED - 09 December 2023, United Arab Emirates, Dubai: FILE PHOTO - A view of the OPEC pavilion on the COP28 grounds. Photo: Hannes P Albert/dpa
FILED - 09 December 2023, United Arab Emirates, Dubai: FILE PHOTO - A view of the OPEC pavilion on the COP28 grounds. Photo: Hannes P Albert/dpa
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OPEC Further Lowers 2026 Global Oil Demand Growth Forecast

FILED - 09 December 2023, United Arab Emirates, Dubai: FILE PHOTO - A view of the OPEC pavilion on the COP28 grounds. Photo: Hannes P Albert/dpa
FILED - 09 December 2023, United Arab Emirates, Dubai: FILE PHOTO - A view of the OPEC pavilion on the COP28 grounds. Photo: Hannes P Albert/dpa

OPEC on Thursday lowered its forecast for world oil demand growth in 2026 to 380,000 barrels per day, ⁠a copy of its ⁠monthly report showed, marking the fifth straight downward revision.

The producer group continues ⁠to see a smaller impact on consumption since the Iran war started than other forecasters, such as the International Energy Agency, which expects demand to decline in 2026.

The ⁠Organization ⁠of the Petroleum Exporting Countries also raised its forecast for 2027 oil demand growth, according to the report on its website.


HSBC's 1st Female CFO Pam Kaur to Step Down in 2027

FILE PHOTO: HSBC logo is seen in this illustration taken January 7, 2026. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: HSBC logo is seen in this illustration taken January 7, 2026. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/File Photo
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HSBC's 1st Female CFO Pam Kaur to Step Down in 2027

FILE PHOTO: HSBC logo is seen in this illustration taken January 7, 2026. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: HSBC logo is seen in this illustration taken January 7, 2026. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/File Photo

HSBC Chief Financial Officer, Pam Kaur, plans to step down in 2027, the latest high-profile executive departure at the Asia-focused lender.

Kaur will not stand for re-election as a director at the lender's 2027 annual general meeting, the bank said on Thursday, according to Reuters.

HSBC said its board has started to look for a successor, and will consider "both internal and external candidates".

Her planned exit puts leadership stability back under scrutiny. In December, HSBC unexpectedly named interim chair Brendan Nelson to the permanent role after a ⁠drawn-out, seven-month search.

Kaur's official ⁠retirement date as Group CFO would be confirmed in due course but would be no later than the company's 2027 AGM, which is usually in May, according to the bank.

Pam Kaur was the bank's first female finance chief in its over 160-year ⁠history.

Since her appointment in October 2024, Kaur has been widely regarded as the top aide to HSBC CEO Georges Elhedery as he leads a global overhaul.

The restructuring splits the bank's footprint into East and West regional divisions, driven by market exits and deep cost cuts to streamline operations.

After stepping down from the full-time role of Group CFO and executive director, Kaur will take on an advisory role to support Group ⁠CEO ⁠Georges Elhedery on ongoing strategic projects, the bank said.

Last month, HSBC's global chief executive for the insurance business Edward Moncreiffe left the bank after two decades at the banking group.

Recent high-profile exits include former head of banking for Europe and the Americas Gerry Keefe, who resigned in April, and its cash equities trading heads, James Grafton and Steve Jobber, who left in February.

The bank's former US banking chief Lisa McGeough departed last September.