Ziraat Bank: History, Branches Abroad and App Payments
Ziraat Bankası’s 1863 village chests, its 21 places abroad, Ziraat Mobil’s payment list and Western Union, checked 21.10.2026.
Table of Contents
Ziraat Bankası (T.C. ZİRAAT BANKASI A.Ş.) is on the list of deposit banks kept by Türkiye’s banking regulator (BDDK). Its history page dates the start to 20 November 1863, when Mithat Paşa set up the first village credit chests in the town of Pirot.
In short · checked 21.10.2026
From wooden chests in 1863 to 21 places abroad on the bank’s list.
- Abroad: ten subsidiary banks, nine countries with branches of the bank and two representative offices, 116 branches and offices in all.
- 1863: Mithat Paşa sets up the first village credit chests (Memleket Sandıkları) in Pirot; the first farm loans run 3 to 12 months, up to 20 liras a person.
- In the app: Ziraat Mobil can pay bills, motor vehicle tax, traffic tickets, the title-deed fee, social security (SGK), exam fees (ÖSYM) and loan instalments, and give cash with a QR code.
- Western Union: up to 7,500 USD a day in the app and Internet Banking; cancel the same day and the fee is refunded.
- Customer centre: 0850 220 00 00.
Ziraat Bankası’s own list · checked 21.10.2026
Pick a place: the bank, its branches and its own site
Subsidiary banks
Branches of the bank
Representative offices
Subsidiary bank
Germany
Ziraat Germany, head office in Frankfurt am Main.
Branches and offices on the bank’s list: 7
- Frankfurt
- Hamburg
- Cologne
- Hannover
- Berlin
- Duisburg
- Munich
Its own site: ziraatbank.de
Subsidiary bank
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Ziraat Bosnia and Herzegovina, head office in Sarajevo.
Branches and offices on the bank’s list: 35
- Banja Luka
- Bihać
- Bijeljina
- Brčko
- Butmir
- Cazin
- Doboj
- Dobrinja
- Ilijaš
- Ferhadija
- Goražde
- Gračanica
- Hadžići
- Ilidža
- Jelah
- Kakanj
- Konjic
- Lukavac
- Maglaj
- Mostar-Rondo
- Mostar (office)
- Mostar (branch)
- Novi Grad Sarajevo
- Sanski Most
- Sarajevo
- Sarajevo Corporate
- Srebrenica
- Srebrenik
- Široki Brijeg
- Travnik
- Živinice
- Tuzla
- Visoko
- Vogošća
- Zenica
Its own site: ziraatbank.ba
Subsidiary bank
Georgia
Ziraat Georgia, head office in Tbilisi.
Branches and offices on the bank’s list: 6
- Tbilisi
- Batumi
- Marneuli
- Kutaisi
- Gldani
- Varketili
Subsidiary bank
Montenegro
Ziraat Montenegro, head office in Podgorica.
Branches and offices on the bank’s list: 3
- Podgorica
- Bar
- Budva
Subsidiary bank
Russia
Ziraat Russia, head office in Moscow.
Its own site: ziraatbank.ru
Subsidiary bank
Azerbaijan
Ziraat Azerbaijan, head office in Baku.
Branches and offices on the bank’s list: 12
- Baku Main
- Icherisheher (Old City)
- Ganja
- Sumgait
- Ahmed Recepli
- Azadlık
- Samed Vurgun
- Babek
- Sederek
- Nakhchivan
- Neftciler
- Guba
Its own site: ziraatbank.az
Subsidiary bank
Kazakhstan
Ziraat Kazakhstan, head office in Almaty.
Branches and offices on the bank’s list: 8
- Astana
- Shymkent
- Aktau
- Almaty Central
- Almaty Central No. 1 sub-branch
- Atyrau
- Karaganda
- Turkistan
Its own site: kzibank.kz
Subsidiary bank
Turkmenistan
Ziraat Turkmenistan, head office in Ashgabat.
Branches and offices on the bank’s list: 7
- Ashgabat (No 1)
- Dashoguz (No 2)
- Turkmenabat (No 3)
- Kerki (No 4)
- Mary (No 5)
- Ashgabat (No 6)
- Balkanabat (No 7)
Subsidiary bank
Uzbekistan
Ziraat Uzbekistan, head office in Tashkent.
Branches and offices on the bank’s list: 7
- Tashkent head office (Operu)
- Tashkent Corporate
- Yunusabad
- Samarkand
- Fergana
- Andijan
- Bukhara
Its own site: ziraatbank.uz
Subsidiary bank
Kosovo
Ziraat Kosovo, head office in Prishtina.
Branches and offices on the bank’s list: 5
- Ferizaj
- Prishtina
- Prizren
- Peja
- Gjilan
Its own site: ziraatbank-kosova.com
Overseas branch
United Kingdom
The bank’s own branch, based in London.
Branches and offices on the bank’s list: 1
- London
Its own site: ziraatbank.co.uk
Overseas branch
Bulgaria
The bank’s own branch, based in Sofia.
Branches and offices on the bank’s list: 6
- Sofia
- Plovdiv (sub-branch)
- Kardzhali (sub-branch)
- Varna (sub-branch)
- Burgas (sub-branch)
- Shumen
Its own site: ziraatbank.bg
Overseas branch
Iraq
The bank’s own branch, based in Baghdad.
Branches and offices on the bank’s list: 2
- Baghdad
- Erbil
Its own site: ziraatbank.iq
Overseas branch
Northern Cyprus
The bank’s own branch, based in Lefkoşa.
Branches and offices on the bank’s list: 8
- Lefkoşa
- Taşkınköy
- Girne
- Karaoğlanoğlu
- Gazimağusa
- Güzelyurt
- İskele
- Gönyeli
Its own site: ziraatbank-kktc.com
Overseas branch
Greece
The bank’s own branch, based in Athens.
Branches and offices on the bank’s list: 3
- Athens Central
- Komotini
- Xanthi
Its own site: ziraatbank.com.gr
Overseas branch
Saudi Arabia
The bank’s own branch, based in Jeddah.
Branches and offices on the bank’s list: 1
- Jeddah
Its own site: ziraatbank-sa.com
Overseas branch
Bahrain
The bank’s own branch, based in Manama.
Branches and offices on the bank’s list: 1
- Manama
Its own site: ziraatbankbahrain.com
Overseas branch
Algeria
The bank’s own branch, based in Algiers.
Branches and offices on the bank’s list: 1
- Algiers
Its own site: ziraatbank.dz
Overseas branch
Albania
The bank’s own branch, based in Tirana.
Branches and offices on the bank’s list: 1
- Tirana
Representative office
United Arab Emirates
A representative office in Dubai.
Branches and offices on the bank’s list: 1
- Dubai
Representative office
Egypt
A representative office in Cairo.
Branches and offices on the bank’s list: 1
- Cairo
Abroad: subsidiary banks, branches and offices
The bank’s page on its places abroad lists ten banks of its own outside Türkiye, branches in nine more countries and two representative offices. Each place has a list of its branches and offices, and most have a website of their own.
10 countries
Germany, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Montenegro, Russia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kosovo.
9 countries
The United Kingdom, Bulgaria, Iraq, Northern Cyprus, Greece, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Algeria and Albania.
2 places
Dubai in the United Arab Emirates and Cairo in Egypt, both opened in 2024.
History: from wooden chests to a joint-stock bank
What the history page says about the chests
- The village chests, Memleket Sandıkları, took their name from wooden boxes.
- Four trustees ran each chest: two Muslim and two Christian, chosen by the villagers who took part.
- Two thirds of a chest’s profit went to building and repairing its area’s schools, roads and bridges.
- Later, for safety, iron chests made by local craftsmen replaced the wooden ones.
Ziraat Bankası’s history page · checked 21.10.2026
Open the chest: four eras of the bank
Kept inside the chests
- The day-book (yevmiye defteri)
- The ledger (defter-i kebir)
- The cash
1863–1887
Village chests
- 1863On 20 November Mithat Paşa sets up the village credit chests (Memleket Sandıkları) in the town of Pirot, the base of today’s Ziraat Bankası.
- 1863The first farm loans run for 3 to 12 months, up to 20 liras a person.
- 1867A regulation for the chests comes into force; the bank’s history calls it the first organised credit law in the country.
- 1883Menafi Sandıkları (public-benefit chests) take over from the Memleket Sandıkları. A “Menafi share” added to the tithe, a tax on farm produce, gives the chests a steady income.
1888–1923
The bank
- 1888The bank’s statute comes into force on 28 August. The directorate starts on 17 September, and the bank takes deposits that earn interest for the first time.
- 1892The bank’s own inspectors take over its inspection, and it makes its first loan to the Treasury.
- 1916A law for Ziraat Bankası is passed on 23 March. The same year the bank starts lending to farm businesses against bonds and guarantees, sells its first state bond and gives its first seed loan.
- 1920On 23 April the Ankara branch takes charge of the branches and chests in the areas run by the Grand National Assembly.
- 1922On 23 October, after the War of Independence is won, the bank is united again.
- 1923Branches and chests rise from 110 to 300.
1924–1977
Joint-stock and spread
- 1924A law of 19 March ends the bank’s status as a state institution and makes it a joint-stock company. The bank’s history gives the aims: shield the bank from the political influence of governments that spent its resources on day-to-day needs, put it in the hands of the farmers as its real owners, and widen it beyond farm loans.
- 1945A new statute for the bank comes into force.
- 1963The bank has 630 branches across the country.
- 1975A representative office opens in Hamburg, and branches open in Lefkoşa, Gazimağusa and Güzelyurt.
1978–2025
Machines and abroad
- 1978A representative office opens in London; in 1987 it becomes a branch.
- 1990The bank connects to SWIFT, the network banks use to send money abroad, and puts foreign-currency exchange machines and self-service terminals beside its ATMs; the bank’s history calls the exchange machines a first in Türkiye.
- 1993Ziraat Bank Moscow, Kazkommerts Ziraat International Bank, Turkmen Turkish Commercial Bank and Uzbekistan Turkish Bank are set up.
- 2000A law of 25 November turns T.C. Ziraat Bankası into the joint-stock company it is today (T.C. Ziraat Bankası A.Ş.).
- 2013–17A branch opens in Batumi (2013). Ziraat Bank Azerbaijan and Ziraat Bank Montenegro start work (2015). Ziraat Bank Georgia is set up, and the purchase of all UTBANK shares makes Ziraat Bank Uzbekistan (2017).
- 2023–25The head office moves to the Istanbul Finance Center in 2023, offices open in Dubai and Egypt in 2024, and a branch in Algeria follows in 2025.
Farm credit through the years
The bank’s history says it raised its branches and chests from 110 to 300 in 1923 and had 630 branches by 1963. It also says the bank became a partner in a Turkish-American company that started building the first domestic tractor, and that its credit helped farmers move from plough to tractor and thresher.
In the app: Ziraat Mobil
What the bank’s Ziraat Mobil page describes
- Cash with a QR code. The app can withdraw and deposit cash at the bank’s ATMs without a card.
- Confirming without a password. Ziraat Verification Technology lets you confirm transactions in Internet Banking and Ziraat Mobil without entering a password.
- Nearest Ziraat. It shows the bank’s branches and ATMs and gives directions.
Ziraat Mobil’s own list of transactions · checked 21.10.2026
What the app pays and moves
Home bills
- Natural gas
- Electricity
- Water
- Telephone
- TV
Taxes and fees
- MTV (motor vehicle tax)
- Traffic ticket
- Title-deed fee
- Other taxes
Social security (SGK)
- SGK payment
- Pension-fund debt restructuring
Education
- Ministry of National Education
- Exam fees (ÖSYM)
- Yurtkur (student dormitories)
- University fees
Roads
- HGS (toll tag)
- OGS (toll tag)
Phone top-up
- Turkcell
- Vodafone
Loans and cards
- Personal-loan instalment
- TOKİ (state housing) loan instalment
- Card debt payment
Insurance
- Ziraat Life and Pension premium
- Ziraat Insurance premium
Transfers
- Between your accounts
- To another account
- EFT (bank-to-bank transfer in Türkiye) to an account or a credit card
- To a mobile number
The same list also holds account and card services, currency and gold transactions, fund and portfolio transactions and security settings. The customer centre number on the bank’s pages is 0850 220 00 00.
Western Union at Ziraat: app and branch
The bank’s Western Union page describes sending and receiving in Ziraat Mobil and Internet Banking and at a branch. The fee is worked out from the amount and the receiver’s country.
Which transfer?
Send in the app
Open Money Transfers > Western Union and tap Send Money.
- RecipientName, surname, country, city and currency.
- FeeIt is worked out from the amount and the receiver’s country.
- MTCNAfter you confirm, the app gives you the MTCN, the Money Transfer Control Number. The receiver needs it to collect the money.
- AfterwardsUnder Transactions you can see the MTCN, follow the status, cancel the transfer or update the receiver’s name. Cancel the same day and the fee is refunded.
- Limit 7,500 USDThe daily limit for sending is 7,500 USD.
Receive in the app
Open Money Transfers > Western Union and tap Receive Money.
- MTCNEnter the MTCN, the Money Transfer Control Number the sender gave you, and the sender’s country.
- AmountThe app shows the amount; choose your current account.
- ConfirmConfirm the transaction.
Send at a branch
Visit any of the bank’s more than 1,700 branches in Türkiye and fill in a Send Money form. At the counter, say: Western Union ile yurt dışına para göndermek istiyorum. Ücreti ne kadar?I want to send money abroad with Western Union. How much is the fee?
- Hand inGive the form, the amount and the service charge to the branch representative.
- CopyThe representative completes the transaction and gives you a copy of the form with the control number on it.
- Tell the recipientGive them the amount and the Money Transfer Control Number.
- Pick-upThe recipient can collect the money in their name from any Western Union agent worldwide.
Receive at a branch
Visit one of the more than 1,700 branches and fill in a Receive Money form. At the counter, say: Western Union ile gönderilen parayı almak istiyorum. Kontrol numaram ve kimliğim yanımda.I want to collect money sent with Western Union. I have the control number and my ID with me.
- Photo IDShow a photo ID with the form.
- PayoutThe representative checks the request in the system and pays the transfer at once.
- No chargeThe recipient pays no charge to receive the transfer.
The service itself is covered in the guide to Western Union in Türkiye.
Short answers
When did Ziraat Bankası start?
The bank’s history page dates the start to 20 November 1863, when Mithat Paşa set up the first village credit chests (Memleket Sandıkları) in the town of Pirot. The statute of the bank itself came into force on 28 August 1888.
In which countries does Ziraat have banks of its own?
Germany, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Montenegro, Russia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kosovo, on the bank’s list of subsidiaries abroad.
Where does Ziraat have branches and offices?
The bank’s own branches are in the United Kingdom, Bulgaria, Iraq, Northern Cyprus, Greece, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Algeria and Albania, and it has representative offices in Dubai and Cairo.
Can I pay bills and taxes in the app?
Ziraat Mobil’s list names natural gas, electricity, water, telephone and TV bills, motor vehicle tax (MTV), traffic tickets, the title-deed fee and other taxes.
Can I take cash from an ATM with my phone?
The bank’s Ziraat Mobil page says that cash can be withdrawn and deposited at its ATMs with a QR code in the app, without a card.
How much can I send with Western Union in the app?
The daily limit is 7,500 USD in Ziraat Mobil and Internet Banking. Cancelled the same day, the transfer fee is refunded.
How do I receive a Western Union transfer?
In the app, open Money Transfers > Western Union > Receive Money, enter the MTCN and the sender’s country and choose your account. At a branch, fill in a Receive Money form and show a photo ID; the recipient pays no charge.
Which number does the bank print for its customer centre?
0850 220 00 00.
Sources
Show the pages checked
- Subsidiaries Abroad, Overseas Branches and Representative Offices — Ziraat Bankası, checked 21.10.2026
- Bankamız Tarihçesi — Ziraat Bankası, checked 21.10.2026
- Ziraat Mobil — Ziraat Bankası, checked 21.10.2026
- Western Union — Ziraat Bankası, checked 21.10.2026
- Mevduat Bankaları — BDDK, checked 21.10.2026
