Zyfin Launches World’s First Turkish Sovereign Laddered Bond ETF

Rising interest among domestic and international investors in the Turkish domestic debt markets has led to enhanced liquidity and strength in Turkish sovereign bonds. It is the sixth largest local currency bond market among emerging economies. The Fund offers international investors low cost and easy access to Turkish sovereign bonds.

The objective of the Fund is to track the performance of the ZyFin Turkey Sovereign Bond Laddered Index (‘the Index’) which consists of a basket of sovereign bonds issued by the Government of Turkey in Turkish Lira (TRY) across various maturities (‘the Index Securities’). Underlying exposure is taken through physical replication and is therefore more efficient in tracking the index.

The Index is comprised of six bonds issued by the Government of Turkey, selected from a universe of all bonds issued by the Government, which have greater than 100m TRY outstanding amount. The bonds are divided into three baskets, with each basket containing two bonds and having a residual maturity closest to a target maturity of 2, 5 and 10 years respectively. Index Securities are issued with fixed- rates and the Index is calculated in USD.

ABank, Turkey, (subsidiary of Commercial Bank of Qatar) will provide local market expertise in the Turkish market with geopolitical and macroeconomic assessments, interest rate trends’ research and local market intelligence. These are all critical elements in Turkish sovereign bond market analysis. The synergies generated by on the ground expertise of ABank and asset management strengths of ZyFin is expected to add significant value to the product.

Nina Shapiro (Board Member, ZyFin and former VP Finance and Treasurer, International Finance Corporation) said:
“With all the global financial volatility over the past few years, the economic growth of Turkey has been all the more impressive. ZyFin is bringing to international investors an interesting opportunity to add Turkish, as well as other emerging market, exposure to their portfolios in an efficient and transparent way.”

Sanjay Sachdev, Executive Chairman of ZyFin, said:  “Straddling the continents of Europe and Asia, Turkey’s strategically important location has historically being very important. Turkey remains an investment grade destination and has enjoyed sustained GDP growth over the past 16 years with forecasts indicating continued growth of 3.5% in 2016. With research insights from ABank and backed by our expertise in asset management we have structured this attractive investment solution for investors who wish to participate in the growth momentum that we believe will unfold in Turkey.”

Müge Öner, ABank Acting CEO, added: “I strongly believe that the newly established Alternatif ZyFin Turkey Sovereign Bond ETF will be an important instrument for international investors who would like to focus on the Turkish market. As ABank, we are glad to be the preferred counterparty and broker of this ETF in Turkey. With such partnerships, we will continue taking strong steps to be a key player both in Turkish banking sector and in the region, thanks to the support of our major shareholder The Commercial Bank (Q.S.C.).”

Abdurrahman Bilgiç, Ambassador of Turkey to the United Kingdom, commented:  “Thanks to the steady economic growth in Turkey, there have been important steps to bring Istanbul and London even closer in terms of economic and financial relations. In this manner, I welcome the listing of the world’s first Turkish Sovereign Bond ETF today on the London Stock Exchange, which will enable investors to invest directly into the Turkish fixed income market.”