Turkey received $1.5 billion in international direct investment during the first two months of the year, according to the International Investors Association (YASED), citing newly released balance‑of‑payments data from the Central Bank.
In February alone, foreign direct investment totaled $780 million. Of that amount, $370 million came as equity capital, $513 million through debt instruments and $230 million from property purchases by foreign nationals. Investment withdrawals had a downward impact of $333 million.
Wholesale and retail trade attracted the most investment in the January–February period with $146 million, followed by electronics manufacturing with $143 million.
The European Union, which has accounted for 59 percent of Turkey’s FDI since 2003, represented 35 percent of inflows in February. By country, the United Arab Emirates led February investment with an 18 percent share, followed by Singapore and the United States at 15 percent each, Germany at 14 percent and Spain at 9 percent.
For the first two months combined, Germany was the largest source of investment at $198 million, ahead of the Netherlands with $118 million and the UAE with $95 million.
Total FDI inflows into Turkey since 2003 have now exceeded $289 billion.