Announcements

VoP (Verification of Payee) guidelines.

In accordance with the updated Rules and technical standards of the European Payments Council (EPC), and in compliance with the applicable framework governing credit transfers and direct debits in euro (Regulation EU 2024/886), the Bank will offer—free of charge starting from 09.10.2025—the new Verification of Payee (VoP) service. This service verifies the IBAN and the name/legal name of the payee and simultaneously informs the sender in case of any discrepancy.

This service is available through the Bank’s digital application (web banking application) and exclusively covers credit transfers in euro within the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) using SEPA Credit Transfer (standard priority) and SEPA Instant Credit Transfer (immediate priority). Transfers outside SEPA are not supported. At this stage, the service does not support bulk payments based on uploaded payment files.

To ensure the security of your transactions, payee verification is always performed prior to the execution of the transaction, regardless of its priority (standard or immediate).

More specifically, when entering a credit transfer instruction in the digital application and before completing it, the details of the person/legal entity declared as the payee in the transfer instruction are checked and compared with the records held by the payee’s bank (Payee’s Payment Service Provider). Based on this check, you will be immediately informed whether the details match, so that you can confirm the IBAN/name of the payee and proceed with completing and executing the transaction.

Application Functionality:

You enter the payee’s IBAN in the relevant field.
After the automated IBAN check by the application, the following fields on the screen will automatically display the country, Swift BIC Code, and the name of the payee’s bank.
Then, by selecting the new field “Identification Type,” you choose the identifier to be used for verifying the payee (usually name or legal name) from a dropdown list. If the payee is a legal entity, the identifier may be their VAT number or LEI code, provided these options are supported by the payee’s bank (Payee’s Payment Service Provider).
In the next field (Identification value) you fill in the related value to the prior selected option in the field Identification type.

Then by filling the above selected value

The verification result may be:

Full match of payee details
Partial match, showing the full name/legal name of the payee
No match, with some characters of the payee’s name hidden (e.g., X*******Y)

Whether to proceed with the credit transfer transaction regardless of the verification result is entirely your decision. Caution is strongly advised, as approving a credit transfer without proper payee verification carries the risk of transferring funds to an IBAN not belonging to the declared payee.

If verification cannot be performed due to technical issues or other reasons (e.g.,closed payee account), the response will indicate that verification is not possible.

The final deadline for Payment Service Providers to comply with the Regulation is October 9, 2025, so some banks may not have completed their integration with the service by that date.

In the case of an incoming credit transfer to your IBAN account held at the Bank, from a bank (Payer’s Payment Service Provider) participating in the VoP service, the requested verification of your details will be based on the personal information held in your customer file.

Ziraat Bank’s Role within the Turkey Wealth Fund Framework

Turkey Wealth Fund Management Joint Stock Company is established by the law numbered 6741 that is promulgated in the Official Gazette dated August 26,2016 and numbered 29813, with the objective of managing some of the assets of the State of Turkish Republic alongside its other functions. With the Decision of Council of Ministers which is the appendix of the Decree dated January 24, 2017 and numbered 2017/9756, some of the state-owned institutions including Ziraat Bank were decided to be transferred to Turkey Wealth Fund.

Through its domestic and international branches and subsidiaries in diversified business lines, Ziraat Bank will continue to perform its banking operations on a national and international scale within this context the banking operations in Greece under the strategies set by the Parent Bank.

Termination of operations of Rhodes Branch

Within the context of restructuring of its branch network, T.C. ZIRAAT BANKASI A.S. – ATHENS CENTRAL BRANCH (the "Bank") informs you that from 31 January 2018 and thereafter the Bank ceases operations of its Rhodes’ branch, located at 16, Grigoriou Lambraki Str. & Amerikis Str. The Bank's clients will be able to continuously receive service from any other branch of the Bank of their choice, especially from the central branch in Greece, ATHENS BRANCH, 2, Ermou Str. P.C. 105 63, Athens (the "Central Branch"). In particular:

Accounts on first demand (current, savings accounts etc.)

Regarding the balance of accounts on first demand (current, savings accounts etc.), the client is entitled to request the closure of the account and withdrawal of its balance within ten (10) days from receival of this letter (subject to application of regulations, particularly regarding the provisions for imposing restrictions on cash withdrawals and capital transfers). Upon the expiry of such time period, the account shall be automatically transferred to the Bank's Central Branch in Athens.

Term Deposits

Regarding the balance of term deposits with maturity within ten (10) days from the date of receival of this letter, the client may, within the same period, request their early termination. Upon expiry of such time period, the account will be held at the Bank's Central Branch. In addition, any term deposits with maturity after said time period shall be automatically transferred to the Bank’s Central Branch.

It is clarified that in any event, upon expiry of said time period, the client may either withdraw his balance (subject to application of regulations, particularly regarding the provisions for imposing restrictions on cash withdrawals and capital transfers) or deposit it in an account on first demand held at the Bank's Central Branch.

Cheques

Accounts on which cheques are drawn are automatically transferred to the Bank’s Central Branch and can only be closed after all issued cheques have been brought for payment. Beneficiaries of the Bank's cheques may submit them for payment to any bank in Greece (subject to application of regulations, particularly regarding the provisions for imposing restrictions on cash withdrawals and capital transfers).

Debt payment

Debt payments will be made by either (a) transferring the relevant amount to the customer’s account in T.C. ZIRAAT BANKASI A.S. – ATHENS CENTRAL BRANCH from any other Greek Bank or (b) depositing the relevant amount to the customer’s account in T.C. ZIRAAT BANKASI A.S. – ATHENS CENTRAL BRANCH or (c) depositing to the account no. 04001508862 (IBAN GR4801100400000004001508862) maintained by T.C. ZIRAAT BANKASI A.S. – ATHENS CENTRAL BRANCH to the National Bank of Greece SA. There shall be mentioned as reason for deposit the client’s loan account number. For any information required (debt amount, loan account number, etc.) you may contact tel. 210 3223038.

Client’s instructions to the Bank may be sent either in writing by a signed letter addressed directly to the Bank's Central Branch, and/or by E-mail at athens@ziraatbank.gr and / or by FAX on 210 3221796.

Alternatively, to the Bank’s Central Branch, the client may choose to receive services by any other branch of the Bank in Greece.

In any case, the above actions aim at maximizing the utilization and improvement of the Bank's service efficiency.