Turkiye central bank says allegations of disclosures at London briefings unfounded

ISTANBUL: Turkiye central bank said on Sunday allegations that previously undisclosed information and assessments were shared with investors ​during technical briefings in London last week were “completely ‌unfounded”.

Reuters reported on Friday that three people who took part in the briefings were left with the impression that an interest rate ​hike was an option as Turkish authorities seek to ​address the economic fallout from the Iran war.

During the ⁠briefings, Central Bank Governor Fatih Karahan and Finance Minister Mehmet ​Simsek expressed confidence in the steps taken so far.

The central ​bank (CBRT) said its briefings were strictly limited to publicly available monetary policy texts and published macroeconomic data.

“The CBRT does not, under any circumstances, ​disclose non-public information or policy assessments to any external ​parties, whether domestically or internationally,” the bank said in a statement.

It added ‌that ⁠such briefings address technical questions on the broader macroeconomic outlook, financial markets, and the banking sector, aimed at fostering a clear understanding of monetary policy implementation.

In a separate statement, ​the Treasury and ​Finance Ministry ⁠said Simsek never comments on interest rate policy at any domestic or foreign meetings as ​a matter of principle.

The private meetings with ​dozens of ⁠foreign investors were held last week after a series of policy steps by authorities including the sale or swap of ⁠tens ​of billions of dollars in forex ​and to support the lira, and to seek to keep disinflation on ​track.