The Central Bank of the Republic of Türkiye has announced that the E9 series version VII banknotes in denomination of TRY 200 will enter circulation on December 7, 2023. This decision aligns with Law No. 1211.
In a press release from the Central Bank of the Republic of Türkiye, it was revealed that the TRY 200 version VII banknotes have been reconfigured to bear the signatures of Governor Hafize Gaye Erkan, Ph.D., and Deputy Governor Osman Cevdet Akçay, Ph.D. Aside from these signatures, no other differences exist between the previous version and the VII version. The press release further clarified that all versions of TRY 200 banknotes will circulate concurrently.
The Central Bank's website provides additional context on Erkan's appointment as governor on June 9, 2023, marking her as the first woman to lead Turkey’s central bank. Erkan holds a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Boğaziçi University and a Ph.D. in Operations Research and Financial Engineering from Princeton University. Before her appointment as governor, she served in advisory roles at Goldman Sachs beginning in 2005. In 2014, she embarked on an eight-year tenure at First Republic Bank where she held multiple roles including co-chief executive officer, president, board member, chief investment officer, chief deposit officer and co-chief risk officer. She also served as a board member at Tiffany & Co and Marsh McLennan.
According to information provided by the Central Bank's website, Akçay obtained his degree from Boğaziçi University's Department of Economics along with his M.Phil degree and Ph.D. in economics from The City University of New York's Graduate School and University Center. Prior to his appointment as deputy governor of Turkey’s central bank on July 28, 2023, Akçay held academic positions at Hunter College and Baruch College, and served as assistant professor and then associate professor at Boğaziçi University’s Department of Economics. He later joined Koç University as a full-time faculty member. Akçay's banking sector roles include chief economist at Koçbank and Yapı ve Kredi Bank, and consultant for the Ministry of Treasury and Finance of the Republic of Türkiye and Fiba Group, Holding and Bank.