In the protocol signed by Ibn Haldun University and representatives of the Savings Finance Sector on August 16, 2023, it was envisaged to establish a “Savings Finance Application and Research Center” within Ibn Haldun University and studies were initiated in this direction. The Center's regulation, which was approved by the Council of Higher Education (YÖK) a while ago, was published in the Official Gazette dated April 29, 2024 and entered into force. Thus, the establishment of the Center was officially completed.
The Center, which is the first center in the world to be established based on university-sector cooperation in this field, basically aims to offer alternative innovative solutions to the challenges facing our country and the global finance world. The Center's main objectives include raising awareness of savings, improving financial literacy and raising awareness of the savings finance system.
The Center will focus on the establishment and working principles of savings financing systems, savings financing methods and products. The general objectives of the Center include conducting scientific research, providing certification, conducting undergraduate, graduate and training activities, improving financial literacy, contributing to regulatory processes for the development of the sector, studying international experiences similar to savings finance methods such as rotating saving and housing saving plans, increasing product diversity, conducting studies to expand the target audience, organizing certificate programs, and organizing activities such as symposiums and congresses.
The Center's activity plans also include national and international cooperation on the savings finance system. These collaborations will pave the way for the development of policy recommendations as well as academic research, and within this framework, comprehensive analyses and reports on the development of the savings finance system will be presented.
The Center will work in cooperation with other units within Ibn Haldun University and organize training and certificate programs for students on the savings finance system. It also aims to strengthen the academic infrastructure by contributing to the opening of graduate programs in the field of finance law.
In his statement regarding the opening of the center, Rector Prof. Atilla Arkan stated that the Savings Finance Application and Research Center was established to respond to the rapid changes in the financial sector, to encourage innovation and to inform consumers, and pointed out that the center will also provide a better understanding of the functioning structure of savings finance companies. Prof. Arkan emphasized that the center will increase interaction and cooperation both in the academic community and on a sectoral basis, and that this initiative will bring a multidisciplinary approach to economic and social issues in line with Ibn Haldun University's core mission and vision, and that the center will focus on savings finance systems and conduct scientific, theoretical and practical research in these areas.
This development shows Ibn Haldun University's commitment not only to academic achievements but also to social responsibility projects. Through the Savings Finance Application and Research Center, our university aims to pioneer the dissemination of financial awareness and savings culture in society.
