Istanbul's new bourse to begin to operate today

Borsa Istanbul, which has combined the Istanbul Stock Exchange (IMKB) and the Istanbul Gold Exchange (IAB) under one umbrella, began to operate today. Borsa Istanbul's abbreviation will be BIST, its logo will be the tulip and its slogan will be "worth investing." The bourse will be inaugurated in a ceremony to be attended by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan today. A gala dinner was held in Istanbul for Borsa Istanbul yesterday. Speaking at the event, Babacan said that Borsa Istanbul would be a crucial step for Turkey and the region. "We cannot think of any other finance center that could compete with Istanbul," Babacan said, adding that they aim to make Istanbul one of the most important 10 finance centers of the world.