Middle East Tensions Shake Borsa Istanbul: Turkish Billionaires' Wealth Shrinks by $758 Million

Geopolitical Risk Pricing at Borsa Istanbul Escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East have triggered a sharp sell-off on Borsa Istanbul.
After reaching an all-time high of over 14,500 points mid-week, the BIST 100 index closed the day at 13,804.21 points, marking a 3.20% decline due to increased risks.
This downturn directly impacted the assets of Turkey's wealthiest individuals with publicly traded companies.
Significant Losses in Billionaires' Wealth Following the sharp decline in the stock market, 19 names on Turkey's list of dollar billionaires ended the day with losses.
The total wealth loss reached $758.7 million, bringing the billionaires' combined net worth down to $63.3 billion.
Feridun Geçgel saw the largest single-day loss at $75.6 million.
Among Koç Holding shareholders, İpek Kıraç lost $71.6 million, while Semahat Sevim Arsel saw a decline of $68.5 million.
İbrahim Erdemoğlu, owner of SASA Polyester, lost $68.1 million, and Ali Erdemoğlu lost $59.5 million, making them some of the most affected individuals proportionally.
Other notable losses included Mustafa Rahmi Koç of the Koç family ($60.9 million) and Bülent and Faruk Eczacıbaşı of the Eczacıbaşı family ($58.3 million each).
While Murat Ülker, who tops the list, ended the day with a $27.2 million decrease, the Tara family managed to increase their wealth by $43.3 million, reaching a total of $3.7 billion.
Global and Local Economic Outlook News flow regarding geopolitical risks continues to be a decisive factor in global market pricing.
While statements from the United States created a cautious atmosphere, domestic macroeconomic data showed some activity.
Turkey's net International Investment Position was recorded at minus $324.9 billion as of the end of 2025, while the consumer confidence index rose by 2.3% monthly in February to reach 85.7.
Turkey's Top 10 Wealthiest Individuals According to current data, the wealth status of Turkey's top 10 richest individuals is as follows: Murat Ülker: $5.5 billion Şaban Cemil Kazancı: $5.1 billion M.
Sinan Tara & Family: $3.7 billion Feridun Geçgel: $3.2 billion İpek Kıraç: $3.0 billion Semahat Sevim Arsel: $2.9 billion Erman Ilıcak: $2.8 billion Mustafa Rahmi Koç: $2.6 billion Ferit Faik Şahenk: $2.6 billion Filiz Şahenk: $2.4 billion