4 million invest in equities: CEO of Borsa Istanbul

Borsa Istanbul CEO Hakan Atilla speaks at an event in the southeastern province of Gaziantep.

There are nearly 4 million investment accounts within the stock exchange and mutual funds, according to Borsa Istanbul CEO and Acting
Chairperson.

"The number of accounts investing in the stock exchange and mutual funds is close to 4 million, but less than 40,000 of them are in Gaziantep," said Hakan Atilla during a panel discussion in the southeastern industrial city on Feb. 25.

"When the economic place of Gaziantep in the country is considered, the figure should be much higher," he added.

The main factor behind the figure is conservatism and low level of financial literacy, he added.

Some 90 percent of the companies across Turkey are run by families, Atilla also said.

"Family-owned businesses face problems in institutionalization and continuity at some point," he said, suggesting more public offerings.

Economy,