Naci Ağbal

Naci Ağbal
Naci Ağbal
Born	January 1, 1968 (age 58); Bayburt, Turkey
Occupation(s)	Politician, government official
Years active	1989–present
Known for	Minister of Finance (2015–2018), Governor of the Central Bank of Turkey (2020–2021)

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Naci Ağbal, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 11 August 2025

Naci Ağbal (, born on 1 January 1968) is a Turkish politician and former government official affiliated with the Justice and Development Party (AKP). He held the position of Minister of Finance between 2015 and 2018 and represented the electoral district of Bayburt as a Member of Parliament until 2018, having been elected in the June 2015 general election. Before his parliamentary tenure, he served as Undersecretary at the Ministry of Finance from 2009 until his resignation in 2015 to pursue a seat in parliament.

Early life and career

Ağbal was born in Bayburt on 1 January 1968. He completed his studies at Istanbul University's Faculty of Political Sciences in 1989. That same year, he embarked on his professional journey by joining the Inspection Board, advancing to finance inspector status in 1993. By 2003, he had been promoted to department manager within the General Directorate of Revenues and later, in 2007, appointed as General Director of Budget and Financial Control. His involvement with higher education governance began in March 2008 when he joined the Board of Trustees at Ahmet Yesevi University, followed by his appointment to the Council of Higher Education (YÖK) in October 2008. On 12 June 2009, Ağbal was designated as undersecretary to the Ministry of Finance.

Political career

In February 2015, Ağbal stepped down from his civil service role to contest the June 2015 general election. He stood as a candidate for his native Bayburt under the Justice and Development Party (AKP) banner and secured a parliamentary seat. He successfully retained this position following the November 2015 general election.

Minister of Finance

After the AKP regained its parliamentary majority in November 2015, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu appointed Ağbal as Minister of Finance on 24 November 2015, succeeding Mehmet Şimşek who transitioned to Deputy Prime Minister. Ağbal highlighted the initiation of a new reform phase centered on fiscal discipline and establishing a robust financial framework to underpin economic development. Throughout their respective terms, both Ağbal and Şimşek advocated for policies grounded in fiscal conservatism.

Governor of the Turkish Central Bank

Ağbal was named Governor of the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey on 7 November 2020, succeeding Murat Uysal amid significant depreciation of the Turkish lira, which had fallen more than 40% against the US dollar since January 2020. His tenure ended when President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan dismissed him on 20 March 2021.

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