Syrian entrepreneurs co-founded 750 out of 2395 foreign capital companies in Turkey during the first six months of 2015, according to the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey. By contrast, German and Iranian businessmen co-founded 184 and 142 Turkish-based companies, respectively, over the same period.
Data also shows Syrians established 141 foreign capital companies out of a total of 445 in June alone.
The number of newly established companies in Turkey last June increased by 21.8 percent to reach 5,817, compared to 4,774 in the same month last year, while the number of closed companies decreased by 11.6 percent, from 964 to 852.
The Istanbul Chamber of Commerce reported last March that Syrians topped the list of foreign investors in the Turkish city during 2014, as their share reached 25.2 percent of the total foreign investors, followed by Iranians and Germans.
The report explained that 4,487 businessmen had invested more than 1.22 billion TL in Istanbul in 2014.
According to the Istabul Chamber of Commerce, 1,131 Syrian entrepreneurs founded companies in the city, with a capital of 85 million TL, followed by Iranian-owned businesses with 399 investors.
Turkey is home to at least 1.9 million Syrian refugees: nearly 62 percent are without identification or passports, including nearly 450,000 children and at least 270,000 women, most of whom reside in Turkish cities.
Translated and edited by The Syrian Observer
