Fatih Karahan (born 1982) is a Turkish economist who has served as Governor of the

Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey The Central Bank of the Republic of Türkiye (CBRT) () is the central bank of Turkey. Its responsibilities include conducting monetary and exchange rate policy, managing international reserves of Turkey, as well as printing and issuing banknotes ...

since 3 February 2024. Karahan previously worked in private practice as an economist for

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology company * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek myth ...

, and as an economist at the

Federal Reserve Bank of New York The Federal Reserve Bank of New York is one of the 12 Federal Reserve Banks of the United States. It is responsible for the Second District of the Federal Reserve System, which encompasses the New York (state), State of New York, the 12 norther ...

Early life and education

Fatih Karahan was born in

Eskişehir Eskişehir ( , ; from 'old' and 'city') is a city in northwestern Turkey and the capital of the Eskişehir Province. The urban population of the city is 821 315 (Odunpazari + Tebebasi), with a metropolitan population of 921 630. The city is l ...

, Turkey in 1982. He entered Istanbul High School in 1993. After completing his secondary education, he studied Mathematics and Industrial Engineering at

Boğaziçi University Boğaziçi University (Turkish language, Turkish: ''Boğaziçi Üniversitesi''), also known as Bosphorus University, is a Public university, public research university in Istanbul, Turkey, historically tied to a former American educational insti ...

, graduating in 2006. He went on to study in the United States at

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

, receiving both a

Master of Economics The Master of Economics (MEcon or MEc) is a postgraduate master's degree in economics comprising training in economic theory, econometrics, and/or applied economics. The degree is also offered as an MS or MSc, MA or MCom in economics; var ...

and a doctoral degree in economics in 2012 under the supervision of Dirk Kruger and Guido Menzio.

Career

After earning his PhD, Karahan started his professional career as an economist at the

. He was the head of the labor and product market department and advisor for monetary politics until 2022. He taught as an adjunct professor at

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

and

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

in 2022. Karahan became a senior economist at US-based

in 2022 and was appointed principal economist there in November the same year. His main research interests include labor market policies, and macroeconomic effects of income risk of the housing market and firm dynamics. In addition, Karahan’s research focused on the role of geographic mismatch in unemployment during the Great Recession (2008-2012), the persistence of income shocks over the life cycle, and the effect of skill returns on college premium. Prior to his appointment to the Central Bank, Karahan was reportedly considered for a deputy ministerial position under Minister of Treasury and Finance

Mehmet Şimşek Mehmet Şimşek (born 1 January 1967) is a Turkish politician and economist, who has been serving as the List of Finance Ministers of Turkey, Minister of Treasury and Finance since 4 June 2023. He was the Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey from 24 ...

Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey

On 28 July 2023, Karahan was appointed Deputy Governor of the

. After the resignation of the previous governor,

Hafize Gaye Erkan Hafize Gaye Erkan (born 1979, Istanbul) is the former governor of the Central Bank of Turkey. She is a former co-CEO and president of First Republic Bank and was a member of the company's board of directors. She is the former Chief executive of ...

on 2 February 2024, Karahan was appointed Governor the next day. Following his appointment, ''

Bloomberg News Bloomberg News (originally Bloomberg Business News) is an international news agency headquartered in New York City and a division of Bloomberg L.P. Content produced by Bloomberg News is disseminated through Bloomberg Terminals, Bloomberg T ...

'' reported that analysts from

JPMorgan Chase JPMorgan Chase & Co. (stylized as JPMorganChase) is an American multinational financial services, finance corporation headquartered in New York City and incorporated in Delaware. It is List of largest banks in the United States, the largest ba ...

and

Morgan Stanley Morgan Stanley is an American multinational investment bank and financial services company headquartered at 1585 Broadway in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. With offices in 42 countries and more than 80,000 employees, the firm's clients in ...

anticipate that Karahan will take a more hawkish approach than his predecessor. In March 2025, Fatih Karahan was honored with the Foreign Policy Association Medal in recognition of the Central Bank of the Republic of Türkiye’s efforts to enhance relations with international institutions and global central banks as well as to increase public awareness.

Personal life

Karahan is the nephew of career diplomat Hasan Murat Mercan, the Turkish Ambassador to the United States. Karahan has two children.

References

External links

Fatih Karahan
at

{{DEFAULTSORT:Karahan, Fatih 1982 births Living people People from Eskişehir Istanbul High School alumni Boğaziçi University alumni University of Pennsylvania alumni Turkish economists Turkish expatriates in the United States Columbia University faculty New York University faculty Turkish bankers Governors of the Central Bank of Turkey