Amendments Regarding the Minimum Equity Requirements Applicable to Payment Service Providers and the Utilization Fees that Banks Can Charge Their Commercial Clients
Two Communiqués published in the Official Gazette dated 31.01.2026 and numbered 33154 introduced amendments to certain regulations in the financial services sector.
(i) Pursuant to the Communiqué on the Re-Determination of the Minimum Equity Amounts Required for Payment and Electronic Money Institutions (the “Minimum Equity Requirement Communiqué”), the minimum equity thresholds set out under Article 33 of the Regulation on Payment Services and Electronic Money Issuance and Payment Service Providers have been increased for certain payment services.
(ii) In addition, the Communiqué Amending the Communiqué on the Procedures and Principles Regarding the Fees that Banks Can Charge Their Commercial Clients (No. 2026/5) introduced amendments to the rules governing utilization fees that banks can charge their commercial clients.
With the Minimum Equity Requirement Communiqué, the minimum equity amounts applicable to payment service providers were increased as follows:
- For payment institutions which provide invoice payment intermediary services, from TRY 15,000,000 to TRY 20,000,000.
- For payment institutions which provide payment services except for the provision of consolidated data through online platforms regarding the payment account of payment service users under payment service providers, from TRY 30,000,000 to TRY 40,000,000.
- For electronic money institutions, from TRY 80,000,000 to TRY 105,000,000.
These revisions on the required minimum equity amounts will enter into force on 30.06.2026.
With Communiqué No. 2026/5;
- It was clarified that the limitations on utilization fees set out under Article 9(2) of the Communiqué on the Procedures and Principles Regarding Fees That Banks Can Charge Their Commercial Clients (Communiqué No. 2020/4) shall apply only to cash loans denominated in Turkish lira, and that the utilization fees applicable to other cash loans may be freely determined.
- Prior to the amendment, the utilization fee applicable to cash loans was limited to 1.10% of the disbursed loan amount. Following the amendment, the 1.10% credit utilization fee cap shall apply solely to cash loans denominated in Turkish lira.
The Communiqué entered into force on 01.02.2026.
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