Turkey: Compliance

The Capital Markets Board of Türkiye has introduced comprehensive regulatory reforms affecting hedge funds and portfolio management companies, implementing new investment diversification requirements, graduated ownership caps based on free-float ratios, enhanced capital adequacy standards, and stricter personnel qualifications. These changes, effective from August 2026, establish tiered compliance deadlines and fundamentally reshape the operational framework for Turkish portfolio managers.

Occupational fraud rarely remains a purely financial issue. It can quickly become a board-level governance concern, create regulatory exposure and trigger a reputational crisis. The risks are particularly acute where misconduct involves senior employees, third-party intermediaries, public-sector touchpoints or collusion that enables perpetrators to bypass standard controls.

Turkey's data protection authority has issued a public announcement clarifying the scope and application of biometric data processing regulations, particularly addressing uncertainties around employee attendance tracking systems. The announcement examines when fingerprint and palm scanning technologies constitute biometric data processing and under what circumstances such processing may be lawful beyond routine attendance monitoring.

The compliance period prescribed for data controllers in relation to loyalty card practices has been extended until 28 February 2027 pursuant to the Decision of the Personal Data Protection Board (the “Board”) dated 22 July 2026 and numbered 2026/1491 (the “Decision”), published in the Official Gazette dated 13 August 2026 and numbered 33339.

Turkey's Constitutional Court has upheld the Competition Board's authority to conduct on-site inspections at its discretion, marking a pivotal moment in defining the balance between administrative oversight powers and constitutional protections. The ruling addresses fundamental questions about the scope of regulatory inspection authority and its implications for businesses subject to competition law enforcement.

Presidential Decision No. 11066 introduces significant changes to the threshold values that determine which companies must undergo independent audits in Turkey. This regulatory update has important implications for corporate compliance and financial reporting requirements across various business sectors.

The Turkish Competition Authority has imposed a significant administrative fine on AVIXA for exclusionary and exploitative practices in the dual-active ingredient nasal spray market.

Turkey's Ministry of Labour and Social Security has updated work permit evaluation criteria, introducing significant exemptions for foreign workers with legal residency history. The new regulations, effective from August 3, 2026, modify employment and financial qualification requirements for specific sectors including manufacturing, poultry farming, and recycling industries.

Vergi ve ceza ihbarnamesi tebliğ alan mükellefler, 30 günlük yasal süre içinde dava açma, uzlaşma veya cezalarda indirim haklarını kullanabilirler. Bu hakların doğru kullanılması, ödenecek vergi ve ceza yükünü doğrudan etkilemekte ve tarhiyatın kesinleşme sürecini belirlemektedir. İhbarname sonrası süreçte mükellefin atacağı adımlar, vergisel yüküml&