Guide · English
Turkey Fintech Market 2026: Overview in Numbers
Turkey's fintech market in sourced numbers: card payments, FAST instant payments, licensed institutions, digital banking, e-commerce, crypto and funding.
Published · Review by 25 March 2027
Turkey combines a dense card market, near-universal mobile banking, a central-bank-run instant payment system that works 24/7, and a licensing regime for non-bank payment companies that has existed since 2013. This page collects the most recent official or officially sourced figures in one place. Every number carries its source and period. Amounts are in Turkish lira (TRY) unless stated otherwise; given high inflation, year-on-year growth in lira terms overstates real growth, so read TRY growth rates with care.
For the live Turkish-language dashboard with the same indicators, see the data centre.
Card payments
Card data comes from BKM (Interbank Card Center), which runs Turkey’s card clearing infrastructure and the domestic card scheme TROY.
| Indicator | Value | Change | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly card payment value | TRY 2,990.4 billion | +39% y/y | August 2026 | BKM via FinTech Istanbul |
| Monthly card transactions | ≈2.0 billion | +11% y/y | August 2026 | BKM via Fintechtime |
| Online card payments | TRY 923.9 billion | +41% y/y | August 2026 | BKM via Fintechtime |
| Contactless payments | TRY 1,039.9 billion | +42% y/y | August 2026 | BKM via Fintechtime |
| Contactless share of in-store payments | 4 out of 5 | — | August 2026 | BKM via FinTech Istanbul |
The card base is large relative to the population. As of August 2026, BKM reported 224.5 million debit cards, 153.4 million credit cards and 100.1 million prepaid cards (BKM via FinTech Istanbul). The prepaid figure is notable for foreign founders: a non-bank that wants to issue balance-holding prepaid cards needs an electronic money licence, and e-money institutions (55) outnumber payment institutions (20) on the CBRT registers.
Acceptance infrastructure is equally dense: BKM counted 2,020,116 POS devices and 56,814 ATMs in July 2026 (BKM, POS/ATM statistics).
Instant payments: FAST
FAST is the Central Bank of the Republic of Türkiye’s (CBRT, Turkish: TCMB) instant payment system, live since January 2021. According to the CBRT Annual Report 2025:
| Indicator | Value | Period |
|---|---|---|
| FAST transactions | 5.4 billion | 2025 |
| FAST value | TRY 43.23 trillion | 2025 |
| Daily average FAST value | TRY 118.46 billion | 2025 |
| Peak day | 28.7 million transactions (15 September 2025) | 2025 |
| FAST participants | 49 | 31 Dec 2025 |
| Easy Addressing (KOLAS) unique customers | 26 million | 31 Dec 2025 |
| EFT (large-value system) value | TRY 932.11 trillion | 2025 |
Since 26 August 2026, the per-transaction FAST ceiling is TRY 300,000 for transfers, request-to-pay and dynamic TR QR code merchant payments (CBRT press release 2026-36, 24 August 2026). The full picture, including open banking and QR payments, is in our guide to open banking and instant payments in Turkey.
Licensed institutions
Payment and e-money institutions are licensed by the CBRT under Law No. 6493. Counts change with new licences, revocations and mergers, so we show both the year-end figure and the current snapshot.
| Register | Current count | Year-end 2025 | Snapshot date | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Payment institutions (CBRT) | 20 | 24 | 25 Sep 2026 | CBRT list |
| Electronic money institutions (CBRT) | 55 | 62 | 25 Sep 2026 | CBRT list |
| Open banking participants | 53 | — | March 2026 | CBRT announcement via Alomaliye |
| Crypto asset service providers on CMB “operating” list | 52 (43 platforms + 9 custody applicants) | — | list dated 28 Aug 2026 | Capital Markets Board (SPK) |
| Equity crowdfunding platforms (CMB) | 18 | — | page dated 4 May 2026 | SPK |
| Banks flagged “Digital Bank” by BDDK | 6 | — | 25 Sep 2026 | BDDK bank list |
Two cautions. First, the net decline in payment and e-money institutions during 2026 reflects a wave of licence revocations — for example TRPOS (payment institution, published 9 September 2026), Payco and Junomoney (e-money, 26 August 2026) and Papel (e-money, 23 September 2026), all published in the Official Gazette. Second, the SPK crypto list is a transitional list: SPK states that appearing on it does not mean the firm has been authorised. The licensing details are covered in payment and e-money licensing in Turkey, and every register can be searched on the Turkish licence lookup page.
Digital banking
Turkish banks moved to mobile early, and the numbers from the Banks Association of Türkiye (TBB) show that digital channels are now the default:
| Indicator | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active digital banking customers | 129.5 million | March 2026 | TBB via Alomaliye |
| Active mobile banking customers | 128.4 million | March 2026 | TBB via Alomaliye |
| Financial transaction volume via mobile | TRY 54.66 trillion | Q1 2026 | TBB via Alomaliye |
Customer counts are account-relationship counts, so one person with three banking apps is counted three times; they should not be compared with population figures.
On the licensing side, BDDK (the Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency) has introduced a separate branchless “digital bank” category. Six banks are flagged as digital banks on BDDK’s bank list, including Colendi Bank, FUPS Bank and Ziraat Dinamik Banka, each of which received its operating licence on 31 October 2024 (BDDK announcements).
E-commerce
E-commerce is the demand engine behind online card payments and virtual POS services. According to the Ministry of Trade (ETBİS data, reported by Anadolu Agency):
| Indicator | Value | Change | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| E-commerce volume | TRY 4,570 billion | +52.2% y/y | 2025 |
| E-commerce volume (USD) | USD 115.5 billion | +29% y/y | 2025 |
| Share of e-commerce in total trade | 19.3% | — | 2025 |
Crypto assets
Since July 2026, the Central Registry Agency (MKK) publishes official data on the Turkish crypto market:
| Indicator | Value | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Crypto investors | ≈5.6 million (≈3.2 million with a balance) | July 2026 |
| Market value of investor holdings | TRY 140.76 billion | July 2026 |
| Crypto service providers that completed MKK membership | 53 (46 platforms + 7 custodians) | 15 July 2026 |
Crypto service providers are regulated by the Capital Markets Board (SPK) under Law No. 7518 (2024). Crypto may not be used for payments; that prohibition, issued by the CBRT, has applied since 30 April 2021. See the regulation timeline.
Venture funding
Funding totals differ by methodology, so we show each source separately:
| Measure | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fintech investment | USD 213.7 million, 35 deals | 2025 | KPMG Türkiye + 212 |
| Fintech investment | USD 220.4 million | 2025 | startups.watch via Daily Sabah (July 2026) |
| Fintech investment | USD 16.6 million | H1 2026 | startups.watch via Daily Sabah |
| All Turkish startups | USD 172 million, 87 rounds | H1 2026 | startups.watch via Daily Sabah |
Fintech was one of the leading verticals in 2025, driven by two large rounds (Midas, USD 80 million; Sipay, USD 78 million). The first half of 2026 was much quieter for fintech. Details are in the Turkey fintech investment landscape and the Turkish investments table.
Who regulates what
| Authority | Scope relevant to fintech |
|---|---|
| CBRT (TCMB) | Payment and e-money institutions, FAST/EFT, TR QR code, open banking standards, Digital Turkish Lira |
| BDDK | Banks including digital banks, banking-as-a-service, financing and leasing companies |
| SPK (Capital Markets Board) | Brokerage and wealthtech, crowdfunding, crypto asset service providers |
| MASAK | Anti-money-laundering rules and suspicious transaction reporting |
| KVKK | Personal data, including cross-border transfers |
| TÖDEB | Mandatory self-regulatory association of payment and e-money institutions |
Profiles of each body are on the Turkish institutions page.
How to read these numbers
- Inflation distorts lira growth. Compare lira growth rates with inflation or use USD figures where the source provides them (e-commerce, funding).
- Counts are snapshots. Licence registers change weekly in 2026; always check the date.
- Secondary sources are labelled. Where an official release was not directly reachable, we cite the outlet that reported it (e.g., “BKM via FinTech Istanbul”). Original data sets are linked from the open data page.
This page is reviewed at least every six months; figures with a newer release are updated as soon as the official data is published.
Primary sources
This article contains no sponsored or paid placement. Information only; not legal or investment advice. More English guides.