Turkey savings finance regulation reforms

In July 2026, Turkey’s Financial Institutions Union approved new professional standards for savings‑finance companies, mandating branch hours 09:00‑18:00, with a possible extension to 20:00. The rule was reported to the Ministry of Interior and the Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency (BDDK).

By early August 2026, Turkey reported a significant surge in household debt, with consumer loans and credit card balances exceeding 6.8 trillion TL as of July 31. The number of individual borrowers reached 44.3 million, with an average debt of 155,000 TL per person. Rising living costs have led citizens to use credit to manage existing debts, contributing to a nine-year high in consumer loan non-performing rates at 6.1%.

In response, the BDDK introduced the “Evim” system and a set of comprehensive regulations effective 1 October 2026. These rules limit individuals to one vehicle-financing contract (capped at 6.25 million TL) and one housing or commercial-property contract (capped at 62.5 million TL, with specific thresholds raised to 12.5 million TL for housing/offices). To mitigate risk, companies may only invest pool funds in low-risk, liquid assets such as participation accounts, non-gold-backed domestic sukuk, or specific TL-denominated participation funds. Additionally, high-value contracts are subject to strict concentration limits, starting at 5% of all contracts and phasing up to 15% by June 2027 and 10% by the end of 2027.