From 1 February 2026, Turkey will apply new financial controls across its banking system as the financial intelligence unit of MASAK become the gatekeeper of transactions for high-risk sectors.
The change has been a long time coming, as the AKP government moves on the front foot to eliminate money mules, funnel accounts and falsified identities used by criminal networks that have infested Turkey’s financial system.
An easy target for large-scale money laundering, Turkey’s financial vulnerabilities were laid bare in 2025, a year of scandals embarrassing the AKP government. High-profile fallouts from multi-billion-lira laundering cases implicated Turkish football, banking integrity and fintech start-ups alike.
Each scandal was interconnected with illicit gambling activities, a dynamic that has hardened President Recep Erdoğan’s pledge to eradicate illegal gambling operators from Turkey by any means necessary.
The battle enters a new phase in 2026. Under amendments published in Turkey’s Official Gazette, MASAK has been granted direct authority to supervise and mandate identity-verification processes before any account can be activated or transaction executed. Controls that will be attached to transaction and accounts related to gambling, e-commerce services, fintech and payment providers, as well as insurance and pension services.
The reforms embed a strict “verification-before-use” framework into Turkey’s AML regime, obligating banks, fintechs and payment providers to halt all services until customer identity requirements are fully satisfied.
Tracking developments closely, Stasya Yautodzyeva, Head of Analytics at advisory firm 4H Agency, underscores the significance of reforms that no longer treat verification as a procedural step, but as an operational control at the point of payment under MASAK’s authority.
“This structure transforms identity verification from a formal requirement into a hard operational gateway,” Yautodzyeva explains. “An account cannot be activated and no services may be provided until a clearly defined identification condition is fulfilled.”
In practice, this verification is often enforced through a mandatory initial transfer from a bank account already linked to the verified identity of the customer. The mechanism will create an specific and auditable link between the payer, the account and the transaction itself.
The changes codify this process as a formal AML procedure, rather than a discretionary practice previously applied by banks and financial institutions.
“For the first time, ‘verification via transfer’ is embedded directly into the AML framework,” Yautodzyeva adds. “It establishes a clear identity chain between the customer and the transaction, which significantly raises the compliance threshold for high-risk activities such as gambling.”
The implications are acute for gambling and betting payments. Banks will be required to confirm that all gambling-related transactions originate from accounts matching verified customer identity data, with no customer acceptance or transaction processing permitted prior to verification. Once cleared, for gambling payments may only be routed to Turkey’s state-authorised operators, including İddaa, Milli Piyango and Türkiye Jokey Kulübü.
Crucially, failures to comply fall squarely under MASAK’s administrative sanctions regime. As Yautodzyeva notes, this represents a material escalation in enforcement risk for financial institutions.
“Non-compliance is no longer treated as a regulatory oversight. The reforms classify such failings as AML violations,” she says. “That reclassification fundamentally changes how banks and payment providers must assess their exposure to gambling-related transactions.”
The regulatory tightening reflects what 4H Agency describes as the logical culmination of developments throughout 2025, when offshore gambling exposure, betting manipulation cases and declining public trust eroded confidence in Turkey’s financial system.
In response, a new compliance architecture has been positioned as one of the state’s primary enforcement weapons. However, Yautodzyeva cautions that payment controls alone are unlikely to eradicate illegal gambling entirely.
“These measures significantly increase the cost and complexity of accessing offshore gambling,” she explains, “but they will not eliminate it altogether. Offshore operators continue to adapt through alternative payment rails and cross-border structures.”
While MASAK’s expanded powers mark a decisive shift in Turkey’s enforcement posture, the unit has yet to show how it will tackle the next phase of President Erdoğan’s campaign – namely, action against illegal operators domiciled in jurisdictions such as Armenia, Georgia, Cyprus and North Macedonia, which AKP believes to be targeting Turkish citizens.
Emine Erdoğan: family fortress against gambling
There is also a growing recognition within the AKP that the eradication of illicit gambling lies beyond financial and state-led controls. The failures of 2025 highlighted just how deeply illegal gambling has become embedded within Turkish society, a social dynamic the AKP government knows that it must confront.
At the close of 2025, Turkey’s First Lady Emine Erdoğan addressed the public-health NGO Yeşilay (The Green Crescent), thanking those working on the frontline of treating alcohol, drug and gambling addiction.
Though politically non-accountable, Emine Erdoğan’s status carries significant influence in shaping public discourse, and she used the visit to relay concerns voiced by Turkish households and rooted in moral values.
“We are facing a dark system that wears innocent masks by calling gambling ‘a game’ and alcohol, drugs and social media ‘entertainment’. But we know that behind these masks lie extremely tragic lives and great destruction,” she stated in her address.
“Social problems such as domestic violence, divorces, economic difficulties, unemployment and involvement in crime are rooted in these addictions.”
Emine Erdoğan confirmed that she will extend her arm to work with Yeşilay on a new programme focused on tackling addiction and supporting families, scheduled to be initiated in 2026.
“The strongest fortress that prevents addictions from prevailing is the family,” she concluded. “When the family is a safe haven for each of its members, people are less likely to be scarred by the storms of life. The fight against addiction must therefore go hand in hand with strengthening the family institution.”
The decision to elevate the role of the First Lady underscores that President Erdoğan understands gambling control as both a technical and social battle. As 4H Agency tells SBC:
“The convergence of hard enforcement and soft power reflects an acknowledgment within the AKP that regulatory tools alone will not suffice. Illegal gambling is framed as both a financial crime and a social harm. The stakes for delivery in 2026 are higher than ever not merely for market integrity, but for political credibility… AKP’s future increasingly depends on visible results.”
