Turkey’s Financial Crimes Investigation Board MASAK has been granted direct powers to verify financial transactions to “prevent the proceeds of crime”.
The new powers were confirmed by the Ministry of Treasury and Finance in the latest issue of Turkey’s Official Gazette. It formally notifies public authorities and businesses of new compliance obligations that MASAK will begin to enforce from 1 February 2026.
Under the amended General Communiqué, MASAK is authorised to supervise and mandate identity-verification processes for online transactions, with the directive stating that obligations are being strengthened “within the scope of preventing money laundering and terrorist financing”.
The reforms align with the governing AKP government’s unified strategy against illegal gambling, unlicensed betting and online crime. The policy follows a direct pledge made by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who has instructed state institutions to intensify action against illegal gambling networks ahead of Turkey’s next general election.
MASAK’s authority now extends across multiple digital-facing sectors, including gambling and betting activities, e-commerce services, fintech and payment providers, as well as insurance and pension operators. The communiqué notes that obligated entities must ensure customer identification procedures are applied “before the establishment of a business relationship or execution of a transaction”.
Specific provisions apply to gambling and betting transactions, under which banks are required to verify that payments originate from a bank account that “matches the identity information of the customer”. MASAK states that customer acceptance and transaction processing must not take place until verification is completed in accordance with the new rules.
The framework is designed to ensure that, once verified, gambling-related transactions can only be processed through Turkey’s state-authorised operators, including İddaa (sports betting), Milli Piyango (lotteries) and Türkiye Jokey Kulübü (horse racing). The directive emphasises that these controls are intended to “prevent misuse of financial systems” and to “reinforce lawful fiscal channels to Turkish state enterprises”.
All financial institutions facilitating payments will be required to adopt enhanced customer onboarding procedures to ensure accounts are not falsified, misrepresented or connected to prior criminal activity.
The new powers granted to MASAK are specifically designed to prevent crime syndicates from accessing Turkish payment rails and to disrupt mule accounts and falsified identities within Turkey’s economic system.
The communiqué makes clear that accounts opened under the new framework “shall not be used until identity verification is completed”, effectively embedding banks and payment service providers into Turkey’s digital identity-verification architecture.
Full State Control
Following President Erdoğan’s pledge, Turkish authorities have been instructed to ramp up monitoring and enforcement against illegal online gambling across all state institutions.
MASAK has been charged with leading the government’s wider “Action Plan” to eradicate illicit gambling, coordinating actions with the Ministry of Justice. As part of this effort, Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç introduced reforms under the 11th Judicial Package, granting prosecutors enhanced powers to seize, suspend and prosecute assets and bank accounts linked to illegal betting operations.
At the close of 2025, the Ministry of Justice also instructed Turkish banks to issue direct warnings to customers, stating that engaging in or facilitating illegal online gambling could result in criminal prosecution and conviction.
President Erdoğan and Minister Tunç have warned that the fight against illegal gambling operators will not be confined solely within Turkish borders. In 2026, MASAK has been instructed to prosecute and take down illegal operators that have knowingly targeted Turkish citizens with gambling offers from the pariah states of Cyprus, Georgia, North Macedonia and Armenia and others.
Taking on its expanded powers, MASAK now sits at the centre of Turkey’s all-out enforcement regime under the government’s Action Plan. The strategy reflects the clear political direction set by President Erdoğan, who has stated his intention to eradicate illegal gambling activity that authorities believe has penetrated the Turkish state, its banking and payments infrastructure, the digital economy and professional football.
