The capital threshold for building a fintech in Türkiye has risen for the second time in a year. A Central Bank communiqué published in the Official Gazette on 30 June 2026 reset the minimum equity requirements for payment and electronic money institutions, and the numbers are not creeping; the e-money floor that stood at TRY 40 million a year ago is now TRY 105 million. Every team with a licence on its roadmap needs to reopen the financial model against this table.
The new floors
| Institution type | Pre-2025 | 2025 | New |
|---|---|---|---|
| Payment institutions executing bill payments | TRY 3m | TRY 15m | TRY 20m |
| Other payment institutions | TRY 5m | TRY 30m | TRY 40m |
| Electronic money institutions | TRY 13m | TRY 40m | TRY 105m |
Account information service providers presenting consolidated account data sit outside these increases; their regime runs separately. It is also worth remembering that the figures are tracked as equity, not as capital paid once at incorporation: this is a floor carried continuously and tested in Central Bank reporting.
What the increase signals
A threefold rise inside two years is more than an inflation adjustment; it signals the Central Bank tightening the market toward fewer, better-capitalised players. Setting the e-money floor at two and a half times the payment institution floor is a deliberate spread as well: models that hold wallets and balances will carry a far heavier base than models that merely move flows. For an early-stage team the practical conclusion is plain: an e-money licence is no longer a seed-budget item; it takes a serious round, or a partnership with a licensed institution through BaaS, agency or white-label structures.
Existing licence holders and pending applicants
The higher floors are not only a newcomer’s problem. Existing institutions will need to keep equity above the new bases, with the adaptation calendar and reporting detail to be tracked through Central Bank secondary rules and announcements. Teams mid-application should update the capital commitments and funding projections in their business plans; a file written on the old numbers, sent back for correction, is the slowest version of the process.
From when do the new floors bind?
The communiqué was published on 30 June 2026. For existing institutions, timing follows its transition provisions and the Central Bank’s practice; for new applications, assuming the current thresholds apply is the safe side of the line.
Any link to the crypto-side CASP capital requirements?
No; these are separate regimes. Payment and e-money institutions fall under Law No. 6493 and Central Bank supervision, while crypto-asset service providers sit under the Capital Markets Board. Groups pursuing both licences plan capital as the sum of two separate floors; for the current CASP side, see our CASP licence guide.
Where to start
If fintech is on your roadmap, update three answers: does your financial model carry the new floor for your target licence; is starting with a licensed partner smarter for the first two years than licensing directly; and if you already hold a licence, how far above the new floor does your equity buffer sit? Carry the three answers into your investor update too; the capital floor is no longer a compliance footnote but a main line of the runway calculation.
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