Author
Payment systems expert and technology executive
Arif Ünal is a technology executive with more than 20 years of experience in banking, fintech and payment systems. He writes about card payments (issuing and acquiring), POS, ATM, e-money, FAST and Turkish payments regulation (BRSA and CBRT). He has held senior roles at Finagotech and managed payment systems and digital banking teams at Emlak Katılım, Vakıf Katılım and Türkiye Finans. He holds a B.Sc. in Industrial Engineering from Istanbul University and an M.Sc. in Management Information Systems from Marmara University.
976 articles
Payment System Institutions
TROY, Türkiye's domestic payment method founded by the Interbank Card Center (BKM) and licensed by the BRSA and the Central Bank in March 2016, is being spun off into a separate company.
Payment Institutions & E-Money
Under Law No. 6493, payment institutions and e-money institutions may operate only with BRSA permission. This post explains the BRSA circular on the format of the independent audit report required with operating permit applications under Article 8 of the Regulation, and where to find it.
Payment Institutions & E-Money
Applications for electronic money and payment institution licenses have risen sharply with technology and digitalization, and obtaining the operating license can be the most tiring part. Here is where to find the application form.
Merchant & POS
In the world of payment systems, there are new developments every day in both accepting payments and payment methods. QR code payments will undoubtedly become more common in the coming days, and we will make payments with QR codes in many places.
Payment Systems
BKM shares card payment data periodically. In 2020, the pandemic reshaped payment habits in Turkey: contactless and online payments surged and the total card payment amount grew 17 percent to TRY 1.15 trillion, with about 264 million cards in circulation.
Merchant & POS
The number of POS terminals, ATMs and cards in Türkiye is reported by BKM and updated monthly. Here is the link and how to read the figures.
Credit Card
Data on card payments made online in Türkiye is shared by BKM, updated monthly by number and value of transactions. Here is the link and how to interpret the figures.
Credit Card
This communiqué sets the rules for managing information systems used in bank card and credit card transactions. Card scheme operators, issuers, acquirers, merchants and outsourced service providers are all within its scope.
Security
The first transaction made after a customer's card data is stored with a merchant is called the First Credential-On-File transaction. BKM expects it to be flagged with the value "C" in switch message field DE48.PDS86, and BRSA draft rules govern how card data may be stored.
HSM & Security
Non-face-to-face transactions in which the cardholder authorizes the merchant to store card data, and the merchant uses that stored data to carry out the transaction, are called Credential-on-File (CoF) transactions.
ATM
In a letter to banks as part of the fight against inflation, the CBRT asked them to stock small-denomination banknotes in ATMs instead of 200 TL notes. Is this a ban or a recommendation, and what are the operational consequences for ATMs and banks?
Laws & Regulations
This communiqué sets the procedures and principles for managing the information systems payment and electronic money institutions use in their activities, and for their audit by authorized independent audit firms.