Official Gazette / June 16-22, 2025

The Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency (BRSA) published its decision dated 13.06.2025 in the Official Gazette, granting an operating license to Galata Varlık Yönetim A.Ş.

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism published the Regulation on Amendments to the Regulation on Supporting the Cinema Industry. With the new regulation, support types, the scope of support, and application conditions have been modified. The definition of support for the production of first feature-length fiction films has been renewed, expanding the scope of support for young and experienced directors. A provision was introduced allowing support to be provided at any stage of the production process. Payment methods for support were reorganized, and a requirement to provide collateral was introduced for the lump-sum payment of support amounts. Detailed regulations were established regarding the conditions for supporting producers and directors and the types of corporate structures through which this support can be provided. Support for event/project activities such as film festivals, symposiums, archival work, and training programs was detailed, and a requirement was introduced for support recipients to enter data into the cinema ticketing system. Furthermore, it was explicitly regulated that support recipients cannot transfer their obligations to third parties.

The Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure published the Regulation on Amendments to the Regulation on Transport Affairs Organization. With the amendment, the definition of the work was expanded to include storage, packaging, labeling, wrapping, order management, insurance, distribution, and logistics activities alongside transport services. The minimum capital requirement for obtaining an authorization certificate was increased from 150 thousand TL to 1 million TL. The time granted to certificate holders for professional competence requirements was reduced from 6 months to 1.5 months. It was ensured that the diplomas of graduates of undergraduate or associate degree programs in logistics, maritime business management, maritime transport management engineering, and maritime management at higher education institutions in our country, as well as those who successfully complete IRU and FIATA training, can be used in place of the Senior Manager (ÜDY) or Middle Manager (ODY) certificate.

The Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey published its decision in the Official Gazette granting an operating license as an electronic money institution to the company named 1000 Ödeme Hizmetleri ve Elektronik Para A.Ş.

The Council of State Board of Administrative Case Chambers, in its ruling dated 14.04.2025 with File No. 2025/9 and Decision No. 2025/17, issued a definitive precedent-setting decision with a 13-to-1 vote. The ruling states that for oral exams (interviews) held in public institutions, it is necessary for examination commissions to prepare questions in advance and record them in minutes, to record the questions asked to candidates, and to record the grades given by commission members to candidates' answers in order to ensure the objectivity and judicial review of oral exams.

With Presidential Decrees numbered 9984, 9985, and 9986, the establishment of the Stray Animal Protection Union was authorized in the provinces of Sivas, Afyon, and Kırıkkale.

With Presidential Decree number 9987, certain areas in Balıkesir, Bitlis, Çankırı, Kahramanmaraş, Kastamonu, Kırşehir, Kütahya, Muğla, and Sinop were removed from forest boundaries.

With Presidential Decree number 9990, an area of approximately 28 decares in Çayyolu, Çankaya, Ankara, was sold to RAL Prestij Gayrimenkul Geliştirme A.Ş. for 3 Billion 100 Million TL.

The Ministry of Industry and Technology published the Communiqué on the Implementation of the Decision on State Aid for Investments (Communiqué No: 2025/1). For investments in electricity generation based on solar energy, the production process of solar panels must be carried out from ingot slicing or earlier stages using domestically produced cells, and the construction carrying the panel must be domestically produced. For investments in electricity generation based on wind energy, the blades and tower must be domestically produced, and for incentive certificates for applications after 01.01.2026, the blades, tower, and generator must be domestic. For electric vehicle charging stations, units to be procured after 01.01.2026 must also be domestically produced.

The Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey published the Communiqué on Amendments to the Communiqué on Deposit and Loan Interest Rates and Participation Account Profit and Loss Participation Rates (No: 2020/3) (No: 2025/14) and the Communiqué on Amendments to the Communiqué on Reserve Requirements (No: 2013/15) (No: 2025/15). The reserve requirement ratio applied to KKM (FX-protected deposit) accounts with maturities up to 6 months was increased from 33% to 40%. The additional reserve ratio applied to foreign currency deposits was reduced from 4% to 2.5%.

The Ministry of Interior (Disaster and Emergency Management Authority - AFAD) published the Regulation on General Rules for Building Damage Assessment After Disasters. Accordingly, damage assessment teams will consist of a civil engineer, a damage assessment team member, and an architect, and reports prepared by other personnel will not be valid. Building damage levels will be classified in 10 different ways as "undamaged, slightly/moderately/heavily damaged, to be demolished immediately, demolished, out of evaluation, inaccessible, undetectable, and out of scope”. The levels will be determined according to the situation at that moment and will not take into account the risk in potential disasters. Damage/defects not caused by disasters, such as the building completing its economic life/wear and tear, design and manufacturing errors, and ground settlement, will not be taken into account in damage grading. The work will be carried out in three stages: disaster impact determination, initial damage assessment, and objection damage assessment.

MASAK (Financial Crimes Investigation Board) published the Suspicious Transaction Reporting Guide for Lawyers. Previously, lawyers were designated as reporting entities under Law No. 5549 on the Prevention of Laundering Proceeds of Crime. Following the Constitutional Court's decision dated 18.01.2024 (File No. 2021/28, Decision No. 2024/11), which annulled the article concerning lawyers, the scope was narrowed and the wording clarified with the omnibus law No. 7521. The obligation to report to MASAK was re-imposed on lawyers in cases where there is knowledge or suspicion of illegal assets “within the scope of financial transactions related to the purchase and sale of real estate, the establishment, merger, management, transfer, and liquidation of companies, foundations, and associations, and the management of banks, securities, and all kinds of accounts and assets.”

The Competition Board, with its decision dated 28.05.2025 and numbered 25-21/516-340, decided to impose administrative fines of 1,353,100.91 TL on Kalite Sistem Laboratuvarları AŞ, 678,636.34 TL on Veltıa Laboratuvar ve Dan. Hizm. AŞ (STA Kalite Kontrol Gıda Laboratuvarı AŞ), and 357,338.28 TL on Southern Agricultural Services Tarım Ltd. Şti. on the grounds that Article 4 of the Law on the Protection of Competition was violated through an agreement and/or concerted practice aimed at price fixing in food analysis fees and the sharing of competition-sensitive information.

In the investigation regarding whether Article 4 of the Law on the Protection of Competition was violated by carrying out indirect information exchange between Vatan Bilgisayar San. ve Tic. AŞ, Teknosa İç ve Dış Tic. AŞ, and Media Markt Turkey Tic. Ltd. Şti. through Fakir Elektrikli Ev Aletleri Dış Tic. AŞ, the Competition Board reached a settlement with Teknosa. With its decision dated 28.05.2025 and numbered 25-21/509-338, it decided that Teknosa violated Article 4 by being a party to an agreement and/or concerted practice exhibiting the characteristics of a hub-and-spoke cartel and imposed a final administrative fine of 17,153,867.89 TL on Teknosa based on its 2023 gross revenue.