130 thousand firms fined
According to the Ministry of Trade's first-quarter audit report for 2026, approximately 130 thousand firms were inspected, resulting in a total of 784.6 million TL in administrative fines. Details of the audits, conducted to combat exorbitant pricing, hoarding, and unfair commercial practices, have been released.
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The Ministry of Trade has shared its 2026 market audit report with the public. According to the statement, approximately 130 thousand firms were placed under scrutiny in the first quarter of 2026.
As a result of the audits, administrative fines totaling 784.6 million TL were imposed. The Ministry emphasized that the audits were conducted as part of efforts to combat inflation, prevent exorbitant price increases, and address hoarding and unfair commercial practices.
ON DUTY IN 81 PROVINCES
The Ministry launched a large-scale, simultaneous audit mobilization across 81 provinces. Significant findings were recorded during inspections carried out through Provincial Directorates of Trade. While 89,903 firms were inspected in the first three months, administrative sanctions were applied to 19,050 of these firms. A total of 254 million TL in fines was issued. Notably, the imposition of 203.3 million TL in fines for 46,416 products during inspections in Istanbul revealed the scale reached by exorbitant prices in the major city. Furthermore, 4.7 million products in Ankara, 2.5 million in Istanbul, and 1.8 million in Antalya were examined individually.
MASSIVE FINE FROM THE COMPETITION AUTHORITY
The Competition Authority, which imposes sanctions on large firms for disrupting market balance, issued a total of 5 billion TL in fines to 90 firms operating in the information technology, food industry, banking, and finance sectors in the first quarter of 2026. This fine follows the 13.2 billion TL in fines issued to 227 firms in 2025 and demonstrates how much more stringent audits in the sector have become.
EXORBITANT PRICING IS THE BIGGEST PROBLEM
Exorbitant pricing practices ranked first among the sectors most penalized in the Ministry of Trade's audits. In inspections conducted by the General Directorate of Internal Trade, 174.3 million TL in fines were issued solely due to exorbitant prices. Fines for other sectors were as follows: 19.2 million TL for the real estate sector, 5.1 million TL for the automotive sector, 2.6 million TL for the jewelry sector, and 17.5 million TL for commercial electronic communications and licensed warehouses.
EFFORTS TO PROTECT CONSUMERS
The General Directorate of Consumer Protection and Market Surveillance also conducted serious audits to combat product safety issues and unfair advertising. During these audits, 16,321 natural and legal persons were inspected. A total of 517 firms were fined approximately 310 million TL. Fines of 50.2 million TL were applied due to unfair commercial advertisements, and 254.9 million TL in fines were issued due to irregularities in prepaid housing sales and subscription contracts.