Who is Erkan Kork, the owner of Pozitifbank, Flash TV, and Payfix? Where is he from, how old is he? Why was a detention warrant issued?

The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office conducted a comprehensive operation as part of an investigation into the laundering of proceeds from illegal betting. Within the scope of this operation, a detention warrant was issued for Erkan Kork, the owner of Pozitifbank, Flash TV, and Payfix, on charges of 'leading an illegal betting organization'. Following these developments, many people began searching for answers to questions such as who Erkan Kork is, how old he is, and which companies he owns. Here are the details...

WHAT CHARGES IS ERKAN KORK FACING?

According to MASAK (Financial Crimes Investigation Board) and Central Bank reports, it is alleged that Kork founded Payfix with illegal betting proceeds and laundered money for betting barons through this system. It was determined that 855 of the accounts involved in transactions across 211 thousand 109 accounts were directly linked to illegal betting.

WHICH COMPANIES WERE ESTABLISHED WITH ILLEGAL PROCEEDS?

It is alleged that Pozitifbank was purchased with proceeds from crime and that money laundering operations continued through various companies. Among the allegations is that Kork entered the finance sector with Troyin Bilişim and established the payment institution named Payfix using illegal betting proceeds.

WHAT WERE THE RESULTS OF THE OPERATION?

Within the scope of the operation, assets, companies, bank accounts, and crypto wallets worth 6.9 billion TL were seized. Officials stated that the investigation is being deepened and that additional steps will be taken regarding individuals and organizations linked to illegal betting.

WHO IS ERKAN KORK?

Erkan Kork was born in Istanbul in 1974. He spent a significant part of his education abroad. He completed his primary and secondary education in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and his high school education in Dubai. Having studied business administration at the University of Paris, Kork has received various training in fields such as finance, project management, global economy, entrepreneurship, and revenue management.

In 2021, Kork earned significant certifications in information security and digital transformation, such as CISA, CISM, CGEIT, CRISC, CDPSE, and CSX-P, and in the same year, he received a Digital Transformation Leadership Certificate from BMI Business School. He completed his master's degree in business administration in 2022 and finished his doctorate in business administration economics at Conley University in 2024.

Kork began his career by working in management roles at his family's companies, later turning to the finance and technology sectors. In 2019, he was appointed Chairman of the Board of PayFix Elektronik Para ve Ödeme Hizmetleri A.Ş. In 2023, he began serving as the Chairman of the Board of Bank Pozitif. At the same time, he has been involved in the sector as a Board Member of the Payment and Electronic Money Institutions Association of Turkey.