Law firm to challenge Turkey’s ban on crypto payments

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Turkish instrumentality steadfast GlobalB is challenging the country’s prohibition connected crypto payments successful a proceeding scheduled for May 28, according to Sima Baktaş, the firm’s founding partner.

Although Turkey’s citizens are allowed to buy, clasp and commercialized crypto, the usage of the integer currency for payments has been banned since 2021, erstwhile the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey prohibited “any nonstop oregon indirect usage of crypto assets successful outgo services and physics wealth issuance.”

For the hearing, which is taking spot successful the country’s capital, Ankara, GlobalB plans to usage a strategy to amusement the semipermanent economical benefits of allowing crypto payments successful the country, Baktaş told Cointelegraph.

“The quality to usage crypto for payments would accelerate fiscal innovation, make much inclusive and businesslike outgo systems, and presumption [Turkey] arsenic a hub for blockchain adoption,” Baktaş said. “It would besides pull planetary investment, arsenic planetary companies and investors are keen to run successful a regulatory situation that supports integer assets.”

Source: Sima Baktaş

Related: Coinbase axes plans to grow into Turkey

Is Turkey a crypto-friendly nation?

Despite the ban, Turkey has worked to go a much crypto-friendly federation implicit the past fewer years. In July 2024, a regulatory model provided crypto plus providers to apply for licenses, starring to requests from well-known exchanges specified arsenic Bitfinex, Binance TR and OKX TR.

In December 2024, the state introduced tougher Anti-Money Laundering (AML) regulations, requiring transactions supra 15,000 Turkish lira ($412) to beryllium reported alongside users’ identifying information.

Related: Cryptocurrency laws and regulations successful Turkey: An overview

Furthermore, a spate of Turkish banks, including BankPozitif and Misyon Bank, person started to offer crypto services to clients successful collaboration with Swiss crypto level Taurus. The authorities has besides denied plans to taxation crypto profits.

Crypto adoption has accrued successful Turkey implicit the years arsenic well. A canvass conducted successful 2021 revealed that Turkey’s crypto idiosyncratic basal had accrued elevenfold. A 2023 survey showed the percent of crypto users successful the state had accrued by 12%, and a 2024 cryptocurrency ownership study showed that the cryptocurrency ownership complaint successful Turkey is 19.3%.

Baktaş notes that GlobalB’s suit “could service arsenic a catalyst for shaping secondary regulations successful a mode that fosters innovation portion ensuring compliance.”

“A affirmative ruling could besides pave the mode for caller concern models, peculiarly for crypto platforms seeking licenses,” she added. “It’s a accidental to make a well-regulated yet dynamic situation wherever companies tin run securely portion driving the maturation of the integer economy.”

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