TWO IMPORTANT FCIB REGULATIONS AFFECTING OBLIGED PARTIES PUBLISHED
Two regulations were published in the Turkish Official Gazette dated 23 September 2026 and numbered 33379: Financial Crimes Investigation Board (FCIB) General Communiqué No. 33 and FCIB General Communiqué No. 34. Communiqué No. 33 increases certain thresholds for simplified customer due diligence measures, while Communiqué No. 34 introduces immediate obligations for obliged parties in connection with United Nations Security Council listing decisions. Both entered into force on the date of publication.
FCIB General Communiqué No. 34 – New Process for UN Listing Decisions
Communiqué No. 34 concerns persons, entities and organizations subject to UN Security Council listing decisions falling within the scope of Law No. 6415 on the Prevention of the Financing of Terrorism and Law No. 7262 on the Prevention of Financing of the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction.
Listing Decisions Will Be Announced on the FCIB Website
Information communicated through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding relevant listing decisions and the persons, entities or organizations concerned will be published on the FCIB website. The Communiqué does not require a separate Official Gazette publication for these announcements. Obliged parties should therefore monitor FCIB announcements closely within their sanctions-screening processes.
Immediate Reporting and Measures for Postponement of Transactions
“Obliged parties” include those listed in Article 4 of the Regulation on Measures Regarding Prevention of Laundering Proceeds of Crime and Financing of Terrorism, together with their branches, agencies, representatives, commercial agents and similar affiliated units. Transactions requested by listed persons, entities or organizations must be reported to FCIB immediately and the necessary measures for postponement of the transaction must be taken in accordance with Article 19/A of Law No. 5549 and other applicable legislation.
FCIB General Communiqué No. 33 – Simplified Due Diligence Thresholds Increased
Communiqué No. 33 increases the monetary thresholds in FCIB General Communiqué No. 5 for certain transactions eligible for simplified measures. The amendments concern life insurance, prepaid cards, electronic money and mobile payment transactions. They do not create a general exemption from customer identification; the other conditions in the underlying Communiqué continue to apply.
New Thresholds for Life Insurance
For life insurance policies based on total premiums payable within one year, the threshold increased from TRY 10,000 to TRY 20,000; for single-premium life insurance policies, it increased from TRY 25,000 to TRY 50,000.
Prepaid Cards and Electronic Money
For single-use prepaid cards and the monthly loading and balance limits for reloadable prepaid cards, the TRY 2,750 threshold increased to TRY 5,500. The same increase applies to stored funds in non-reloadable electronic money and to monthly loading and balance limits for reloadable electronic money.
Mobile Payment Limits Revised
The single-transaction mobile payment threshold increased from TRY 1,000 to TRY 2,500, while the monthly threshold increased from TRY 2,750 to TRY 6,500.
Points to Consider in Practice
As both regulations are effective as of 23 September 2026, financial institutions and other FCIB obliged parties should review sanctions/list-screening processes to ensure prompt consideration of FCIB announcements, clarify transaction-postponement and internal escalation procedures, and update simplified due diligence thresholds in customer due diligence systems in line with the new amounts.
