Amendment Made to the Consumer Protection Law
An important change has been introduced affecting card and credit users: the authority to determine commissions and other non-interest fees charged to consumers by banks has been significantly reallocated. All powers previously held by the Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency (BRSA) regarding the determination of fees and charges other than interest have been transferred to the Central Bank. Fees now under review will be redesigned to protect consumers, with the relevant ministry’s opinion taken into account. This amendment passed parliament and became effective after publication in the Official Gazette.
The change strengthens consumer information and protection measures, aiming to preserve consumers’ economic interests and compensate their losses. Specifically, Article 4 of the Consumer Protection Law has been amended to address recurring concerns about banks charging additional fees to credit and credit card users.
Authority Moved from BRSA to the Central Bank
Under the newly added provision, all authority previously exercised by the Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency to define types of fees and expenses—and the procedures and principles for them—has been transferred to the Central Bank. This change applies to any fees or charges collected from consumers beyond interest.
The amendment specifically modifies Article 4 of the Consumer Protection Law.
Key point:
Providers may not charge consumers additional fees for actions that are legitimately expected as part of the goods or services offered, and that fall within the contractual or legal obligations of the party drafting the contract. Likewise, expenses incurred by the contracting party for its own benefit cannot be imposed on the consumer as extra charges.
The Central Bank is now authorized to determine the types of non-interest fees, commissions and expenses that can be charged to consumers for products or services offered by banks, consumer-credit providers and card-issuing institutions. These definitions and associated procedures and principles will be set by the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey in a manner consistent with the law and designed to protect consumers, taking into account the opinion of the relevant ministry.
This amendment aims to create clearer, more consumer-friendly rules for non-interest charges and to centralize regulatory authority so that fees are established under a single, consistent framework focused on consumer protection.