The Financial Action Task Force has published its fifth-round mutual evaluation of Türkiye, concluding that the country meets most anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing standards while flagging persistent implementation weaknesses among crypto asset service providers.
Turkish authorities were graded compliant or largely compliant on 38 of the FATF’s 40 recommendations. However, on the more demanding effectiveness assessment, Türkiye received only three substantial and eight moderate ratings across 11 testing areas, leading to an enhanced follow-up status rather than a full passing grade.
The FATF noted that virtual asset service providers generally understand their money laundering and terrorist financing obligations, but significant shortcomings remain in daily practice. The report highlighted that identifying and monitoring politically exposed persons is only partially effective, and suspicious transaction reporting continues to show deficiencies, especially outside the banking sector. The regulator also said Türkiye’s VASP framework was still being rolled out during the on-site inspection in November 2025.
A central concern is the country’s judicial backlog. The FATF said more than 7,000 financial crime cases are pending prosecution, and Türkiye must close the gap within three years. Turkish court data cited by local media put money-laundering cases at 12,629 by the end of 2025, involving 17,969 defendants and 28,477 underlying offenses. The FATF also criticized the limited ability to apply criminal liability to legal persons, leaving authorities reliant on administrative sanctions.
The Ministry of Treasury and Finance said the evaluation does not indicate any strategic shortcomings or grey list risk for Türkiye. The country exited the FATF grey list in June 2024. Ankara will now work through national strategies for money laundering, terrorist financing and asset confiscation covering 2026-2030, alongside a proliferation-financing plan for 2025-2029.
