18 July 2025 – Ankara
Turkey’s Competition Authority has launched a formal investigation into Mastercard and Visa over allegations that the global payment giants may have abused their market dominance to restrict competition in the card payments sector.
The Competition Board, in a decision taken on 26 June 2025 (Decision No: 25-23/552-M), announced it is probing the economic entities controlled by Mastercard Incorporated and Visa Inc. The investigation will examine whether the companies — including their regional branches such as Mastercard Europe SA İstanbul Liaison Office and Visa Europe Services LLC Türkiye Representative Office — have violated Articles 4 and/or 6 of the Turkish Competition Act No. 4054.
The authority is particularly concerned with allegations that Mastercard and Visa may have hindered the activities of payment service providers offering international payment solutions. The probe focuses on claims that the companies disallowed foreign businesses from accessing payment infrastructure, such as point-of-sale (POS) networks, provided by Turkish banks under the Banking Law No. 5411. If proven, such practices could constitute anti-competitive conduct by restricting access to essential infrastructure and limiting market entry.
Under Turkish law, Article 4 prohibits agreements or practices that restrict competition, while Article 6 targets abuse of dominant market position.
The Competition Authority emphasized that launching an investigation does not imply guilt. “These declarations, made in the interest of public information, should not be interpreted as a finding of infringement or a prediction of sanctions,” the Board noted.
Mastercard and Visa have not publicly commented on the investigation as of publication.
This case marks another major step in the regulator’s ongoing scrutiny of digital markets and payment systems, which are seen as increasingly vital to financial competition and innovation.
