The Central Bank has reduced the maximum interest rates on credit cards

The Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey (TCMB)’s “Communiqué on Amendments to the Communiqué on Maximum Interest Rates Applicable to Credit Card Transactions” has been published in the Official Gazette and entered into force.

Accordingly, the upper threshold for the monthly maximum interest rate applicable to Turkish lira-denominated credit card transactions has been revised as follows:

• For credit cards with an outstanding balance below TRY 25,000, the upper balance limit has been raised to TRY 30,000. Concurrently, the basis points added to the base (active) interest rate for calculating the maximum interest rate for this tier have been reduced from 39 to 14.
• For credit cards with an outstanding balance between TRY 25,000 and TRY 150,000, the applicable balance range has been expanded to TRY 30,000–TRY 180,000, and the basis points used in determining the maximum interest rate have been lowered from 89 to 64.
• For credit cards with an outstanding balance above TRY 150,000, the upper balance threshold has been increased to TRY 180,000, and the relevant basis points have been reduced from 139 to 114.

Additionally, the interest rate for cash advances and overdraft facilities has been decreased from 4.50% to 4.25% per month.

As a result, the new maximum contractual interest rates for credit cards—effective as of the revised balance tiers—will be:

• 3.25% per month for cards with balances below TRY 30,000,
• 3.75% per month for cards with balances between TRY 30,000 and TRY 180,000,
• 4.25% per month for cards with balances at or above TRY 180,000.

These revised rates will take effect on 1 January 2026.