TürkiyeBetween continents and rooted in cards

Türkiye’s payments market is evolving against a complicated economic backdrop. Inflation is easing but remains significant, standing at just over 30% in August 2026. In this context, the central bank has maintained a tight monetary policy stance. For consumers, that makes when they spend, what they pay and how they choose to pay all the more important.

That helps explain why Türkiye’s long-established payment habits remain so important even as newer options gain ground. Credit cards still account for over 60% of eCommerce payments, with installment options in high demand as a way for customers to reach larger purchases (In retail and travel, around 40% of credit card payments are made in installments). At the same time, eWallets and A2A payments are growing quickly, giving shoppers more ways to pay from the phone already in their hand.

Cards dominate digital commerce. In 2026, credit cards account for 62% of online spending and debit cards another 16%. Their share is expected to ease slightly in the coming years, but cards will remain by far the most common way to pay online.

For shoppers, TROY works much like any other card, but it was built specifically for the Turkish market. As a domestic scheme, it offers a more accessible option for local consumers and can come with lower processing costs, while still supporting the card habits locals are used to, including installments.

In just three years, TROY’s network grew to account for around 20% of Türkiye’s card market by 2025¹.

Türkiye’s broader card culture gives it a large base of consumers already comfortable paying by card. For someone shopping online, the experience can be as simple as choosing a saved card or entering their card details at checkout, depending on how they prefer to pay.

A transfer no longer has to mean waiting for banking hours or checking whether the money has arrived. FAST allows consumers to send money instantly, 24/7, making A2A payments useful for everything from sending money to family to paying a merchant.

That convenience is reflected in the numbers. A2A payments are forecast to grow from US$ 5 billion in 2025 to US$ 15 billion in 2028. For consumers, that means another payment route is becoming part of the everyday checkout experience rather than something reserved for bank transfers.

eWallets are growing faster than almost every other payment method in Türkiye. They are projected to reach US$ 16.1 billion in eCommerce volume in 2026, up 34.5% from the previous year, and could reach 13.8% of eCommerce volume by 2028.

For consumers, the appeal is straightforward: payment details can stay on the phone, ready to use across apps and online stores. Services such as BKM Express, now rebranded as bex, also connect eWallet payments with QR payments, transfers and local payment infrastructure, bringing several everyday payment moments into one place. It’s not surprising that bex leads in its category, making up 28% of all eWallet payments.

Türkiye’s payment story is less about cards being replaced than about consumers having more ways to choose between them. Credit cards still account for the majority of online spending, but wallets and A2A payments are growing quickly. For shoppers, that can mean using an installment plan for a large purchase, a wallet for a quick checkout or FAST for an instant transfer. The same consumer can move between all three depending on what they are buying and how they want to pay.