05.02.2026 13:42
Regulations in the cryptocurrency sector are tightening. Despite the activities banned by the Capital Markets Board (CMB), cryptocurrency exchanges that continue to operate without permission and the influencers promoting these exchanges may face imprisonment and judicial fines. Here are the details…
After the acceptance of the amendments to the Capital Markets Law, many global cryptocurrency exchanges have adjusted their operations to comply with the new regulations. Under these regulations, individuals and organizations providing unauthorized cryptocurrency services face prison sentences of 3 to 5 years and fines of up to 10,000 days. Services offered by platforms based abroad to users in Turkey are also considered unauthorized activities.
In line with the CMB regulations, practices known as "affiliate" or referral programs in the sector have also been banned. In this context, some platforms, including Binance, one of the world's largest cryptocurrency exchanges, have removed Turkish language support and terminated their referral programs. However, despite this, it has been observed that some cryptocurrency influencers continue to share affiliate links aimed at Turkish followers.
Experts warn that these ongoing shares, despite the ban, could lead to serious sanctions for both the influencers and the cryptocurrency exchanges being promoted. It is particularly noted that shares made through platforms like Telegram, which are harder to monitor, are drawing attention. In some channels with hundreds of thousands of subscribers, affiliate links belonging to the global cryptocurrency exchange Bybit are actively shared, continuing marketing efforts aimed at Turkish users.
INFLUENCERS UNDER SCRUTINY
According to experts, unauthorized cryptocurrency service provision encompasses not only exchanges but also the influencers facilitating these activities. Additionally, heavy penalties may arise due to crimes such as providing unauthorized investment advice, market manipulation, concealing advertisements while promoting, and making misleading or false statements.
ACTUAL ADVERTISING UNDER THE NAME "MY EXPERIENCE"
Experts point out that one of the biggest problems of the affiliate system is that it creates a conflict of interest, stating that individuals earning income from this model focus more on the number of users they direct rather than the reliability or risks of the platform they promote. This situation makes it difficult to provide investors with impartial and healthy information, and it is stated that many shares made with the expression "my experience" actually qualify as advertising.