Bankalararası Kart Merkezi

What Bankalararası Kart Merkezi does

Bankalararası Kart Merkezi (BKM) is Turkey's designated interbank card center and national payment infrastructure operator. Incorporated as a private joint-stock company (A.Ş.) owned by Turkish banking-sector shareholders, BKM operates exclusively within Turkey under regulatory oversight of the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey (TCMB) and the Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency (BDDK), and is headquartered at Akmerkez, Etiler, Beşiktaş, Istanbul. The company runs the domestic clearing and settlement system (YTH Sistemi) through which virtually all Turkish card-based transactions flow, and owns and operates the TROY domestic card payment scheme — the national alternative to international networks such as Visa and Mastercard. As of 2025, the underlying Turkish card base comprised 107.5 million contactless credit cards, 129.3 million contactless debit cards, and 25.2 million contactless prepaid cards, supported by 1.6 million contactless POS terminals.

BKM's platform consists of a core clearing and settlement engine surrounded by an expanding module set: TROY (card scheme), BKM Express (digital payments), TR Karekod (national QR standard), Öİ Request-to-Pay, GÖİ escrow overlay, Kolay Adresleme addressing, ÖHVPS open banking data sharing, and routing/intermediation services. The technology stack is built around payment-processing, clearing-and-settlement infrastructure for card-based transactions, with deep integration across member banks. BKM maintains comprehensive real-time statistics on all Turkish card activity and publishes annual reports, audit reports (audited by PwC), and sector publications on fintech, blockchain, and open banking.

BKM serves two principal customer segments: (1) member banks and financial institutions that use its clearing, settlement, and scheme participation services, and (2) merchants and payment service providers that integrate with its acceptance and routing infrastructure. Its revenue mechanics are not publicly disclosed — pricing is conducted through institutional agreements with member banks — but the scale of its transaction throughput (3.1 trillion TL contactless volume, 7.48 trillion TL e-commerce volume in 2025) places it as a critical national utility. Go-to-market is sales-led via institutional and regulatory channels rather than consumer-facing sales, consistent with utility-style infrastructure positioning.

Name

Bankalararası Kart Merkezi

Legal name

Bankalararası Kart Merkezi A.Ş.

Website

https://bkm.com.tr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Bankalararası Kart Merkezi (BKM) is Turkey's designated interbank card center and national payment infrastructure operator, providing clearing, settlement, and the TROY domestic card scheme to all Turkish banks under TCMB and BDDK regulatory oversight.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Payment Infrastructure

NAICS

Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (522320), Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (52232)

SIC

Finance Services (6199)

akta.pro primary industry

Card Clearing & Settlement (Interchange, Network Settlement) (FSABAJAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Integrated Payment Processors (PSP/Acquirer) (FSAMABAA), Bank-to-Bank Transfers & Pay-by-Bank (Consumer & Merchant) (FSAMAFAC)

Keywords

• Interbank card processing
• Payment infrastructure
• Clearing and settlement
• Domestic card scheme
• Payment system operator

Headquarters

HQ city

Istanbul

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Bankalararası Kart Merkezi (BKM) operates Turkey's national interbank card center, providing payment processing infrastructure, clearing and settlement services, and the TROY domestic card payment scheme to member banks and financial institutions. BKM also offers supplementary payment services including BKM Express, the TR Karekod national QR standard, Open Banking data sharing (ÖHVPS), Request-to-Pay (Öİ), and Escrow (GÖİ) overlay services for the Turkish banking ecosystem.

Product overview

Bankalararası Kart Merkezi (BKM) operates as Turkey's interbank card center, managing a platform-plus-modules architecture centered around card-based payment infrastructure. The core offering includes TROY (Turkey's domestic payment method/card scheme), the YTH System (domestic clearing and settlement), and BKM Express for digital payments. Additional services include routing and clearing intermediation, data sharing services (ÖHVPS), Request to Pay (Öİ), Escrow Overlay Service (GÖİ), Kolay Adresleme (easy addressing), and TR Karekod (QR code payments). The platform provides comprehensive statistics and reports on card transactions, contactless payments, and e-commerce across Turkey.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• TROY: Türkiye'nin Ödeme Yöntemi (Turkey's Payment Method) - domestic card payment scheme established by BKM
• BKM Express
• TR Karekod
• Kolay Adresleme

Products and services

• TROY (Türkiye'nin Ödeme Yöntemi / Turkey's Payment Method) Turkey's domestic card payment method and scheme that enables electronic payments and card transactions within Turkey, allowing local transaction routing as an alternative to international card networks. For member banks, financial institutions, and consumers.
• BKM Express Digital payment service enabling fast and secure money transfers and cardless payments between consumers and merchants. For consumers and merchants transacting in Turkey.
• YTH Sistemi (Yurtiçi Takas ve Hesaplaşma Sistemi / Domestic Clearing and Settlement System) Interbank clearing and settlement system that processes and settles card transactions between financial institutions in Turkey. For member banks and financial institutions.
• Takas ve Hesaplaşmaya Aracılık Hizmetleri (Intermediary Clearing and Settlement Services) Intermediary services for clearing and settlement of payment transactions between member institutions. For banks and financial institutions participating in the interbank card network.
• Yönlendirme Hizmetleri (Routing Services) Routing services for directing payment transactions to appropriate networks and card schemes. For banks, financial institutions, and payment service providers.
• Veri Tabanları / Yönetim Sistemleri (Database / Management Systems) Management systems and databases for card and payment data, supporting operational and analytical needs of payment infrastructure. For member banks and financial institutions.
• Ödeme Çözümleri (Payment Solutions) Comprehensive payment solutions for merchants and financial institutions, integrating multiple payment methods and channels. For merchants, banks, and payment service providers.
• Ödeme Hizmetleri Veri Paylaşım Servisleri - ÖHVPS (Payment Services Data Sharing Services) Data sharing service enabling secure exchange of payment service information between institutions under regulatory frameworks, supporting open banking initiatives. For banks, financial institutions, and authorized third-party providers.
• Ödeme İste - Öİ (Request to Pay) Request-to-Pay service enabling merchants and individuals to send payment requests to customers for bill payments and person-to-person transactions. For merchants, banks, and consumers.
• Güvenli Ödeme İşlemi - GÖİ (Secure Payment Transaction / Escrow Overlay Service) Escrow overlay service providing secure payment hold to protect both buyers and sellers during e-commerce transactions. For e-commerce merchants, consumers, and payment platforms.
• Kolay Adresleme (Easy Addressing) Easy Addressing service that simplifies merchant and consumer identification for payment transactions, enabling routing via simple identifiers. For merchants, consumers, and payment service providers.
• TR Karekod (TR QR Code Producer Code System) National QR code payment standard and producer code system enabling QR-based payments across Turkey. For merchants, banks, payment service providers, and consumers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2025: Processed 13.6 billion contactless transactions totaling 7.7 trillion TL
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Türkiye Cumhuriyet Merkez Bankası (TCMB)coreOthersCentral Bank of the Republic of Turkey - BKM operates under the regulatory oversight and supervision of TCMB as a critical payment system operator. TCMB provides the regulatory framework within which BKM operates interbank clearing and settlement services.
• Bankacılık Düzenleme ve Denetleme Kurumu (BDDK)coreOthersBanking Regulation and Supervision Agency - BDDK provides regulatory oversight and licensing for BKM as a payment services provider and interbank card company operating within Turkey's banking ecosystem.
• Türkiye Bankalar Birliği (TBB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTurkish Banking Association - TBB is the industry body representing Turkish banks, many of which are BKM members. BKM works with TBB on industry standards, payment system development, and regulatory coordination.
• Kredi Kayıt Bürosu (KKB)majorTechnology or IntegrationCredit Registration Bureau of Turkey - KKB provides credit data services. BKM collaborates with KKB on data sharing services and integrated financial data solutions for the Turkish banking sector.
• TROY (Türkiye'nin Ödeme Yöntemi)coreTechnology or IntegrationTROY is Turkey's domestic payment scheme operated by BKM. TROY enables local transaction routing and serves as an alternative to international card networks, supporting national payment independence.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Network International: Middle East and Africa payment processor with merchant acquiring and processing services. Comparable to BKM's processing role and provides regional emerging market benchmark for payment infrastructure economics.

Broad incumbents

• Worldline: European payment processor and merchant acquirer. Worldline provides broader payments infrastructure that overlaps with BKM's processing and merchant services, serving as a benchmark for European payment infrastructure operators.
• ACI Worldwide: Global real-time payment and banking software provider serving financial institutions. ACI's fraud management and payment processing offerings intersect with BKM's clearing and routing infrastructure services.

Direct peers

• Discover Financial Services: US-based national card network operating its own scheme and acceptance. Discover is comparable to BKM as a domestic-focused card network/issuer, providing a benchmark for national scheme valuation and operating economics.
• Mastercard: Global card payment network with significant presence in Turkey. Mastercard competes with BKM's TROY for card routing and provides a direct international comparison for national card scheme economics and scale.
• Visa: Global card payment network operating in Turkey. Visa competes directly with BKM's TROY scheme for card-based transaction routing and acceptance, making it the most direct international comparable for BKM's core network business.
• UnionPay: China's national card payment scheme. UnionPay is the closest international comparable to BKM in scale and structure - a domestically-launched national scheme that became the dominant network in its home market, competing with Visa and Mastercard.
• JCB (Japan Credit Bureau): Japan's domestic card payment scheme. JCB is highly comparable to BKM's TROY as a national card scheme serving a single primary market with strong domestic bank relationships and competing against global networks.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/baybaynakit
• Facebookfacebook.com/baybaynakit
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bkm-bankalararas-kart-merkezi

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bankalararası Kart Merkezi