Turkey - AL-MONITOR: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Turkey

Turkey

November 11, 2026

Ankara 10:58 pm

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People walk past a Bitcoin sign at the entrance of a cryptocurrency exchange office on Nov. 8, 2024, in Istanbul, Turkey.

Watchdog urges Turkey to tighten digital asset rules for $144B crypto economy

A review of Turkey’s crypto-asset regulations by the Financial Stability Board acknowledged significant progress made by local authorities but called for further measures to address potential risks.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) and Central Bank Governor Sahap Kavcioglu attend a signing ceremony with Abu Dhabi’s crown prince, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan at the Presidential Complex in Ankara on Nov. 24, 2021. ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey’s banking watchdog chief submits resignation amid fund scandal

Turkey’s government is facing growing criticism over regulators’ failure to prevent a fund scandal involving more than $20 billion.

Chris McGrath/Getty Images

Explainer

Iran war pushes up coal use, complicating Turkey’s COP31 pledge

Turkey is asking world leaders at COP31 to back a global push to use more electricity, even as the Iran war has driven up natural gas prices and pushed some power producers back to coal.

Latest News

Turkey bars MP’s wife from travel after his fund scandal criticism: What to know

OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images

Steel factory explosion in western Turkey kills at least 16

A steel worker works in front of giant iron melting pot in Kardemir Iron and Steel Factory in Karabuk, northwestern Turkey, Aug. 26 2005. (TARIK TINAZAY/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Will Democrats block Trump’s push to deliver Turkey F-35s, lift sanctions?

MEHMET ESER/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Samuel Wendel

Senior Analyst, Middle East Business & Tech

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Amberin Zaman

Chief Correspondent

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Jack Dutton

Chief Business Correspondent

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

Ezgi Akin

Associate Editor (Turkey)

In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO

Francesco Schiavi

In Bologna, reporting on security, defense, economy, governance

Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

A convoy of U.N. vehicles carrying a team of United Nations chemical weapons experts and escorted by Free Syrian Army fighters (vehicle on left) drive through one of the sites of an alleged chemical weapons attack in eastern Ghouta in Damascus suburbs August 28, 2013. A team of United Nations inspectors reached rebel-held territory outside Damascus on Wednesday, opposition activists said, and would soon begin a second day of investigating the sites of an alleged chemical weapons attack that killed hundreds

Experts in Turkey Differ on Syria Policy

A group of well-informed experts on Syria warned that Turkey may face unprecedented challenges after a potential military strike against the Assad regime.

Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan (R) shakes hands with Yusuf Islam, formerly known as Cat Stevens, as they meet in Ankara August 2, 2013. REUTERS/Adem Altan/Pool (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS ENTERTAINMENT) - RTX1288Q

Erdogan’s Fateful Season

The real danger for the Turkish prime minister is in the warning signs of the economy.

Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan (R) attends a wreath-laying ceremony as he is followed by Chief of Staff General Necdet Ozel at the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of modern Turkey, in Ankara August 1, 2013. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: MILITARY POLITICS) - RTX126OB

Erdogan, Egypt’s Coup And the Israeli Connection

While Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan was wrong if he meant to imply that Israel engineered the coup in Egypt, Tel Aviv is certainly glad the coup happened.

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan delivers a speech at Cairo University after his meeting with the Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi during the first day of his two-day trip to Egypt, November 17, 2012. Erdogan, an outspoken of critic of Israel, praised Egypt's Islamist president Mursi on Saturday for recalling his ambassador from Tel Aviv in response to Israeli attacks on Gaza. REUTERS/Asmaa Waguih (EGYPT - Tags: POLITICS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTR3AJ7X

Israel and the Democracy Paradox In the Middle East

The coup in Egypt stirs rethinking about elections and democracy throughout the region.

Turkey's lira coins are seen in this picture illustration taken in Istanbul July 23, 2013. Turkey's central bank raised interest rates on Tuesday and said it would, if necessary, take further steps to stop the lira from falling. The move - a rise in the overnight lending rate to 7.25 percent from 6.5 percent - was a reaction to capital outflows that have knocked the lira down as much as 9 percent against the dollar. REUTERS/Osman Orsal (TURKEY - Tags: BUSINESS) - RTX11W1Y

Turkey’s Babacan Warns Of Financial Turmoil

Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan warns of the implications for Turkey of the US Federal Reserve’s plan to taper bond purchases.

Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan (C) leaves his seat to address members of parliament from his ruling AK Party (AKP) during a meeting at the Turkish parliament in Ankara June 11, 2013. Erdogan called on protesters to withdraw from central Istanbul's Gezi Park on Tuesday and said the wave of anti-government demonstrations was part of a deliberate attempt to damage Turkey's image and economy. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTX10JH8

Will Turkey’s Parliament Back Attack on Syria?

Turkey’s participation in a “coalition of the willing” for military action in Syria may face resistance in Turkey’s parliament.

Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu (R) speaks as the head of the opposition Syrian National Coalition Ahmed Jarba listens during a news conference in Istanbul August 24, 2013. REUTERS/Murad Sezer (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX12UZX

Turkey’s Secret Egyptian Channel

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu's latest statements on Turkey’s Egypt policies prompt speculation about what comes next.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan shakes hands with main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu (R) as they meet in Ankara June 24, 2012. Turkey accused Syria on Sunday of shooting down a military plane in international airspace without warning and called a NATO meeting to discuss a response to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Amid growing acrimony between the once-friendly neighbours, Syria said its forces had shot dead "terrorists" infiltrating its territory from T

Turkey’s Main Opposition Party No Threat to Erdogan

The Republican People’s Party (CHP) does not represent a credible opposition to the ruling AKP.

Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan walks to his plane as he leaves for Turkmenistan, at Esenboga Airport in Ankara August 15, 2013. Erdogan called on Thursday for the U.N. Security Council to convene quickly and act after what he described as a massacre in Egypt, during a news conference in Ankara. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX12M4A

'Naming' and 'Shaming' In Turkish Politics

Naming and shaming policies that have intensified after the Gezi Park protests hurt Turkey’s democratization.

Turkish policemen watch from the roof of Ataturk Cultural Center at Taksim Square in Istanbul June 18, 2013. Performance artist Erdem Gunduz became the new symbol of anti-government protests in Turkey on Tuesday after his eight-hour vigil in Taksim Square earned him the nickname "the Standing Man". Gunduz said he was protesting in solidarity with demonstrators who were evicted at the weekend from Gezi Park adjoining Taksim, an intervention by police that triggered some of the most violent clashes to date. W

Press Freedom in the New Turkey

The complexity of the Turkish media scene cannot be understood without knowing its background.

Supporters of ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi argue with riot police and army personnel during clashes near Rabaa Adawiya square in Cairo August 14, 2013. Egypt is in turmoil after security forces moved in to clear the protest camps of thousands of supporters of deposed Islamist president Mohamed Mursi on Wednesday, and violence spread around the country. Protesters clashed with police and troops who used bulldozers, teargas and live ammunition to clear two Cairo sit-ins. Egypt's health ministry say

Can Egypt Win the WarFor Public Opinion?

While Western media persist in calling the Egyptian crisis a military coup, there are ways that Egypt can restore its public image in the world's eyes.

Arab Spring Brings Renaissance In Turkish Art

Some of the Middle Eastern artists who fled their countries have found themselves perplexed during and after the Gezi Park protests in Turkey.