Turkey moves to impose 10% tax on crypto gains

Turkey has officially submitted a draft bill to introduce a 10 percent tax on income and gains derived from cryptocurrency transactions by amending existing expenditure tax laws. The country’s ruling party, Justice and Development Party, submitted the bill to the Grand National Assembly. The proposed legislation seeks to amend existing expenditure tax law to include digital assets.

Quarterly withholding and presidential powers

According to the draft, platforms operating within Turkey and subject to capital gains tax may be required to withhold the 10 percent levy from user gains on a quarterly basis.

Notably, the bill introduces a high degree of fiscal flexibility. If passed, the President will hold the authority to adjust the crypto tax rate at any time, with the power to swing the levy anywhere between 0 percent and 20 percent.

Furthermore, crypto service providers won’t be exempt from the new fiscal regime. The proposal includes a 0.03 percent transaction tax on every trade facilitated by these platforms.

Implementation and economic context

The Turkish Treasury is slated to oversee the implementation and enforcement of these rules. Per reports from the state-run Anadolu Agency, the law is designed to take effect two months after its official publication in the government gazette.

The timing of the bill is particularly significant given Turkey’s status as a global crypto powerhouse. A report by Chainalysis recently ranked Turkey:

• First in the MENA region for transaction volume.
• Generating $200 billion in on-chain activity between July 2024 and June 2025.

Local experts suggest that the surge in adoption has been driven by Turkey’s volatile economic climate. While inflation peaked at 85 percent in late 2022, it has cooled to approximately 30 percent as of January 2026. For many Turkish residents, digital assets have served as a vital alternative financial infrastructure and a hedge against the local currency’s devaluation.

A growing global trend

Turkey is not the only nation tightening the screws on digital asset gains. In February, the Netherlands advanced a bill proposing a 36 percent capital gains tax on liquid investments, including crypto, though that is not expected to be enacted until 2028.

As on-chain volumes continue to grow despite market fluctuations, Turkey’s move signals a broader trend among G-20 nations to integrate cryptocurrency into formal tax frameworks, ensuring that the “digital gold rush” contributes to national treasuries.

Turkey, a crypto-obssessed nation

In related news, according to a report by ApeX Protocol, Turkey ranked fifth in global cryptocurrency engagement, with a composite score of 57.6. Approximately 20 percent of the population owns digital assets. Online search activity related to cryptocurrency is high, with around 1,000 searches per 100,000 people. Economic factors, including currency inflation, have contributed to increased interest in digital assets.

Crypto crime hits record $154 billion in 2025

As crypto engagement picks up and regulation continues, a recent 2026 Crypto Crime Report by Chainalysis found that cryptocurrency addresses linked to illegal activities received at least $154 billion in 2025, marking a record year for measurable on-chain crime. The surge is largely attributed to nation-state actors such as Russia and North Korea, who are increasingly using blockchain networks to evade sanctions and conduct major cyber theft operations.

The report also points to the rise of professionalised money-laundering networks, particularly Chinese-language groups offering “as-a-service” laundering models. Meanwhile, stablecoins have become the preferred medium for illicit transfers due to their price stability and ease of cross-border movement.