Quick Read: Competition Law Updates In Türkiye – January 2026

February 2026 – In January, the Turkish Competition Authority (“TCA”) signalled a dynamic year ahead for competition enforcement in 2026 through a series of investigation announcements.

In addition to these newly launched investigations, the TCA published its sector inquiry report on handheld terminals conducted in 2025, as well as a review of last year's merger and acquisition landscape, effectively offering a snapshot of key competition law developments in 2025. Alongside these publications, the TCA released a number of reasoned decisions spanning a wide range of sectors, from cosmetics and consumer durables to labour-related practices in the pharmaceutical industry.

Taken together, these decisions highlight several recurring enforcement trends, including (i) the increasingly active and effective use of the settlement mechanism, (ii) close scrutiny of resale price maintenance (“RPM”) practices, and (iii) a strict approach toward abuses of dominant position. This issue of Quick Read provides a concise summary of the most notable competition law developments in Türkiye.

Handheld terminals sector inquiry report published

The TCA published its sector inquiry report focusing on the use of handheld terminals. As part of the inquiry, information was collected from FMCG retailers as well as companies active in the production and software development of handheld terminals, which was used to assess the potential competition law risks. The report highlights that data collected through handheld terminals may give rise to competition concerns, particularly in relation to RPM, territorial and customer restrictions, and rebate schemes. Notably, the report emphasises that price monitoring itself does not constitute an infringement, although it may be regarded as a facilitating factor for RPM practices.

To mitigate potential competition risks, the TCA recommends that companies implement measures such as data aggregation and anonymisation, restricted access to competitively sensitive information, the integration of digital systems with compliance-oriented safeguards, and regular competition law training for field sales teams. Overall, the report is aligned with the established case law of the Turkish Competition Board (“Board”), the decision-making body of the TCA, while the good practice recommendations set out in the report may serve as useful guidance for undertakings' competition compliance efforts.

TCA publishes 2025 mergers and acquisitions outlook

The TCA published its annual report on mergers and acquisitions, setting out key data on transactions reviewed and decided by the Board in 2025. The report reveals that the Board assessed a total of 416 merger, acquisition, and privatisation transactions throughout the year, the highest annual figure recorded over the past twelve years (2013–2025). For more details, please click  here to access our in-depth review.

Dive into January case updates

1. Sahibinden addresses competition concerns in the online used car market through commitments

The TCA concluded its investigation into Sahibinden, an online marketplace for real estate, vehicles, second-hand goods, job postings, and services.¹ The TCA examined allegations that Sahibinden abused its dominant position by combining user data obtained from its online platform services for corporate and individual vehicle listings with its activities in the online used car trading market, and by leveraging its market power through intensive advertising for its Otobid service. To address competition concerns, Sahibinden committed to the following measures:

• Sahibinden will not feature any Otobid-related promotions or displays on its website or mobile application;
• Sahibinden will not direct users to the Otobid service during the listing creation process;
• Sahibinden will prevent the use of non-public data obtained from corporate or individual vehicle listings for the Otobid service and will implement all necessary organisational, operational, administrative, and technical safeguards to ensure data separation; and
• Sahibinden will cap its advertising expenditures for the Otobid service if predefined thresholds are exceeded.

2. Collusion and predatory pricing: Key enforcement in chlor-alkali sector

The Board concluded two separate investigations in the chlor-alkali sector. In the first investigation, the Board found that six companies operating in the sector, including Koruma Klor Alkali Sanayi ve Ticaret AŞ (“Koruma Klor”), colluded in certain public procurement tenders. The Board imposed administrative fines totalling TRY 333.3 million (approx. EUR 6.5 million)² on the involved companies.³

In the second investigation, the Board determined that Koruma Klor abused its market dominance by engaging in predatory pricing, selling below cost to force competitors out of the market. For these practices, the Board imposed an administrative fine of TRY 164.5 million (approx. EUR 3.2 million) on Koruma Klor.⁴

3. RPM investigations continue to conclude through settlements

In January, the Board published eight reasoned decisions on investigations into resale price maintenance covering a wide range of sectors from cosmetics and baby products to consumer durables.⁵ These cases confirm a continuing trend: investigations into RPM, which frequently result in administrative fines, are often resolved through settlements by the undertakings involved. This pattern was clearly reflected in the reasoned decisions published in January.

4. The Board sheds more light on labour market competition practices

The TCA has recently focused on competition law practices in the labour market. Its labour market guidelines published at the end of 2024, along with significant reasoned decisions at the end of 2025, provide undertakings with useful direction while leaving certain grey areas. For example, safe harbours were identified for sharing information on employee salaries and benefits among companies, but whether employees sharing their own salaries with competitors for bargaining purposes constitutes a violation remains unclear.

The Board clarified that once wage increases are communicated to employees, the information effectively becomes public and therefore does not typically raise competition concerns.⁶ Moreover, data collected from job applicants about competitor salaries was deemed to track market wage levels rather than restrict competition. As the TCA continues to publish reasoned decisions in the labour market, undertakings are expected to gain clearer roadmaps for compliant practices.

A strong start to 2026: New investigations announced

The TCA kicked off 2026 with a series of investigation announcements in January, signalling an active year ahead. The newly announced investigations include the following:

• New antitrust probe into Google:⁷ Following a comprehensive Mobile Ecosystems Sector Inquiry, the TCA launched an investigation into Google to assess whether its mobile ecosystem agreements and financial incentives result in de facto exclusivity for its search and browser services. The probe builds upon a previous 2018 ruling against the company and further examines potential restrictions on manufacturers using alternative Android-based operating systems and recent policy changes within the Android Developer Verification Program.
• EssliorLuxottica's exclusivity practices under scrutiny:⁸ The TCA launched an investigation into EssilorLuxottica, the parent company of eyewear brands including Atasun Optik, Ray-Ban, Vogue, and Oakley, over suspected de facto exclusivity in wholesale markets for ophthalmic lenses, contact lenses, and ophthalmic equipment and consumables.
• May-Agro's distributor restrictions under investigation:⁹ May-Agro Tohumculuk, active in sunflower, corn, cotton, sweet corn, beans, industrial tomato, and spinach seed production and sales, is under investigation for allegedly determining resale prices and imposing territorial and customer restrictions on its distributors.
• RPM investigation against Carex:¹⁰ The TCA opened an investigation into the economic unity comprising Carex Bitkisel Ürünler ve Kozmetik Sanayi Ticaret AŞ, Farma Plus İlaç Bant Sağlık ve Kozmetik Ürünleri Sanayi Ticaret Ltd. Şti., and Digital Farma İlaç Sanayi ve Ticaret Ltd. Şti., known under the Celenes brand, which operates in the production, sale, distribution, and import of cosmetic and dermo cosmetics. The investigation focuses on alleged RPM and restrictions on online sales across these activities.
• Dassault Systèmes under investigation:¹¹ The TCA opened an investigation into the economic unity Dassault Systèmes, comprising Dassault Systèmes SE, Dassault Systèmes International SAS, Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corporation, and Dassault Systèmes İstanbul İnovasyon Teknoloji Ltd. Şti., the provider of widely used engineering and design software such as SolidWorks and CATIA, over allegations that it determined resale prices for its resellers and imposed territorial and customer restrictions.

Footnotes

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