ESOPs and Stock Options in Turkish Startups: A Practical Guide for Foreign Founders If you are a foreign founder building a startup in Turkey, you will quickly run into a familiar question: “How do we give our team equity like we do in the US or UK?” In most venture ecosystems, Employee Stock Option Plans […]
M&A in Turkey: Legal Due Diligence Tips for Foreign Buyers Turkey has become a key market for cross-border mergers and acquisitions, especially for strategic investors and private equity funds looking for growth and regional expansion. A young population, dynamic domestic demand and a strategic location between Europe, Asia and the Middle East make Turkish targets […]
For many investors, Turkey looks like a “trader-friendly” jurisdiction: active retail markets, zero tax rumours on stocks and crypto, and plenty of online platforms. But once you look at the law instead of social media posts, the picture is more nuanced – especially after recent reforms on crypto and leveraged products. This article is a […]
When a Foreign National Is Stopped at Turkish Customs Imagine this: you land in Istanbul after a long-haul flight, queue at passport control, pick up your luggage… and then, instead of “Nothing to Declare”, an officer asks you to step aside. Your suitcase is opened, questions start, and suddenly you realise you are no longer […]
For foreign groups with operations in Turkey, a personal data breach is not just an IT problem – it is a regulatory event under both KVKK (Turkey’s Personal Data Protection Law) and, often, GDPR as well. The most critical window is the first 72 hours after becoming aware of a breach. In that time, foreign […]
GDPR vs. KVKK: What Foreign Companies in Turkey Really Need to Comply With If you ask most foreign headquarters whether their Turkish operations are “privacy compliant”, the answer is usually: “We already comply with GDPR, so we’re fine in Turkey as well.” Legally, that is not correct. For foreign companies active in Turkey – through […]
Double taxation is not just a theoretical concern in textbooks; it is a real economic risk that can significantly reduce the net return of foreign investments. It arises because different countries exercise their taxing powers based on residence and source, sometimes simultaneously, and because domestic rules are not automatically aligned.
Handled correctly, Turkish tax law does not have to be a trap – it can be a competitive advantage that increases your net return instead of eroding it.