Türkiye's Capital Markets Board, or SPK, has raised the financial thresholds used for clients who request professional-client status and the related qualified-investor classification. Under the board's October 26, 2026 decision, the required total financial assets increased from 10 million liras to 50 million liras, while the transaction-volume threshold rose from 5 million liras to 25 million liras. The revised amounts also apply to qualified-investor rules that refer to the professional-client framework.
Exemption for real estate and venture capital funds removed
A second major change concerns participation units in real estate investment funds and venture capital investment funds. The SPK removed an exemption created by a December 2025 principle decision. Investors buying units in those funds will now be subject to the same updated financial thresholds that apply to qualified investors generally.
The decision also revises the amounts used when legal entities are classified as professional clients. The regulator said conditions in several communiqués that define qualified investors through references to professional-investor rules have been updated accordingly.
Who does the decision affect?
Qualified-investor status matters because it can determine access to investment funds and capital-market instruments that are not offered to the general public. In products such as hedge-style free funds, real estate investment funds and venture capital investment funds, eligibility requirements can directly affect sales and new subscriptions.
Bloomberg HT reported that the new amount is expected to apply to existing qualified investors as well. Speaking to Ekonomim, FonTurkey founder Onur Duygu said people who obtained the status under the previous threshold may have to document 50 million liras in financial assets before making new purchases. That point is an industry interpretation of implementation, separate from the headline figures in the SPK announcement. Investors should check the final regulatory texts and instructions from their own bank or brokerage for their individual situation.
Access to free funds may narrow
Raising the asset threshold from 10 million to 50 million liras is likely to reduce the number of people able to meet it. Duygu said access to new purchases of free funds could become more difficult and that the change may influence entry and exit decisions across the sector. The actual effect on fund size and investor numbers, however, can only be measured after implementation data become available.
The decision does not guarantee returns on any investment product and is not investment advice. Being classified as a qualified investor does not make products risk-free. Professional-client status can also change the scope of certain disclosures and investor-protection mechanisms.
The previous threshold was raised in late 2025
In December 2025, the SPK increased the financial-asset requirement from 1 million liras to 10 million liras and the transaction-volume figure from 500,000 liras to 5 million liras. The latest decision raises both figures fivefold again. In roughly ten months, the asset threshold has therefore moved from 1 million liras to 50 million liras.
The increase is not only a numerical update. It may require investment firms to revise client classifications, eligibility documentation and access controls for restricted products. Banks and brokerages may need to apply the new figures in their systems and request updated proof of assets, although the exact process will depend on formal implementation instructions.
Holding an existing fund position, selling it and making a new subscription are different transactions. Investors who qualified under an earlier threshold should not assume automatically that existing holdings and new purchase rights will be treated identically. Firm-specific notices will be important until the implementation details are settled.
The regulator's brief announcement establishes the core figures and confirms that the fund exemption has been removed. Detailed implementation issues—including effective timing, documentation, the treatment of existing holdings and how new transactions will be assessed—will depend on formal texts and instructions issued through investment firms.
Investors should therefore read the official SPK decision together with notices from their bank or brokerage rather than relying only on news summaries. The verified change is the new 50 million-lira asset threshold, the 25 million-lira transaction-volume threshold and the removal of the separate treatment previously available for real estate and venture capital investment fund investors.
