Türkiye's Banking Regulation and Supervision Board (BDDK) has withdrawn the operating licence of the Türkiye operation legally named Bank Mellat Merkezi Tahran İstanbul Türkiye Merkez Şubesi. Decision No. 11572, adopted on 18 September and published on 19 September 2026, cites Article 71(1)(b) of Banking Law No. 5411. That provision concerns situations in which continued operation is found to endanger depositors' rights or confidence and stability in the financial system. The short decision does not publish a customer-by-customer balance, access timetable or payment percentage.
The legal name covers the licensed Türkiye operation
The decision names Bank Mellat Merkezi Tahran İstanbul Türkiye Merkez Şubesi. Bank Mellat's public Türkiye site had also listed Ankara and İzmir service locations under that operation. Customers should therefore not read the word Istanbul as proof that accounts or transactions linked to another listed location are outside the decision. The bank, BDDK and the Savings Deposit Insurance Fund (TMSF) are the authoritative channels for the operational scope.
What Article 71(1)(b) says — and what it does not
The cited clause allows BDDK to withdraw a bank's operating licence or transfer shareholder rights and management to TMSF when supervision finds that continued activity presents a danger to deposit and participation-fund owners' rights or to financial-system confidence and stability. The published decision selects licence withdrawal. It does not, by itself, identify a criminal finding, announce a sanctions decision, cancel customers' legal claims or state that every balance has disappeared.
No personal payout calendar was published
The decision does not give a date for account access, transfer completion, balance confirmation or payment. TMSF's general resolution framework explains that management and supervision pass to the Fund after a bank licence is withdrawn, but a generic process page is not an individual payment notice for Bank Mellat customers. Wait for a case-specific BDDK, TMSF or bank announcement before treating any date or percentage circulating online as official.
Documents to secure now
Save a dated account statement, IBAN and account number, currency, balance, term-deposit maturity, recent transfer references and any trade-finance or guarantee documents. Record pending incoming and outgoing payments separately. Businesses should also preserve invoices, SWIFT references and beneficiary details. Do not send passwords, one-time codes, identity images or money to anyone promising an accelerated release of funds.
Questions for customers outside Türkiye
Non-residents should ask in writing whether their registered phone and email remain valid, where notices will be served, how foreign-currency balances and pending international transfers will be handled, and whether an in-person instruction is required. A foreign address or nationality does not answer those questions. Keep the written reply and check it against later BDDK and TMSF notices rather than relying on social-media screenshots.
The careful conclusion
The verified fact is a regulatory licence withdrawal under a specified Banking Law provision. It is not yet an official personal statement of claim value, insured amount, payment route or timing. Existing customers should document their position and use official channels; prospective customers should not initiate a new transaction until the operational status is clear.
BDDK — decisions published in the Official Gazette →
Official Gazette decision coverage — Ekonomim, 19 September 2026 →
TMSF — official overview of the process after a bank licence is withdrawn →