COMPLIANCE OFFICER IN COMBATTING FINANCIAL CRIMES

Significant steps were taken in 2024 and 2025 towards profession in combating financial crimes and building a professional career in this field.

With the amendment made to the compliance regulation on December 25, 2024, the requirement to be “authorized as a compliance officer and registered in the compliance officer registry kept by MASAK” was added to the conditions sought in persons to be appointed as compliance officers.

This time, MASAK General Announcement No. 30, published in the Official Gazette on September 9, 2025, regulates the procedures and principles regarding the examinations to be conducted to measure the professional competence, knowledge, and skills of compliance officers and assistants, as well as the professional training and licensing processes and the register.

The transitional arrangement grants certain rights to existing compliance officers:

Those working as compliance officers as of September 9, 2025, will receive their compliance officer license and be registered in the registry if they pass the exams to be held until December 25, 2025, even if they do not meet the four-year higher education requirement.

Those who have been working as compliance officers for at least six months as of December 25, 2025, will receive a compliance officer license and be registered in the registry if they pass the exams to be held until December 25, 2027, even if they do not meet the 4-year higher education requirement.

Another regulation implemented on August 22 ensures that compliance officers, who are a critical and important component in the fight against money laundering and terrorist financing, can perform their duties correctly and confidently: According to this regulation, both the obligated party and the compliance officer are required to report the situation to MASAK within 10 days of leaving their job, stating the REASONS.

As someone who has led the fight against financial crime, I believe this latest regulation is a very appropriate and critical step that will also shed light on the steps to be taken next.