Resumen de Turkey: : Clarity on OTC derivatives

• Prior to the enactment of Capital Markets Law 6362 and of December 30 2012 (the Law), it was not clear whether over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives were subject to the Capital Markets Board's (CMBs) regulations under the old legislation. This was because the old legislation did not provide clear rules in terms of OTC derivatives. According to the CMB's principle decisions issued under the old legislation, OTC derivatives were not subject to the CMB regulations. Accordingly, it was generally understood that OTC derivatives did not require an authorisation from the CMB under the old legislation. However, given the fact that Article 6/8 of Decree No. 32 requires such transactions to be carried out through CMB-licensed intermediary institutions operating in Turkey, or by intermediary institutions abroad, this gave rise to an uncertainty amongst banks in particular that were willing to execute OTC derivatives with their customers.