# TR QR Code

> Source: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/tr-qr-code
> research date 2026-05-29 · extracted at 2026-10-03
> Publisher: Barcoder — encyclopedia of QR, barcode and payment-code standards

Specifications:
- [TR QR Code — BKM](https://bkm.com.tr/en/products-and-services/tr-qr-code/)
- [TR QR Code Regulation — CBRT](https://tcmb.gov.tr/wps/wcm/connect/a3dd886f-ac9b-4e1e-b225-58821ccea36e/Regulation+on+the+Generation+and+the+Use+Of+TR+QR+Code+in+Payment+Services+with+annex.pdf)

## Overview

**TR QR Code** is **Turkey's national QR-payment standard**, established by the **Central Bank of the Republic of Türkiye (CBRT)** + operated by **BKM** (Bankalararası Kart Merkezi — Interbank Card Center) <sup>[1][1], [2][2], [Türkiye report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/TR)</sup>. The **Regulation on Generation and Use of TR QR Code in Payment Services** was **published in the Official Gazette dated 21 August 2020 (No. 31220)** + entered force same date. BKM **establishes and operates the TR QR Code Switching System**, enabling **TR QR Code transactions when payer + payee are from different institutions**. TR QR Code supports **POS, ATM, and e-commerce channels**.

The structural distinction: TR QR Code's **payment-method flexibility** is structurally significant — payments can be made via:
1. **Payment cards** (including **TROY**, Turkey's national card scheme).
2. **CBRT's system for Instant and Continuous Transfer of Funds (FAST)**.
3. **Mobile operator payments**.

**TROY** is **BKM's national card program** that issued **2+ million cards in its first year** + **enables QR payments via TROY card** — providing comfortable + practical payment experience without needing physical card. The TR QR Code + TROY + CBRT FAST + BKM combination creates **Turkey's coordinated national payment-infrastructure modernisation** — CBRT-coordinated, BKM-operated, multi-channel (cards + instant transfers + mobile operators).

## History

**Background — Turkish payment landscape** <sup>[Türkiye report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/TR)</sup>:
- **Central Bank of the Republic of Türkiye (CBRT)** — central bank.
- **BKM** (Bankalararası Kart Merkezi — Interbank Card Center) — bank-owned national payment infrastructure operator.
- **TROY** — BKM's national card program.
- **FAST** — CBRT's Instant and Continuous Transfer of Funds system.

**August 21, 2020 — TR QR Code Regulation publication** <sup>[2][2]</sup>:
- Official Gazette No. 31220.
- Enters force same date.

**BKM TR QR Code Switching System** <sup>[1][1]</sup>:
- Cross-institution TR QR Code transactions.

**TROY card-program integration with TR QR Code** <sup>[3][3]</sup>:
- 2M+ TROY cards in first year.

**Multi-channel support** <sup>[1][1]</sup>:
- POS + ATM + e-commerce.

**Multi-payment-method support** <sup>[1][1]</sup>:
- Cards + FAST + mobile operators.

## Technical specification

TR QR Code is **CBRT-regulated + BKM-operated Turkish national QR-payment standard with multi-method support** <sup>[1][1], [2][2]</sup>:

| Layer | Description |
|---|---|
| **Regulator** | **Central Bank of the Republic of Türkiye (CBRT)** |
| **Operator** | **BKM** (Bankalararası Kart Merkezi) |
| **Switching system** | **TR QR Code Switching System** by BKM |
| **Country** | Türkiye |
| **Currency** | TRY (Turkish lira) |
| **Regulation** | **Official Gazette No. 31220 (Aug 21, 2020)** |
| **Channels** | **POS + ATM + e-commerce** |
| **Payment methods** | **Cards (incl. TROY) + CBRT FAST + Mobile operators** |
| **TROY integration** | National card scheme uses TR QR Code |

## Use cases

**POS card + QR payments** <sup>[1][1]</sup>: Cardinal — brick-and-mortar.

**ATM QR-payments** <sup>[1][1]</sup>: ATM-channel-extended use.

**E-commerce QR-payments** <sup>[1][1]</sup>: Online checkout.

**Cross-institution transactions** <sup>[1][1]</sup>: BKM switching ensures interop.

**TROY card-without-physical-card QR-payments** <sup>[3][3]</sup>: Modern UX.

**FAST instant-transfer-based QR-payments** <sup>[1][1]</sup>: Account-to-account.

**Mobile-operator-based QR-payments** <sup>[1][1]</sup>: Carrier-billing-style.

## Implementations & ecosystem

**Regulator**: **Central Bank of the Republic of Türkiye (CBRT)**.

**Operator**: **BKM** (Bankalararası Kart Merkezi).

**National card scheme**: **TROY**.

**Instant payment system**: **FAST** (CBRT).

**Major TR participating banks**: Garanti BBVA, İşbankası, Akbank, Yapı Kredi, Halkbank, VakıfBank, Ziraat Bankası, others.

**Mobile operators**: Turkcell, Vodafone Turkey, Türk Telekom.

## Fun facts

- **August 21, 2020 Official Gazette regulation**: Foundational regulatory milestone.
- **Multi-method support**: Cards + FAST + mobile operators.
- **TROY 2M+ cards in first year**: National card scheme.
- **Multi-channel (POS + ATM + e-commerce)**: Comprehensive deployment.
- **BKM TR QR Code Switching System**: Cross-institution interop.
- **CBRT FAST integration**: Account-to-account-based QR.
- **TROY QR-without-physical-card**: Modern card-digitisation UX.
- **TR's coordinated national payment-infrastructure**: CBRT + BKM + TROY + FAST.

## Comparison

| Feature | TR QR Code (TR) | [Thai QR](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/thai-qr) / PromptPay (TH) | [QRIS](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/qris) (ID) | [TANQR](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/tanqr) (TZ) | [Aani](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/aani) (UAE) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regulator | **CBRT** | BOT | BI | BoT | CBUAE |
| Operator | **BKM** | BOT + member banks | BI + ASPI | BoT | Al Etihad Payments |
| Type | **National QR + multi-method (cards + FAST + mobile operators)** | National QR + ISO 20022 + EMVCo | National QR | National EMV QR | National payment + QR |
| Regulation date | **Aug 21, 2020** | 2016 | Aug 2019 | Sept 2022 | 2023 |
| National card integration | **TROY** | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Channels | **POS + ATM + e-commerce** | All | All | All | All |

## Status

**Active, comprehensive Turkish national QR + multi-method standard** <sup>[1][1], [2][2]</sup>:
- **CBRT regulator since Aug 21, 2020**.
- **BKM operator + TR QR Code Switching System**.
- **TROY national card integration**.
- **CBRT FAST integration**.
- **Multi-channel (POS + ATM + e-commerce)**.

## Sources

[1]: https://bkm.com.tr/en/products-and-services/tr-qr-code/ "TR QR Code — BKM"
[2]: https://tcmb.gov.tr/wps/wcm/connect/a3dd886f-ac9b-4e1e-b225-58821ccea36e/Regulation+on+the+Generation+and+the+Use+Of+TR+QR+Code+in+Payment+Services+with+annex.pdf "TR QR Code Regulation — CBRT"
[3]: https://www.troyodeme.com/en "TROY — official"
[lexology]: https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=bbcf0ca0-ba38-42cc-9aeb-9bbe36b79376 "Turkish QR Code in Payment Services — Lexology"
[stripe-tr]: https://stripe.com/resources/more/payments-in-turkey "TR payments — Stripe"

- [1] [TR QR Code — BKM][1]
- [2] [TR QR Code Regulation — CBRT][2]
- [3] [TROY — official][3]
- [lexology] [Turkish QR Code in Payment Services — Lexology][lexology]
- [stripe-tr] [TR payments — Stripe][stripe-tr]
- <sup>[Türkiye report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/TR)</sup> `reports/countries/TR-turkiye.md`

## Deployments

Found in the following country reports (grep across `reports/countries/`):

- **TR** — [TR-turkey.md](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/TR)