CBRT Advances 23 Projects to Third Phase of Digital Turkish Lira Ecosystem

The Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey (CBRT) has advanced 23 projects to the third phase out of 85 applications submitted for the Digital Turkish Lira (DTL) ecosystem.

Roadmap of the Participation Call

The first stage ran from 4 September to 15 October 2025; during this period 16 banks and 25 payment‑electronic money institutions submitted a total of 85 project applications. 51 projects that met the first‑stage criteria moved to the second stage, which concluded between 13 November and 12 December 2025.

Portfolio Composition of Third‑Phase Projects

■17 projects for programmable payments

■15 projects for tokenisation

■15 projects for interoperability with existing systems

■7 projects for user‑centric identity

■1 project for machine‑to‑machine payments

Strategic Priorities and Anticipated Outcomes

■Development activities and sandbox testing

■Integration of banks, payment institutions and fintech collaborations

■Scalability and regulatory compliance of the digital lira infrastructure

■Scaling user‑centric identity and payment solutions

The Digital Turkish Lira initiative marks the most pivotal step in modernising Turkey’s financial infrastructure and digitising its payment landscape. The 23 projects moving into the third phase are poised to accelerate innovation, especially in tokenisation and programmable payments. In the short term, the outcomes of these pilots could reshape the CBRT’s liquidity management and oversight of payment systems. Over the longer horizon, a successful CBDC deployment would bolster the domestic fintech ecosystem and enhance international investors’ confidence in Turkey.