Legal Obligations

Duty of Secrecy (Confidentiality)

One of the conditions of the relationship between a bank and its customers is that the customers' dealings and financial affairs will be treated as confidential.

Bankers are under obligation to keep any information about customers or their accounts strictly confidential. Such obligation shall continue after leaving office.

  Created by the Swiss Banking Act of 1934, which led

to the famous Swiss bank, the principle of bank secrecy is always considered one of the main aspects of private banking

Banking secrecy has two sides. One side of secrecy is for benefit of costumer and indirectly third persons. The other side of this secrecy is a way of protection of banks.

Basis of Duty: Confidentiality is regulated in Banking Code art. 73. this duty is also based on fundamental principles of Constitution art. 17 and art. 20.

Article 17: Everyone has the right to life and the right to protect and develop his material and spiritual entity.

Article 20: Everyone has the right to demand respect for his or her private and family life. Privacy of an individual or family life cannot be violated.

Bankacılık Kanunu md.73/IIISıfat ve görevleri dolayısıyla bankalara veya

müşterilerine aitsırları öğrenenler, söz konusu sırları bu

konuda kanunen açıkça yetkili kılınan mercilerden başkasına açıklayamazlar. Bu

yükümlülük görevden ayrıldıktan sonra da devam eder.

There are some exceptions to this rule. These are:

1. where disclosure is under compulsion of law

2. where the disclosure is made by the consent of the customer

3. where the bank is obviously delegated authority

Any bank who reveals information about customer without his/her consent risks several punishments.

Turkish banking secrecy is regulated by both civil law (banking Code) and criminal law. Violation of the secrecy can be thus subject to double punishment such as:

damages for the customer pursuant to the duty of care

Fine and imprisoment for the banker pursuant to the Penal Code art.239.

Ticarî sır, bankacılık sırrı veya müşteri sırrı niteliğindeki bilgi veya belgelerin açıklanması

MADDE 239. - (1) Sıfat veya görevi, meslek veya sanatı gereği vakıf olduğu ticarî sır, bankacılık sırrı veya müşteri sırrı niteliğindeki bilgi veya belgeleri yetkisiz kişilere veren veya ifşa eden kişi, şikâyet üzerine, bir yıldan üç yıla kadar hapis ve beşbin güne kadar adlî para cezası ile cezalandırılır. Bu bilgi veya belgelerin, hukuka aykırı yolla elde eden kişiler tarafından yetkisiz kişilere verilmesi veya ifşa edilmesi hâlinde de bu fıkraya göre cezaya hükmolunur.

(2) Birinci fıkra hükümleri, fennî keşif ve buluşları veya sınaî uygulamaya ilişkin bilgiler hakkında da uygulanır.

(3) Bu sırlar, Türkiye'de oturmayan bir yabancıya veya onun memurlarına açıklandığı takdirde, faile verilecek ceza üçte biri oranında artırılır. Bu hâlde şikâyet koşulu aranmaz.

(4) Cebir veya tehdit kullanarak bir kimseyi bu madde kapsamına giren bilgi veya belgeleri açıklamaya mecbur kılan kişi, üç yıldan yedi yıla kadar hapis cezasıyla cezalandırılır.

Protection of reputation Article 74- No real or legal person shall intentionally damage the reputation, prestige or assets of a bank or disseminate inaccurate news either using any means of communication defined in the Press Code No. 5187 or radio, television, video, internet, cable TV or electronic data communication devices and similar tools.

 

İtibarın korunmasıMadde 74 — 5187 sayılı Basın Kanununda

belirtilen araçlarla ya da radyo, televizyon, video, internet, kablolu yayın

veya elektronik bilgi iletişim araçları ve benzeri yayın araçlarından biri vasıtasıyla; bir bankanın itibarını kırabilecek veya

şöhretine ya da servetine zarar verebilecek bir hususa kasten sebep olunamaz ya da bu yolla asılsız haber yayılamaz.

Ethical principles Article 75- Banks and their personnel shall ensure that the banks’ activities are performed in compliance with this Law, the applicable regulations and the banks’ establishment goals and policies and comply with ethical principles that take justice, fairness, honesty and social responsibility as a basis in their management.

 Ethical principles shall be established by the associations of institutions upon the approval of the Board.

 

Etik ilkelerMadde 75 — Bankalar ile bunların mensupları; bu

Kanuna, ilgili düzenlemelere, kuruluş amaç ve politikalarına

uygun olarak faaliyetlerin icra edilmesini temin etmeye ve yönetimde adalet, doğruluk, dürüstlük ve sosyal sorumluluğu esas

almaya yönelik etik ilkelere uymakla yükümlüdürler.

Etik ilkeler, kuruluş birlikleri tarafından Kurulun uygun görüşü alınmak suretiyle belirlenir.

Customer rightsArticle 76- Banks shall set up under their own bodies a system

that will respond to the problems and complaints of their customers stemming from the services provided thereto and shall inform their customers of this service. Banks shall provide an approved copy of loan contracts to their customers and shall provide the customers with a copy of all documents pertaining to the transactions carried out with their customers upon the request of customers.

 The minimum requirements pertaining to the format and

contents of the contracts to be signed between banks and their customers pertaining to the activities mentioned in Article 4 of this Law as well as the transactions for which uniform contracts will be applicable shall be established by the associations of institutions upon obtaining the approval of the Board. The provisions of the Law No. 4077 shall be reserved.

 

Banks shall not open deposit, participation fund, credit or other accounts, sign contracts, provide remittance and foreign exchange services and other banking and financial services for clients that do not document their identities and tax numbers. The principles and procedures applicable to the implementation of this paragraph shall be governed by the Ministry of Finance upon consulting the Agency. The enforcement of the provisions of Article 5 of the Law No. 4358 and dated 2/4/1998 for those persons who violate the provisions of this paragraph and the regulations of the Ministry of Finance shall not be subject to the provisions of this Law pertaining to prosecution procedures.

 

Müşteri hakları Madde 76 — Bankalar, müşterilerinin, verilen hizmetlerden

kaynaklanan her türlü sorularına cevap verecek bir sistem kurmakla ve bu hizmetle ilgili bilgiyi müşterilerine bildirmekle

yükümlüdür. Bankalar, kredi sözleşmelerinin onaylı bir örneğini müşterilerine vermek zorundadır. Talepleri hâlinde müşteri ile

yapılan diğer işlemlere ilişkin her türlü belgenin bir örneği de müşterilere verilir. Bu Kanunun 4 üncü maddesinde yer alan faaliyet konularına ilişkin olarak,

bankalar ile bireysel müşterileri arasında akdedilecek sözleşmelerin şekil ve içeriğinde yer alması gereken asgarî

hususlar ile tip sözleşmelerin uygulanacağı işlemler Kurulun uygun görüşü alınarak kuruluş birlikleri tarafından belirlenir. 4077

sayılı Tüketicinin Korunması Hakkında Kanun hükümleri saklıdır. Bankaların, kimliklerini ve vergi numaralarını belgelemeyen müşterileri

adına mevduat, katılım fonu, kredi ve her ne ad altında olursa olsun hesap açmaları, sözleşme düzenlemeleri, havale ve

kambiyo hizmetleri ile diğer bankacılık ve malî hizmetleri vermeleri yasaktır. Bu fıkranın uygulanmasına ilişkin usûl ve

esaslar Kurumun görüşü alınarak Malîye Bakanlığınca düzenlenir. Bu fıkra hükmüne ve Malîye Bakanlığınca yapılan

düzenlemelere uymayanlar hakkında 2.4.1998 tarihli ve 4358 sayılı Kanunun 5 inci maddesi hükmünün uygulanması bu

Kanunun kovuşturma usûlü hükümlerine tâbi değildir.

Associations of Institutions

 Banks Association of Turkey and Participation

Banks Association of TurkeyArticle 79 - Deposit banks and development and investment banks are obliged to become members of the Banks Association of Turkey, which is a professional organization having the status of public law legal person, within one month following the date of receipt of their operating permission. Participation banks shall become members of the Participation Banks Association of Turkey, having the same status, within one month after getting the operating permission.

Türkiye Bankalar Birliği ve Türkiye Katılım Bankaları Birliği

Madde 79 — Mevduat bankaları ile kalkınma ve yatırım bankaları, tüzel kişiliği haiz ve kamu kurumu niteliğinde

meslek kuruluşu olan Türkiye Bankalar Birliğine; katılım bankaları ise aynı nitelikteki Türkiye Katılım Bankaları Birliğine,

faaliyet izni aldıkları tarihten itibaren bir ay içinde üye olmak zorundadır.

 Duties and powers of associationsArticle 80- The duties and powers of associations of institutions shall

be as follows:To ensure the development of the banking profession, To ensure that members function in a dignified and well-disciplined

manner as required by the banking profession and in line with the needs of the economy, by setting professional principles,

To set the ethical professional principles and standards that the personnel of member banks will have to abide by, upon receiving the approval of the Agency,

To monitor the enforcement of the decisions taken pursuant to the applicable legislation as well as the measures required to be taken by the Agency,

To take and implement any measure required for preventing unfair competition among members,

To set the principles and conditions for announcements and advertisements in terms of type, format, qualitative and quantitative elements to be complied by the members, upon receiving the approval of the Agency,

To ensure cooperation among banks for joint projects, in collaboration with the Agency,

To file lawsuits on the basis of board of directors’ decision on matters that relate to the common interests of their members,

To set the principles and procedures applicable to contract format and contents envisaged by the provisions regarding customer rights,

To set up a board of arbitrators within the framework of the principles and procedures to be prepared thereby and approved by the Board, in order to evaluate and settle the disputes between the members and their individual clients, with the reservation of their rights to legal application pursuant to the Law No. 4077 regarding the Protection of Consumer Rights and other laws.

The Banks Association of Turkey

The Banks Association of Turkey was founded in 1958. It is a professional organization, which is a legal entity with the status of a public institution, established pursuant to Article 79 of the Banks Act. The head office of the Association is in Istanbul..

The purpose of the Association is to preserve the rights and benefits of banks, to carry on studies for the growth of the banking sector, for its robust functioning and the development of banking profession, strengthening of competition power, to take the decisions/ensure that they are taken to prevent unfair competition, to implement and demand implementation of these decisions, in line with the principles of open market economics and perfect competition and the regulations, principles and rules of banking.

OrganisationOrgans of the Association consist of the General Assembly, the Board of Directors, and the Auditors. The decision making body is the General Assembly and the executive body is the Board of Directors. There also exists the Secretariat General and the Advisory Board in the Association.

Participation Banks Association of Turkey The Association is a professional public

institution that has been established as per the previous Banking Law no. 4389 in 2002. According to the Banking Law No.5411 put into practice in November 2005, “Special Finance Houses” has been transformed into “Participation Banks”, gaining the “bank” statute. The current statute of Association as well, has been regulated with the article 81 of Banking Law No.5411, and publicly announced via the Official Circular in February 28, 2006.

According to the banking law in question, to be a member of the association is a must for participation banks. The Association has currently 4 members the name of whom are Albaraka Türk, Bank Asya, Kuveyt Türk, and Türkiye Finans. The head office of the association is being located in Istanbul without any branches yet.

What is the sanction of violation of confidentiality?

Explain the personality of Banks Associaton of Turkey.