{"id":1593,"date":"2020-03-05T12:28:45","date_gmt":"2020-03-05T09:28:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.berkerberker.com\/share-based-crowdfunding-in-turkey-2\/"},"modified":"2020-05-14T16:02:31","modified_gmt":"2020-05-14T13:02:31","slug":"share-based-crowdfunding-in-turkey-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.berkerberker.com\/en\/share-based-crowdfunding-in-turkey-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Share Based Crowdfunding In Turkey"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3 class=\"_04xlpA direction-ltr align-justify para-style-body\"><span class=\"JsGRdQ\" style=\"color: #b22222;\">I. Introducti\u0131n<\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"_04xlpA direction-ltr align-justify para-style-body\"><span class=\"JsGRdQ\">Crowdfunding is a funding system which collects the needed financing from public for entrepreneurs and venture capital firms promising projects through platforms operating electronically. Share based Crowdfunding Communique was published on the Official Gazette dated <\/span><strong><span class=\"JsGRdQ\">03.10.2019 and numbered 30907<\/span><\/strong><span class=\"JsGRdQ\"> by Capital Markets Board and entered into force on the same date.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"_04xlpA direction-ltr align-justify para-style-body\"><span class=\"JsGRdQ\" style=\"color: #b22222;\">II. The Establishment Process of Share Based Crowdfunding<\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"_04xlpA direction-ltr align-justify para-style-body\"><span class=\"JsGRdQ\">Share Based Crowdfunding regulated under <strong>Capital Market Law <\/strong><\/span><strong><span class=\"JsGRdQ\">Article 35\/A.<\/span><\/strong><span class=\"JsGRdQ\"> Participation banks and authorized stock brokers <strong>(with a minimum equity capital of 25,000,000 liras<\/strong> and conducting any of the brokerage and investment consultancy activities.) may participate in crowdfunding within the scope of the <\/span><em class=\"JsGRdQ\">Communiqu\u00e9\u00a0<\/em><span class=\"JsGRdQ\">if possess the stipulated conditions. All Crowdfunding platforms must be listed by the Capital Market Board. In order to operate under the provisions of the <em class=\"JsGRdQ\">Communiqu\u00e9,<\/em>\u00a0each platform must:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"_04xlpA direction-ltr align-justify para-style-body\"><span class=\"JsGRdQ\">be added to the CMB&#8217;s list;<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_04xlpA direction-ltr align-justify para-style-body\"><span class=\"JsGRdQ\">be established as a joint stock company;<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_04xlpA direction-ltr align-justify para-style-body\"><span class=\"JsGRdQ\">have paid-in capital of<strong> at least TRY 1,000,000<\/strong> and maintain this amount of paid-in capital and shareholders&#8217; equity.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_04xlpA direction-ltr align-justify para-style-body\"><span class=\"JsGRdQ\">use the expression <strong><em>&#8220;Crowdfunding Platform&#8221;<\/em> <\/strong>in its trade name,<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_04xlpA direction-ltr align-justify para-style-body\"><span class=\"JsGRdQ\">establish a Board of Directors consisting of <strong>at least three<\/strong> directors.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_04xlpA direction-ltr align-justify para-style-body\"><span class=\"JsGRdQ\">have shareholders and directors who meet the conditions set out in the <em class=\"JsGRdQ\">Communiqu\u00e9,<\/em> and<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_04xlpA direction-ltr align-justify para-style-body\"><span class=\"JsGRdQ\">establish an investment committee in accordance with the requirements set out in the <em class=\"JsGRdQ\">Communiqu\u00e9<\/em>. The platforms may operate exclusively in crowdfunding.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 class=\"_04xlpA direction-ltr align-justify para-style-body\"><span class=\"JsGRdQ\" style=\"color: #b22222;\">III.\u00a0 The Application Conditions for Share Based Crowdfunding\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"_04xlpA direction-ltr align-justify para-style-body\"><span class=\"JsGRdQ\">Entrepreneurs who needs resources and\/or venture capital firms with the potential for development who are in need of resources will be able to apply. Venture capital firms <strong>must;<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"_04xlpA direction-ltr align-justify para-style-body\"><span class=\"JsGRdQ\">be engaged in activities such as, technology or manufacturing,<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_04xlpA direction-ltr align-justify para-style-body\"><span class=\"JsGRdQ\">be established within the last <\/span><span class=\"JsGRdQ\">five years<\/span><span class=\"JsGRdQ\"> starting from the publication date of the information form,<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_04xlpA direction-ltr align-justify para-style-body\"><span class=\"JsGRdQ\">must have financial statements accordingly,<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_04xlpA direction-ltr align-justify para-style-body\"><span class=\"JsGRdQ\">must have a registered website, which gets checked periodically.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"_04xlpA direction-ltr align-justify para-style-body\"><span class=\"JsGRdQ\">In the <em class=\"JsGRdQ\">Communiqu\u00e9<\/em><\/span><em class=\"JsGRdQ\">,<\/em><span class=\"JsGRdQ\"> companies that are <strong>not allowed<\/strong> to raise funds by Crowdfunding were also determined as;<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><span class=\"JsGRdQ\">Publicly- Held corporations<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span class=\"JsGRdQ\">Companies whose management control belongs to another legal entity.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span class=\"JsGRdQ\">Companies whose partners are publicly-held corporations and\/or the Capital Market Board<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h3 class=\"_04xlpA direction-ltr align-justify para-style-body\"><span style=\"color: #b22222;\"><span class=\"JsGRdQ\">\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"JsGRdQ\">IV. Investment Through Crowdfunding Platforms<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"_04xlpA direction-ltr align-justify para-style-body\"><span class=\"JsGRdQ\">People who are planning on investing through Crowdfunding Platforms <strong>must be a member<\/strong> of said platform. The members can be;<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"_04xlpA direction-ltr align-justify para-style-body\"><span class=\"JsGRdQ\">resident real persons and legal entities in Turkey<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_04xlpA direction-ltr align-justify para-style-body\"><span class=\"JsGRdQ\">nonresidents of Turkey.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"_04xlpA direction-ltr align-justify para-style-body\"><span class=\"JsGRdQ\">The steps which must be taken in order to acquire a membership are as follows:<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"_04xlpA direction-ltr align-justify para-style-body\"><span class=\"JsGRdQ\"><strong>Step 1 &#8211;<\/strong> Authentication<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"_04xlpA direction-ltr align-justify para-style-body\"><span class=\"JsGRdQ\"><strong>Step 2 &#8211;<\/strong> Membership Contract between the member and Platform<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"_04xlpA direction-ltr align-justify para-style-body\"><span class=\"JsGRdQ\"><strong>Step 3 &#8211;<\/strong> General Risk Form (signed by the investors.)<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"_04xlpA direction-ltr align-justify para-style-body\"><span class=\"JsGRdQ\">Finally, another important issue is the term <em>&#8220;qualified investors&#8221;.<\/em> Qualified investors are professional clients, and after completing the aforementioned steps just like any other investor, a determination by the <strong>Central Risk Agency<\/strong> is required to confirm their status as a <em>&#8220;qualified investor&#8221;.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"_04xlpA direction-ltr align-justify para-style-body\"><span class=\"JsGRdQ\" style=\"color: #b22222;\">V. The Application and Campaign Process\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"_04xlpA direction-ltr align-justify para-style-body\"><span class=\"JsGRdQ\">The campaign process begins with an application made by the entrepreneur or the venture capital firm to any Crowdfunding Platform. The Investment Committee <strong>approves the campaign applications<\/strong>, if they fulfill the conditions that are required and after said approval, publishes the information form related to the campaign and starts the campaign process which last for a <strong>maximum of <\/strong><\/span><span class=\"JsGRdQ\"><strong>60 days<\/strong>.<\/span><span class=\"JsGRdQ\"> Investors can use their right to withdraw within <\/span><strong><span class=\"JsGRdQ\">48 hours<\/span><\/strong><span class=\"JsGRdQ\"><strong> after<\/strong> the payment order is delivered.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"_04xlpA direction-ltr align-justify para-style-body\"><span class=\"JsGRdQ\">In order to end the campaign process the last investor\u2019s right of withdrawal should have expired even if the targeted fund gets collected <\/span><strong><span class=\"JsGRdQ\">before 48 hours.<\/span><\/strong><span class=\"JsGRdQ\"> Real persons who are not qualified investors may invest<\/span><span class=\"JsGRdQ\"> a maximum amount of <strong>TRY 20,000 within one year<\/strong><\/span><span class=\"JsGRdQ\">. This limit can be applied as <\/span><strong><span class=\"JsGRdQ\">10% of the annual net income<\/span><\/strong><span class=\"JsGRdQ\"> that the investor declares to the Platform, provided that it<strong> does <\/strong><\/span><span class=\"JsGRdQ\"><strong>not exceed<\/strong> TRY 100,000<\/span><span class=\"JsGRdQ\">. The CRA is in charge of monitoring the compliance level of the investment limits. It should also be noted that changes that may affect the investment decision during the campaign must be reported to the platform immediately.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"_04xlpA direction-ltr align-justify para-style-body\"><span class=\"JsGRdQ\">If a fund has been raised for; <\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"_04xlpA direction-ltr align-justify para-style-body\"><strong><span class=\"JsGRdQ\">A Venture Capital firm<\/span><\/strong><span class=\"JsGRdQ\">, the fund should then be <\/span><span class=\"JsGRdQ\">transferred to blocked account belonging to the <\/span><span class=\"JsGRdQ\">trustee of the Platform. Capital increase should be <\/span><span class=\"JsGRdQ\">made accordingly within <strong>30 working days<\/strong> following <\/span><span class=\"JsGRdQ\">the end of the campaign process.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_04xlpA direction-ltr align-justify para-style-body\"><strong><span class=\"JsGRdQ\">An entrepreneur;<\/span><\/strong><span class=\"JsGRdQ\">a Venture Capital Firm <\/span><span class=\"JsGRdQ\">should be established within ninety days following the campaign period<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"_04xlpA direction-ltr align-justify para-style-body\"><span class=\"JsGRdQ\">The platform should inform the CPA regarding nominal pars after the capital increase. With this, the campaign process comes to an end. If on the other hand, the fund could not be raised by the end of the campaign process, the Platform shall notify the trustee for a <strong>refund<\/strong> within the <\/span><span class=\"JsGRdQ\">working day following the end of the campaign process<\/span><span class=\"JsGRdQ\"> .<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"_04xlpA direction-ltr align-justify para-style-body\"><span class=\"JsGRdQ\" style=\"color: #b22222;\">VI. The Usage of Funds and Audit\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"_04xlpA direction-ltr align-justify para-style-body\"><span class=\"JsGRdQ\">An Independent audit report which is prepared by an independent audit firm determines whether the fund is being used for the specified purposes. If not, a notification shall be made to the Capital Markets board regarding the misuse of funds. Platforms which successfully operates according to the provisions of the <em class=\"JsGRdQ\">Communiqu\u00e9<\/em><\/span><span class=\"JsGRdQ\">\u00a0can not use the funds for <strong>real estate trading and financing.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"_04xlpA direction-ltr align-justify para-style-body\"><span class=\"JsGRdQ\" style=\"color: #b22222;\">VII. Delisting<\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"_04xlpA direction-ltr align-justify para-style-body\"><span class=\"JsGRdQ\">The Capital Market Board is entitled to delist the Platforms by request or <\/span><em class=\"JsGRdQ\">ex-officio <\/em><span class=\"JsGRdQ\">due to their non-compliance with the provisions of the <em class=\"JsGRdQ\">Communiqu\u00e9<\/em><\/span><em class=\"JsGRdQ\">. <\/em><span class=\"JsGRdQ\">In the event that the platform cannot fulfill the required conditions set forth in the <em class=\"JsGRdQ\">Communiqu\u00e9,<\/em><\/span><span class=\"JsGRdQ\">\u00a0<\/span><strong><span class=\"JsGRdQ\">due time<\/span><\/strong><span class=\"JsGRdQ\"><strong> will be given<\/strong> by the Board for them to remedy said deficiencies. If the required conditions are not fulfilled by then, the Board shall <strong>delist the Platform<\/strong><\/span><strong><em class=\"JsGRdQ\">. <\/em><\/strong><span class=\"JsGRdQ\">Platforms that the CMB removes from the list upon request or <em>ex-officio<\/em> will be unable to apply to the CMB for re-listing to engage in Crowdfunding for a period of <\/span><strong><span class=\"JsGRdQ\">one year<\/span><\/strong><span class=\"JsGRdQ\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"_04xlpA direction-ltr align-justify para-style-body\"><span class=\"JsGRdQ\" style=\"color: #b22222;\">VII. Conclusion<\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"_04xlpA direction-ltr align-justify para-style-body\"><span class=\"JsGRdQ\">Crowdfunding is a system used for financing and investment for venture projects that is frequently used in America and in Europe. Turkey has adopted this system in <strong>2016<\/strong> and it can be observed that it has brought much welcome benefits to it&#8217;s economy in doing so.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"_04xlpA direction-ltr align-justify para-style-body\"><span class=\"JsGRdQ\">In Turkey, where the number of start-ups are increasing rapidly, the <em class=\"JsGRdQ\">Communiqu\u00e9<\/em>, which brings together entrepreneurs and investors in order to realize their projects as well as protecting the funds, it is expected to speed the conclusion process of projects with it&#8217;s entry into force.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>\u00a0If <\/em><em class=\"JsGRdQ\">you would like to know more on this matter or require legal assistance, you may get in touch with BerkerBerker Law Office via <\/em><strong><em class=\"JsGRdQ\">info@berkerberker.com<\/em><\/strong><em class=\"JsGRdQ\"> or any other contact information listed at our website <\/em><strong><em class=\"JsGRdQ\">www.berkerberker.com<\/em> <\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I. Introducti\u0131n Crowdfunding is a funding system which collects the needed financing from public for entrepreneurs and venture<span class=\"excerpt-hellip\"> [\u2026]<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1575,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[76,71],"class_list":["post-1593","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","tag-corporate-law","tag-crowdfunding"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.berkerberker.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1593","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.berkerberker.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.berkerberker.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.berkerberker.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.berkerberker.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1593"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.berkerberker.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1593\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2115,"href":"https:\/\/www.berkerberker.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1593\/revisions\/2115"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.berkerberker.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1575"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.berkerberker.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1593"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.berkerberker.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1593"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.berkerberker.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1593"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}