The Future of Financial Technology and Pay N Kolay's 2026 Vision: What is Changing in the World of Payments?
Recently, Pay N Kolay General Manager Haluk Yum was a guest on the "Financial Technology" program hosted by Sefer Yüksel. This engaging conversation, which covered the current state of the payment systems sector, changing regulations, and Pay N Kolay's innovative vision, contains important insights for all businesses operating in the e-commerce and retail worlds.
Here are the highlights regarding the past and present of the sector, as well as its future shaped by Pay N Kolay:
An Era of Compliance and Trust in the Sector
The payment institutions sector, which has been growing rapidly in recent years, passed an important regulatory test last year. Although developments such as the suspension of activities and license cancellations occurred, this situation stands out as a critical step taken to raise industry standards and combat fraud. Haluk Yum compares this process to the consolidation the banking sector experienced in the early 2000s and the strong structure it achieved afterward. Bringing discipline to the sector paves the way for a much more reliable and robust payments ecosystem in the future.
Over 300% Growth from Pay N Kolay and a Unique Merchant Network
During this dynamic period, Pay N Kolay achieved a growth success of over 300% in transaction volume and over 200% in profitability. The biggest power behind this success is its physical representative network spread all over Turkey. These representatives in the field instantly identify the needs of tradesmen and households in their neighborhoods, enabling Pay N Kolay to provide the most accurate solutions in the fastest way. In addition, the power and ecosystem synergy of being an Aktif Bank subsidiary puts the brand one step ahead of its competitors.
Payment Habits are Changing: The Rise of FAST and QR Code
Card payment systems continue to grow at a dizzying pace in Turkey. The POS volume, which was around 2 trillion TRY in 2021, reached 24 trillion TRY in the 2025 statistics. However, habits are transforming not only in terms of volume but also technologically.
In the payments world of the future, Account-to-Account (A2A) payment methods—especially FAST and QR Code technologies, which minimize credit card commissions and physical POS costs—are becoming the lifeblood of businesses. Thanks to this technology, businesses can instantly see the payment for the products they sell in their accounts and manage their cash flow much more efficiently.
Banks and Fintechs: Collaboration, Not Competition
With the growth of the sector, banks are also showing intense interest by establishing subsidiaries in the Fintech space. Banks, which are massive structures with heavy regulations, want to benefit from the agility of Fintechs that can adapt quickly to technology. One of the most critical points underlined by Haluk Yum is this: Fintechs are not competitors to banks; on the contrary, they are bridges and distribution channels that deliver banks' products to customers with more user-friendly interfaces. For a healthy ecosystem, regulators are expected to take supportive steps for an equal competitive environment and Fintech-Bank collaborations.
2026 Vision: Transformation from a Payment Gateway to a "Finance Platform"
As Pay N Kolay, we are shifting our focus from merely being a system that processes payments to a comprehensive Finance Platform where businesses can manage all their financial processes end-to-end. Our priorities for 2026 and beyond are:
- Enabling businesses to integrate their accounting and ERP systems from a single point.
- Facilitating easier access to finance and credit.
- Allowing businesses to manage their assets and liabilities across different banks from a single screen through open banking products.
Thanks to open banking, the financial system is now "democratizing." We are transitioning from a system where power resided in institutions to an era where the "customer," the true owner of the account and data, is much stronger. In this democratization process, Pay N Kolay will continue to be the most reliable business partner for enterprises through our innovative technologies, operational efficiency, and data-driven decision-making culture.