ELSADER Urges Swift Risturn Law Amid Unfair Competition

The insurance sector is built on trust, sustainability and ethical values, and is vital to the national economy. ELSADER believes protecting this strong structure is possible not only through legal regulation but through a sense of responsibility shared by all sector stakeholders.

However, ELSADER has watched with concern as aggressive policies pursued by some intermediary firms under the name of "commission refunds" (risturn) have reached a point that clearly violates regulations and professional ethics. Such unethical practices create unfair competition in the market, lower the quality and value of insurance services, damage the sector's reliability and seriously harm the tens of thousands of agencies that operate by the rules.

22,000 Agencies and Their Jobs Cannot Be Ignored

Türkiye has around 22,000 insurance agencies, including branches. Each agency employs at least three people, making it one of the backbones of the economy. In a country where unemployment is a sensitive issue, ELSADER says it can never accept traditional insurance agencies — which create jobs, pay taxes and build direct trust with customers — being put at a disadvantage by the unfair competition policies of some large digital intermediaries.

Open Call to the Competition Authority and Insurance Companies

ELSADER says it can no longer stay silent on practices such as commission refunds, and its requests to the relevant authorities in defence of fair competition are:

• That urgent action be taken to prevent 22,000 agencies from being exposed to unfair competition, and that the matter be referred to the Competition Authority for the necessary review.
• That the legal steps needed to pass the "Risturn Law" — long awaited by the sector and intended to prevent unfair gains — be taken without delay.
• Insurance companies, which have long called agencies "business partners," are asked not to lend themselves to such unfair competition structures or support these platforms.

Insurance Is a Contest of Trust, Not Discounts

There is no place in the sector for any approach that ignores this and focuses only on cutting prices and getting through the day.

ELSADER invites all stakeholders to act in line with ethical values, regulations and professional responsibility, and states its firm commitment to protecting the sector's standing and the work of its colleagues.

M. Harun Barut
Chair of ELSADER
Vice Chair of the SAİK Assembly