Online foreign trade imports rose to 2.1 times of exports
According to Interbank Card Center data, online imports reached 332.2 billion liras in the first eight months of 2026, while the gap between them widened by 35.6 percent.
Interbank Card Center August data revealed that online foreign trade transactions made with domestic and foreign cards grew much faster in imports compared to exports. In the first eight months of 2026, online imports reached 332.2 billion TL, while online exports stood at 157.2 billion TL.
The Gap Between Imports and Exports Widened
According to Interbank Card Center August data, the online import transaction amount, which was 255 billion 335 million TL in the January-August period of 2025, increased by 76.9 billion TL in the same period of 2026 to reach 332 billion 212 million TL. In the same period, online exports rose from 126 billion 301 million TL to 157 billion 246 million TL.
Foreign Trade Deficit and Volume Increase
The difference between online imports and exports, which was approximately 129 billion TL in the first 8 months of last year, reached 174 billion 966 million TL this year. While the gap widened by approximately 46 billion TL in one year, the difference between imports and exports grew by 35.6 percent.
211 Liras of Imports for Every 100 Liras of Exports
In the first 8 months, the total volume of online imports and exports increased by 28.3 percent from 381.6 billion TL to 489.5 billion TL. Approximately 68 percent of the total online foreign trade volume consisted of imports and 32 percent of exports, with approximately 211 TL of imports realized for every 100 TL of exports.
Import Dominance in Transaction Counts
The difference in the structure of online foreign trade became more pronounced in transaction counts. The number of online import transactions, which was 203.4 million in the first 8 months of 2025, increased by 31.2 percent this year to reach 266.9 million. The number of online export transactions rose by 28.9 percent to 17.9 million, and the number of import transactions reached approximately 15 times that of exports.
July Peak in Online Imports
According to monthly data, online imports started 2026 at 41.5 billion TL. Falling to 35.4 billion TL in February, the amount reached its highest level of the first 8 months of the year at 45.4 billion TL in July, and was recorded at 43.9 billion TL in August.
Exports Gained Momentum in Summer Months
While online exports followed a horizontal course in the first four months of the year, acceleration began starting from May. Online exports, which were 15.4 billion TL in January, reached the highest level of the first 8 months at 27.8 billion TL in July and realized at the level of 25.1 billion TL in August.