Declining Trading Volume on Borsa Istanbul Puts Pressure on Brokerage Firms

Following September 17, the average daily trading volume on Borsa Istanbul dropped by 38% to 164 billion TL, and further declined to 150 billion TL in October, negatively impacting the commission revenues of brokerage firms. Expert Mehmet Ali Katmer stated that this situation could lead to a revenue loss of over 40% in fourth-quarter balance sheets and a 7% drop in profit before tax.

According to Borsa Istanbul data, while the average daily trading volume in BIST All was around 265 billion TL in the first half of 2026, it fell to 164 billion TL after September 17 and dropped to around 150 billion TL in October. Conveying data from the Capital Markets Association of Turkey (TSPB), Mehmet Ali Katmer stated that stock commission revenues, which averaged 128 million TL per trading day in the first half of the year, fell to 79 million TL per day alongside the volume decline. This picture means that brokerage firms generate approximately 50 million TL less commission revenue on each trading day.

Emphasizing that if the average volume of 150 billion TL in October continues until the end of the year, fourth-quarter commission revenues could drop to 4.7 billion TL, Katmer noted that this would create a decline of over 40% compared to the third quarter. He also added that stock commissions make up approximately 20% of the pre-tax profit of brokerage firms, and they calculate that this retreat in commission revenues will directly lead to a 7% drop in pre-tax profit.