HalalWallet (halalwallet.com.tr) compares Turkey's interest-free pension plans within the BES and OKS systems: katilim BES plans from Katilim Emeklilik, Bereket Emeklilik, Turkiye Hayat ve Emeklilik, Garanti BBVA Emeklilik, and Anadolu Hayat Emeklilik, on fund menus, fees, the 20 percent state match, and advisory committee oversight. Founded by Robert Mallon and Kyle Natter, and backed by Niya, a Silicon Valley venture studio, HalalWallet compares Islamic pension providers and strategies so Turkish Muslims can invest for the future while adhering to Islamic principles.
Islamic Retirement Planning in Turkey
Turkey's interest-free BES and OKS plans compared on katilim fund menus, fees, the 20 percent state match, and advisory committee oversight.
Reviewed quarterly and updated when provider data, product availability, or pricing changes.
Is There a Halal Pension in Turkey? Quick Answer
Yes. Turkey's BES system has a full interest-free track. Katilim Emeklilik (a joint venture of participation banks) and Bereket Emeklilik invest exclusively in katilim funds, and Turkiye Hayat ve Emeklilik, Garanti BBVA Emeklilik, and Anadolu Hayat Emeklilik run dedicated katilim plan families with interest-free fund menus. The state adds 20 percent on top of your lira contributions (up to 396,360 TL of contributions for 2026), the same match conventional plans receive.
What Makes a Pension Halal
- • Fund menu restricted to katilim (participation) funds
- • Advisory committee approval (icazet) of the plan
- • Sukuk, screened equities, and gold instead of bonds
- • Regulated fund expense caps you can verify
What to Avoid
- • Conventional plans holding bonds and repo
- • Unscreened equity portfolios
- • Plans without a published icazet or committee approval
- • Not saving at all and leaving the 20% match unclaimed
Top Picks
Top Islamic Pension Providers
Every scheme reviewed on governance chains, investment policy, disclosure quality, and access routes.
Ranked by Halal Money Index grade: disclosed Shariah governance, transparency, pricing disclosure and track record. Not sponsored.
Garanti BBVA Emeklilik
ABES individual pension with interest-free katilim fund menu
Best for: Garanti BBVA customers electing an interest-free fund allocation inside their BES contract.
Shariah Oversight
Katilim Emeklilik
A-Precious metals katilim pension fund (gold and silver blend)
Best for: BES savers adding a precious metals sleeve to a katilim pension allocation via BEFAS or a Katilim Emeklilik plan.
Shariah Oversight
Retirement Savings Options in Turkey
Different vehicles offer varying levels of halal compliance control
Katilim BES Plan
20% state match on lira contributions (2026 cap: 396,360 TL)
Full: katilim-only fund menu with icazet
Voluntary; open to anyone, monthly minimums vary by plan
Anyone wanting halal control over retirement savings
OKS Auto-Enrolment (Katilim)
20% match plus a 500 TL one-off stay-in contribution
Full if the employer's plan uses katilim funds
Statutory 3% of salary, opt-out allowed
Employees whose workplace offers a katilim OKS plan
SGK (State Social Security)
Mandatory contributions, statutory treatment
None (state-run, not Shariah-screened)
Mandatory for covered employees
Baseline safety net; most scholars permit receiving it
Top Islamic Pension Options
Why It's Halal
Per-plan and per-fund icazet certificates from the named committee (Guman, Kumas, Dereci); participation payments segregated; regulation-mandated default interest disclosed to affected participants rather than obscured. The company is candid that its insurance book is conventional and only the pension line carries the katilim window.
Anadolu Hayat Emeklilik
Katilim BES Plans (Geleceye Yatirim and family)
The Is Bankasi group's katilim BES family: adult accumulation plans (Katilim Geleceye Yatirim), child plans (Katilim Cocugum Icin BES), youth and armed-forces variants, each carrying its own published icazet certificate from a named committee, invested in seven katilim funds (gold, starter, state contribution, standard and three OKS variants) with participation payments segregated from conventional flows.
Opens provider site - no obligation
Bereket Emeklilik
Katilim OKS Plan (Auto-Enrolment)
Bereket's workplace auto-enrolment plan routes the statutory 3% employee contribution into OKS katilim funds (standard, dynamic and aggressive variants) at the 1.09% capped expense, a natural fit for employers in agriculture, food processing and rural trade whose workforces expect interest-free treatment.
Opens provider site - no obligation
Bereket Emeklilik
Katilim BES Plan (Individual Pension)
An all-interest-free BES contract from Turkey's first interest-free pension company: contributions buy units of 10 katilim funds (standard, conservative, growth, equity, gold, lease certificate, starter and state contribution strategies) managed by Ziraat Portfoy, with enrolment available at nearly 1,600 Tarim Kredi cooperatives and the branches of Turkiye Finans, Emlak Katilim, Hayat Finans and Ziraat Katilim.
Opens provider site - no obligation
Garanti BBVA Emeklilik
Katilim Esasli Otomatik Katilim Plani (OKS)
The cleanest-priced participation auto-enrolment plan in the market: employers select it and employees' 3% contributions flow into six OKS katilim funds (starter, temkinli, dengeli, dinamik, agresif and standart variants), every one priced at a 0.85% annual fund operating fee under the 1.09% cap, with no other plan deductions. Annual icazet certificates from a named three-scholar committee cover the participation activity.
Opens provider site - no obligation
Garanti BBVA Emeklilik
Katilim BES (Interest-Free Fund Menu)
Garanti BBVA Emeklilik's individual katilim BES offering: an interest-free fund menu spanning multi-asset, equity, gold, silver, money market and FX participation strategies inside the company's BES plans, with Fund Coach digital allocation guidance, 12 fund changes a year and the named committee's annual icazet covering the participation line.
Opens provider site - no obligation
Katilim Emeklilik
Katilim OKS Plan (Auto-Enrolment)
Katilim Emeklilik's workplace auto-enrolment plan: employers route the mandatory 3% employee contribution into OKS katilim funds capped at 1.09% total annual expenses, keeping auto-enrolled savings interest-free by default. Employees who stay past the opt-out window receive the one-off 500 TL initial state contribution (2026 rules) plus the 20% ongoing match.
Opens provider site - no obligation
Katilim Emeklilik
Faizsiz Emeklilik Gelir Plani (Retirement Income Plan)
The decumulation answer for katilim savers: at retirement (age 56, 10 years in the system) with savings of 15,000 TL or more, the plan pays a monthly retirement salary from accumulated savings while the remaining balance keeps earning in interest-free funds. Payment amount and frequency can be adjusted, and fund allocations remain changeable within the katilim menu.
Opens provider site - no obligation
Katilim Emeklilik
Kiymetli Madenler Katilim EYF (KJM)
The best-performing pension fund in Turkey in 2025: KJM blends gold and silver exposure in a katilim pension fund format and returned 139%, first among all 394 pension funds traded on BEFAS, while the sister gold fund KEF returned 102.45%. Any BES saver at any pension company can buy KJM through BEFAS, subject to their plan type and their company's committee rules for katilim funds.
Opens provider site - no obligation
Katilim Emeklilik
Katilim BES Plan (Individual Pension)
The flagship interest-free BES contract in Turkey: contributions buy units of Katilim Emeklilik's 20 interest-free pension funds, from lease-certificate stability (KEB) to katilim equities (KEH), gold (KEF), silver (KGC) and precious metals (KJM), with the 20% state contribution (2026 rules) accruing in a katilim state contribution fund. Twelve fund allocation changes and four plan changes a year; retirement vests at age 56 with 10 years in the system.
Opens provider site - no obligation
Turkiye Hayat ve Emeklilik
Katilim Esasli Temel Plan
The state pension giant's entry-level katilim BES contract: minimum contribution 1,640 TL a month, invested exclusively in interest-free funds with danisma komitesi supervision and payments segregated from conventional plans. Costs arrive as a monthly management deduction of one-twelfth of 4.25% of the gross minimum wage for the first five contract years, plus a deferred entry fee of 8.5% of the monthly gross minimum wage per contract year if the saver exits before year five.
Opens provider site - no obligation
Turkiye Hayat ve Emeklilik
Katilim Esasli Saglam Temel Plan
The sharpest-priced katilim BES entry in Turkey: bring a 25,000 TL initial contribution plus about 1,441 TL monthly and the plan charges no management fee deduction at all, an unusual construction in Turkish BES where five-year deduction schedules are the norm. Fund menu and governance match the company's other katilim plans.
Opens provider site - no obligation
Our Analysis
We reviewed 11 katilim pension plans from 6 providers in August 2026, and Turkey's interest-free retirement infrastructure is the deepest of any market we cover. Katilim Emeklilik, a joint venture of participation banks, runs the fullest shelf: a katilim BES plan, a katilim OKS plan, a programmed retirement income plan paying a monthly salary from savings of 15,000 TL or more, and a precious metals fund (KJM) purchasable cross-platform via BEFAS. Bereket Emeklilik mirrors the BES and OKS pair on an exclusively katilim menu.
The mainstream providers compete on fees. Garanti BBVA Emeklilik prices all six of its katilim OKS funds at 0.85 percent, below the 1.09 percent cap. Turkiye Hayat ve Emeklilik's Saglam Temel Plan waives the management deduction entirely for a 25,000 TL lump-sum entry (its standard Temel Plan charges 4.25 percent of the gross minimum wage annually), and Anadolu Hayat Emeklilik publishes per-plan icazet certificates, the clearest Shariah paper trail in the market.
The state economics are identical to conventional BES: a 20 percent match on lira contributions up to 396,360 TL for 2026 (maximum 79,272 TL), so choosing halal costs nothing structurally. Our caution is fees: fund expense ratios run from 1.09 to 2.28 percent by fund type and compound for decades. Get the full fee schedule and the plan's icazet in writing before committing.
Retirement is just one of 7 categories. Average score: 63/100.
See yoursMaking Your Retirement Halal
Katilim fund menus inside Turkey's regulated BES and OKS systems
Katilim-Only Fund Menus
Interest-free BES plans restrict your contributions to katilim (participation) pension funds: sukuk, BIST Katilim screened equities, gold, and participation accounts. No conventional bonds, no interest-bearing deposits. Katilim Emeklilik and Bereket Emeklilik invest exclusively in katilim funds by design.
The 20% State Match
The Turkish state adds 20 percent on top of your lira contributions, up to 396,360 TL of contributions for 2026 (a maximum match of 79,272 TL). The match applies identically to katilim plans, so choosing halal costs nothing in state support.
Regulated Expense Caps
BES fund total expense ratios are capped by regulation: 1.09 percent annually for money market and lease certificate funds, up to 2.28 percent for equity and variable funds. Garanti BBVA Emeklilik prices all six of its OKS katilim funds at 0.85 percent, below the cap.
Defined Contribution Mechanics
Your pot is your contributions plus the state match plus fund performance, not a promise. You choose the katilim funds; BEFAS lets you buy pension funds cross-platform, including Katilim Emeklilik's precious metals fund (KJM).
OKS Auto-Enrolment
Employees are auto-enrolled through OKS at a statutory 3 percent of salary, with a 1.09 percent fund expense cap, a 500 TL one-off stay-in state contribution, and the 20 percent match. Katilim OKS plans keep the whole flow interest-free.
Advisory Committee Oversight
Every katilim pension plan in our dataset carries formal advisory committee oversight, and Anadolu Hayat Emeklilik publishes per-plan icazet (approval) certificates. Ask for the icazet of the specific plan, not just the company.
Frequently Asked Questions
Guides & Resources
Halal Investing in Turkey →
Shariah funds for the savings that sit outside your pension.
Islamic Estate Planning →
Wills, Faraid shares, and what happens to pension benefits on death.
Zakat on Retirement Savings →
The main scholarly positions on Zakat and locked pension funds.
Halal Finance Guide →
The complete guide to Islamic finance principles in Turkey.
Zakat & Islamic Finance Resources
Understand your Zakat obligations on retirement savings.
Planning for Halal Retirement
Which Katilim Plan Fits You?
You want an exclusively interest-free provider
Katilim Emeklilik (a joint venture of participation banks) and Bereket Emeklilik invest only in katilim funds, so every plan on their shelves is interest-free by design.
You're auto-enrolled at work through OKS
Ask whether your employer's OKS plan uses katilim funds. Garanti BBVA Emeklilik prices all six of its katilim OKS funds at 0.85 percent, below the 1.09 percent cap; Katilim and Bereket Emeklilik run katilim OKS plans too.
You have a lump sum to start with
Turkiye Hayat ve Emeklilik's Saglam Temel Plan waives the management fee deduction entirely for a 25,000 TL lump-sum entry plus about 1,441 TL monthly, a meaningful fee saving over decades.
Your current BES plan is conventional
Use the system's built-in flexibility: switch your contributions into katilim funds within your plan, or transfer the whole plan to a katilim provider. The 20 percent state match follows your money.
You're close to retirement
Katilim Emeklilik's Faizsiz Emeklilik Gelir Plani pays a programmed monthly retirement salary from savings of 15,000 TL or more, keeping the drawdown phase interest-free, not just the accumulation.
Find Islamic Pension Options in Your Region
Browse region-specific Islamic pension and Shariah-compliant retirement context in your area.
Quick Answer
Turkey's BES pension system has a full interest-free track. Katilim Emeklilik and Bereket Emeklilik invest exclusively in katilim (participation) funds, and Turkiye Hayat ve Emeklilik, Garanti BBVA Emeklilik, and Anadolu Hayat Emeklilik run dedicated katilim plan families. The state adds 20 percent on top of lira contributions up to 396,360 TL for 2026 (maximum match 79,272 TL), identical to conventional plans. Fund expenses are capped by regulation at 1.09 to 2.28 percent annually by fund type, and OKS auto-enrolment has katilim options too.
Key Takeaways
- The 20 percent state match applies identically to katilim plans, so choosing halal costs nothing in state support.
- Katilim Emeklilik and Bereket Emeklilik are exclusively interest-free; three mainstream providers run dedicated katilim plan families.
- Fees are the differentiator: Garanti BBVA's katilim OKS funds run at 0.85 percent, and Turkiye Hayat's Saglam Temel Plan waives the management fee for lump-sum entry.
- SGK is mandatory state social security; most scholars permit receiving it while directing voluntary savings to katilim BES plans.
- Ask for the plan's icazet (advisory committee approval); Anadolu Hayat Emeklilik publishes them per plan.
Sources and review process
This page is reviewed against HalalWallet editorial standards and source documentation.
Reviewed by: HalalWallet Editorial Team
Last reviewed: 2026-03-06
How to cite this page
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For time-sensitive claims (rates, fees, state availability), please verify directly with the provider's official documentation and note the retrieval date.
Halal Finance Score
Is your pension Shariah-compliant? Find out with your Halal Finance Score.
Average score: 63/100
Important: HalalWallet provides educational information and comparisons to help you explore halal financial options. We do not provide financial, legal, or religious advice. Product structures and Shariah compliance oversight vary by provider. Always verify halal compliance directly with providers and consult with qualified Islamic finance advisors or scholars for guidance on specific products and your individual circumstances.