About Karum
A fixed-price desk for foreign companies entering Turkey or collecting from Turkish customers, backed by more than 20 lawyers, consultants and certified public accountants.
What do we do?
We plan and run market entry into Turkey: company formation, payment, e-money and crypto licensing, and recovery of commercial debts. Every engagement starts with a written scope and one price, delivered within 24 hours of your request.
Who does the work?
Karum works in partnership with BBO Legal, an Istanbul law firm ranked in the Chambers FinTech Guide 2026. In total, more than 20 lawyers, consultants and certified public accountants work on our clients' files.
Scoping, project management and client contact are handled by our desk. Regulated legal work is carried out by lawyers admitted to a Turkish bar, and bookkeeping and tax filings by certified Turkish accountants. Their work is included in your fixed price and they act for you directly under a power of attorney.
- Lawyers admitted to a Turkish bar
- Market entry and licensing consultants
- Certified public accountants
Why the name Karum?
Karum is the Akkadian word for a port or merchant quarter. Almost 4,000 years ago, Assyrian merchants set one up beside the city of Kanesh, today Kültepe near Kayseri, and paid taxes to the local rulers.
They left about 24,000 clay tablets: silver loans, commercial notes and court depositions. The Metropolitan Museum of Art describes it as the largest body of texts on long-distance trade in the ancient world. They are also the oldest written documents found in Anatolia.
Foreign companies have done business in Turkey for 4,000 years, and the first ones kept the paperwork. That is still the job: a clear route, the costs in writing and every document in order.
Company details
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Brand | Karum |
| Legal partner in Turkey | BBO Legal, Istanbul |
| hello@karumdesk.com | |
| Working hours | Mon to Fri, 09:00 to 18:00 CET |