Prepaid card

Over 145,000 people aged 18 and 19 are eligible for this year's Youth Pass, a state benefit in the form of a digital prepaid debit card worth 150 euros. 

According to the ministries of Economy and Digital Transformation this year's assistance to 69,825 18 year olds and 75,863 19 year olds will cost the state 21.7 million euros. 

Payments made with credit cards, debit cards and prepaid cards stood at 836 billion Turkish Liras ($28.9 billion) in October, rising 122 percent from a year ago, according to the data from the Interbank Card Center (BKM).

The government plans to gradually pay all welfare benefits by prepaid card and oblige recipients to spend at least half the amount through electronic transactions.

Payments made with credit cards, debit cards and prepaid cards hit 639 billion Turkish Liras ($23.7 billion) in June, rising 109 percent from a year ago, according to the data from the Interbank Card Center (BKM).

Total card payments grew 2 percent from May.

A Turkish hacker who U.S. prosecutors say masterminded a series of cyber attacks that enabled $55 million to be siphoned from automated teller machines around the world pleaded guilty on March 1.

France, announcing fresh moves against terrorist financing, said on Nov. 23 it would target prepaid debit cards which it said were used in the recent Paris attacks.
 
"We will regulate more strictly the use of prepaid cards which were used in the November 13 attacks, in order to make it harder to remain anonymous," Finance Minister Michel Sapin told a news conference.