Bangladesh, Nov. 22 -- Turkey has opened a sweeping money laundering investigation into companies owned by Cypriot-Norwegian fintech entrepreneur Ozan Özerk, marking the latest development in a complex saga that spans multiple jurisdictions, regulatory systems, and allegations of criminal exploitation of financial technology. Although Özerk himself has not been named as a suspect, the widening probe is shining an intense spotlight on the opaque structures surrounding his business empire-and on the vulnerabilities that continue to plague the global fintech ecosystem.

The Turkish investigation follows months after the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) and media partners exposed what they called a global ...