Bank Mellat

Also known as: Mellat Bank, بانک ملت

Updated on 11 November 2026

Iranian bank involved in international sanctions litigation and a Turkish branch licence revocation.

Bank Mellat is an Iranian bank. It successfully challenged EU sanctions dating from 2010, with the Court of Justice upholding their annulment in 2016. In September 2026 its Turkish branch lost its banking licence. Canada reimposed sanctions on the bank in November 2026.

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2Documented controversies

4Sources

0Formal charge · all time

0Conviction

§ Legal statuses reflect the documented sources as of the date shown; they replace neither court decisions nor the presumption of innocence. Counts are not a rating. Methodology

I. Documented controversies

September 2026

2026: Turkish banking licence revoked for Bank Mellat branch

Civil / administrative proceedings

Turkey’s banking regulator BDDK revoked the licence of Bank Mellat’s Istanbul branch on 18 September 2026; the decision was published on 19 September. The bank’s announcement confirms that supervision was transferred to the TMSF resolution fund and liquidation began. This decision does not establish a criminal conviction of the bank.

State of the evidence: Bank Mellat Turkey announcement and Turkish reports citing BDDK decision no. 11572.
Legal status — source text: Turkish branch licence revoked; liquidation administered by TMSF.
Attribution: Bank Mellat’s Turkish branch lost its banking operating authorisation.

Sources · 3

[1]
Bank Mellat TürkiyeDUYURU22 September 2026Company documentHigh reliability
[2]
CNBC-eBDDK'dan Bank Mellat için faaliyet izni kaldırma kararı19 September 2026MediaHigh reliability
[3]
Hürriyet Daily NewsTürkiye revokes Bank Mellat’s operating license19 September 2026MediaHigh reliability

Last verified: 11 November 2026

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November 2026

2026: Bank Mellat relisted under Canadian sanctions

Civil / administrative proceedings

Canada relisted Bank Mellat under its Iran sanctions framework effective 5 November 2026, announcing the decision on 10 November. The bank was among eleven entities previously delisted in 2016. This is not a criminal conviction.

State of the evidence: Canadian amending regulations and government backgrounder.
Legal status — source text: Canadian administrative sanctions in force from 5 November 2026.
Attribution: Bank Mellat was relisted among the Iranian entities sanctioned by Canada.

Sources · 1

[1]
Global Affairs CanadaRegulations Amending the Special Economic Measures (Iran) Regulations5 November 2026Official documentHigh reliability

Last verified: 11 November 2026

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II. Constellation of documented links

No documented link with another published profile for now.

Two profiles are linked when a documented controversy of one names the other. The link points to that controversy and its sources; it does not indicate a personal relationship.

III. Has something changed?

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Controversia profile, updated 11 November 2026. Latest version: https://controversia.info/en/fiche/bank-mellat