Istanbul Fintech Week: The summit that brought together technology and finance experts has concluded.

Held since 2019, the Istanbul Fintech Week (IFW), in which we participated as a strategic media partner this year, brought together thought leaders and industry professionals from the finance and technology sectors for the sixth time in Istanbul on June 11-12. This year's IFW, themed "Redefining the Future of Finance with Artificial Intelligence and Web3," connected over 120 speakers from around the world with more than 3,000 visitors through panels, keynote presentations, open sessions, and roundtable discussions. The summit focused on digital finance, investment technologies, artificial intelligence in finance, women's representation in the fintech sector, and Web3, hosting a total of 84 sessions across six main streams.

Senior officials from TCMB, BDDK, and SPK also attended.

Among the speakers of the two-day global event were Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey (TCMB) Prof. Dr. Hatice Karahan, Vice Governor of the (BDDK) of the Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency Dr. Mustafa Aydın and Vice Chairman of the (SPK) of the Capital Markets Board Ali İhsan Güngör. The opening speech of the first day of the event, which started with the Web3 Summit, which brought together the senior names of the finance and economic bureaucracy with the global fintech ecosystem, was made by Ali İhsan Güngör with his presentation focusing on the regulation of digital assets. At the summit, where Prof. Dr. Hatice Karahan presented "The Future of Payments Through the Eyes of a Central Banker" and Dr. Mustafa Aydın presented "Success Story: The Role of Regulation", 120 speakers from Turkey and around the world took the stage with their presentations focusing on different fields

Dr. Mahfi Eğilmez: "Turkey is one step ahead of the world in every area of finance"

The opening speech of the second day, which started with the theme of the Digital Finance Summit, was given by economist and author Dr. Mahfi Eğilmez. Emphasizing that a significant transformation is taking place in technology, Eğilmez stated, "Every day, especially with the advent of artificial intelligence, we are reaching a completely different place. This great and rapid development is taking us to a different era. Turkey is a country with potential and skilled people. Among all these, our finance sector and technology infrastructure shine like stars. Financial technologies are an area where our country has serious successes. In insurance, banking, and every aspect of finance, we are better than the USA and Europe."

Dr. Mahfi Eğilmez, who stated that Turkey needs an infrastructure to carry its successes in finance and technology into the future, addressed the participants by saying, "There is a good nucleus here. Some of you come from banking, some are completely technology-oriented. However, there are places where they all converge. The younger generation has a lot of work to do to spread these successes throughout the entire system."

Demet Zübeyiroğlu: "An environment where traditional and innovative finance create value together"

Demet Zübeyiroğlu, Co-Founder of IFW and KOOP Ventures, stated that Istanbul Fintech Week has reached a structure where six different summits are blended and vision meetings with top-level leaders are held. "We have created a platform through IFW, the largest event held annually in Turkey in the field of finance, where traditional finance intersects with innovative finance, new collaborations are born, and value is created together. We define this structure as 'ecosystem building'. Each year, we host numerous international speakers from the USA, Europe, and Asia. Participants have the opportunity to directly hear from experts how financial technologies are implemented in different countries. The event also provides a strong networking environment that lays the groundwork for new collaborations for startups, investors, and organizations. Since 2019, IFW has hosted over 14,000 participants, and this year we aim to exceed a total of 20,000. We are proud to bring an international event of this scale to life in Turkey, centered in Istanbul," she said.

Demet Zübeyiroğlu, emphasizing that IFW 2025 differentiates itself with the Women in Fintech stream, stated, "The Women in Fintech stream, featuring international female speakers from the USA, Europe, and Asia, highlights the impact of women in the fintech world while providing them the opportunity to share their experiences, inspiring young leaders in the sector. For example, the panel titled Breaking Barriers: Women Leading Fintech Innovation, in which Ceylan Onay Şahin, a senior lecturer in finance at Brighton University, is also one of the participants, emphasizes how women are pioneers of innovation in the financial technology sector."

Ronit Ghose signed his new book, Fintech pioneers received awards.

As part of IFW 2025, which includes keynote presentations, panels, and events that enhance interaction among participants, a signature event and award ceremony were also held. Ronit Ghose, who is among the speakers at IFW 2025 and serves as the Head of Future Finance at Citi, signed his new book, Future Money, for the summit participants.

The Digital Finance Pioneers Awards, organized by KPMG and Istanbul Fintech Week in 2025 to support the fintech ecosystem in Turkey, have found their recipients. The best in the categories of Pioneer Bank, Visionary Bank, Most Collaborative Bank, Global Pioneer Fintech, Rising Fintech, Innovative Fintech, and Financial Inclusion were honored with the Digital Finance Pioneers Awards.

6 different summits, 84 sessions, over three thousand visitors

At the 6th summit of IFW 2025, held on June 11-12, which brought together finance and technology professionals in Istanbul with a comprehensive program, 120 speakers discussed the latest significant topics at the intersection of finance and technology, the impact of artificial intelligence on finance, and the future with Web3 across 35 different panels.

Welcoming over 3,000 visitors, IFW 2025 brought together top leaders in four roundtable meetings around topics such as the future of digital assets, the role of Web3 in traditional finance, micro-market strategies in the era of embedded finance, and the future of the payments vertical.

Published: June 13, 2025 14:52Last Updated: June 14, 2025 02:57