Business World magazine in Turkey organized the ‘Digital Economy Summit Program’ as part of the launch of its 14th issue. Many names who are experts in the field of digitalization came together in the program. Representatives of the crypto money ecosystem in Turkey also took part as speakers at the event held at the Information Commercialization Center. “What Value Should Cryptocurrency Exchanges Create for the Market?” moderated by BLM Bilişim General Manager Levent Karadağ; Cryptomeda Founder Eray Dengiz, GateTR Marketing and Business Development Director Didem Gülyuva, OKX Turkey Marketing Director Ahmet Onur Yeygün, Phemex Turkey Marketing Manager Tuğçe Layout and Cryptocurrency Specialist Oytun Es discussed the latest developments in the crypto money ecosystem. Eray Dengiz, Founder of Cryptomeda, stating that global crypto money exchanges show a serious interest in Turkey, said, “When we look at this year from last year, it is possible to say that there are two big changes. First, when global stock markets entered the market here, they were completely managed from abroad without an office. Now the teams and strategies here are used in business processes. As for the user side, due to Turkey’s current economic situation, users have tended to look for alternative methods. We can say that this is the biggest factor in the increase in the number of users.” “Crypto investor is educated and conscious” GateTR Marketing and Business Development Director Didem Gülyuva said that the opening of offices in Turkey by global stock exchanges provides a safer environment for users and said, “There are more than 4 million crypto money investors in Turkey today. When crypto investors are examined, we see that they are generally educated and conscious. This stands out as a pleasing development for all of us. As we always say, it is necessary to trade with awareness, knowledge and responsibility in crypto markets. Therefore, the fact that many exchanges see Turkey as a good market may lead to important developments for the coming years. “The growing market offers a new human resource for global stock markets” Underlining the interest of young people in blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies, OKX Turkey Marketing Director Ahmet Onur Yeygün said, “Research shows us that the target audience for cryptocurrencies is between the ages of 18-34 and 90% male. Newly graduated white-collar workers are doing what we call trade. It is observed that long-term investors are slightly more educated and wealthy. There is an important feature brought about by the high population of young people. The growing market here offers a new human resource for global stock markets. For this reason, employment is created in the ecosystem.” Stating that the reasons for young people’s interest in cryptocurrencies in Turkey diverge from the global, Phemex Turkey Marketing Manager Tuğçe Doğru said, “According to the research of a London-based law firm, young people in Turkey are turning to cryptocurrencies because they have no hope of retirement in the future. The possibility of retiring at the age of 60 in Turkey does not provide an effective motivation to work for young people. Young people aim to retire within 5 years, if possible, by investing in cryptocurrencies. This situation is both sad and a tool that encourages technology. “When I talk to our friends around the world, they are surprised that everyone knows crypto,” he said. Emphasizing that the crypto ecosystem is quite crowded, Cryptocurrency Expert Oytun Es said, “It is not possible for any exchange in the crypto ecosystem to ignore the Turkish market. We are talking about a very large market. Our people like to be involved with technology. Since our average age is young, we can easily adapt. Secondly, we can say that Turkish people like risk. When we say cryptocurrencies, we start talking about risky markets. Although I think that 2023 will be the year of regulations, I foresee that serious steps will be taken on the side of the stock markets as well.”