On 27 November 2024, the Visa Innovation Program Europe Türkiye Edition Summit took center stage at Kolektif House Levent. It united industry leaders, fintech founders, and strategic partners for a day dedicated to shaping the future of payments and commerce. This annual gathering has become a cornerstone event for Türkiye’s fintech ecosystem, showcasing the transformative impact of innovation and collaboration.
The summit served as a platform for sharing insights, exploring emerging trends, and highlighting the achievements of this year’s fintech cohort. Participants delved into the challenges and opportunities driving change in the financial sector through keynote speeches, engaging panel discussions, and vibrant networking sessions.
The summit officially opened with a compelling speech by Samile Mümin, Country Manager at Visa Türkiye. Highlighting Türkiye’s role as a fintech innovation hub, Samile spoke about the remarkable progress made in the local ecosystem. She emphasized the increasing impact of fintech solutions on enhancing financial inclusion, streamlining payment experiences, and driving digital transformation across industries.
Samile also underlined Visa’s unwavering commitment to supporting fintechs in Türkiye. She celebrated the accomplishments of the program’s participants and reinforced Visa’s vision of fostering collaboration to unlock the full potential of the payments ecosystem.
The keynote address by Aigool Khalikova, Head of Strategy at Visa Europe, offered a deep dive into global payment trends and their implications for fintechs. Aigool presented a forward-thinking analysis of how emerging technologies like AI and embedded finance reshape consumer behaviors and market expectations.
She shared actionable insights on:
- The growing role of sustainability in financial services,
- The rise of real-time payment solutions tailored to global commerce and
- Strategies for fintechs to navigate a rapidly evolving regulatory and competitive landscape.
Aigool’s keynote gave the audience a clear understanding of how Türkiye’s fintech could align with global trends to strengthen its positioning and scale internationally. Her message resonated as a call to action for fintech to think boldly and innovate purposefully.
The day’s first panel, Strategies for Success, brought together Cihan Demir from Finartz and Oğuzhan Yılmaz from Fimple, moderated by Jak Telyaz of Visa. The discussion focused on fintechs’ challenges when developing innovative solutions and scaling in a competitive market.
Both panelists shared their journeys of building fintech solutions that address real-world problems, emphasizing the importance of adaptability and customer-centric design. Cihan Demir highlighted how Finartz tackles the complexities of digital wallets and payment systems, ensuring seamless integration for businesses. Meanwhile, Oğuzhan Yılmaz elaborated on Fimple’s SaaS-based approach to financial technology, prioritizing scalability and compatibility with local APIs.
Jak skillfully steered the conversation toward actionable takeaways for the audience, including:
- The value of collaborating with established players to accelerate growth,
- The importance of leveraging mentorship to refine strategies and
- Practical advice on navigating regulatory landscapes.
In the Fintech Positioning panel, moderated by Melihcan Yücel from Visa, three dynamic fintech founders—Arif Ferah (PayWall), Umut Yalçın (Bakiyem), and Engin Bütün (Minted Connect)—shared their strategies for thriving in a competitive market.
The panel delved into how fintechs adapt to rapidly changing customer needs and market conditions. Arif Ferah discussed how PayWall helps businesses streamline their payment processes, enabling them to operate more efficiently. Umut Yalçın explained how Bakiyem provides tailored online payment solutions to meet the unique demands of various industries, while Engin Bütün showcased Minted Connect’s innovative approach to simplifying precious metal trading for individual users.
The session highlighted:
- How fintech can differentiate themselves through specialized offerings,
- The Role of customer feedback in shaping Product development and
- Strategies for building trust and credibility in a competitive landscape.
The Fintech Investments panel provided an insider’s view into the funding landscape, featuring Ahmet Argun of Lima Ventures and Hasan Emre Özgür from Enqura, moderated by Kaan Akın of Hackquarters by Tenity. This session explored what it takes to secure investment and scale successfully.
Ahmet Argun provided key insights into what investors look for in fintechs, emphasizing the importance of a clear value proposition, market potential, and a strong team. On the other hand, Hasan Emre Özgür shared Enqura’s experience navigating the funding process and how their cutting-edge ID verification solutions appealed to investors.
Key takeaways from the panel included:
- The critical role of storytelling in pitching to investors,
- How fintechs can position themselves as valuable partners to corporates and
- Fintechs need to demonstrate scalability and resilience in uncertain market conditions.
The Visa Innovation Program Europe Türkiye Edition Summit once again reinforced its pivotal role in fostering collaboration and empowering fintechs to redefine the future of payments and commerce. By bringing together diverse perspectives and expertise, the summit catalyzed innovation in Türkiye’s rapidly evolving fintech ecosystem. The day concluded with optimism and excitement for the opportunities ahead, inspiring participants to embark on the next phase of their journeys.
Meet the fintehcs:
Bakiyem: Bakiyem offers new generation and functional online payment solutions to meet the different demands of various sectors.
Fimple: A cloud-based system in line with new generation technology and business needs. It offers a finance solution based on SaaS Architecture and cloud-based microservices, compatible with local APIs.
Finartz: It develops solutions for mobile applications, management tools, main systems and digital wallet needs of institutions from all fields.
Minted Connect: Minted Connect enables individual users to save by trading precious metals. It provides all operational services end-to-end, including license, storage, price, payment infrastructure and physical delivery.
Paywall: PayWall is a comprehensive payment orchestration platform that enables businesses to maximize efficiency by streamlining their payment processes.
Stay tuned for updates on the next edition of the Visa Innovation Program Europe Summit!