Special thanks to Kaan, Mechul.eth, Errold, and Doruk for the review and feedback. ❤️
TL;DR
Türkiye is among countries with the highest crypto adoption in the world.
The severe inflation crisis has driven significant crypto adoption as citizens seek alternatives to the rapidly depreciating Turkish lira. This shift is also facilitated by Turkey’s extensive centralized exchange (CEX) infrastructure, which makes buying and selling crypto highly accessible.
Despite government restrictions on crypto usage, Türkiye’s young, tech-savvy population continues to embrace crypto, not only for hedging against inflation (stablecoin) but also for investment and earning opportunities.
Its Ethereum grassroots community is a rapidly growing and vibrant ecosystem with web3 startups, university clubs, developers, academia, driven by economic pressure and a strong passion for education, inclusion and global connectivity.
The Economic Foundation: Crisis as Catalyst
Chronic inflation and Turkish lira devaluation have severely impacted personal savings, purchasing power, and international trade. Starting in 2018, inflation accelerated dramatically, reaching 20.30% and continuing to rise. The period from 2021-2023 saw unprecedented inflation levels. In 2024, inflation began to moderate to 44.38%, though it remains extremely high by historical standards.
Political volatility: Türkiye has experienced acute political instability in 2025, marked by the arrest of key opposition figures, including Istanbul’s mayor, widespread protests, and heightened government crackdowns on dissent. These events have fueled mass demonstrations, eroded trust in institutions, and triggered sharp economic turmoil, underscoring deepening divisions and growing authoritarianism within the country's political landscape.
Regulatory Paradox: Restriction Driving Innovation
Türkiye does not formally ban cryptocurrencies, but regulations remain ambiguous. While crypto trading and holding are permitted, using crypto as a means of payment is restricted since April 2021 to curb illicit activities and protect the Turkish lira. The 2021 collapse of Thodex, the first major Turkish crypto exchange resulted in a landmark fraud case and intensified regulatory scrutiny, accelerating the government's efforts to tighten oversight.
Recent withdrawal controls have further tightened regulations by requiring platforms to verify transaction sources and purposes, enforce holding periods, and impose transfer limits.
Tax: While taxation policy remains under debate, profits from crypto trading is not yet consistently taxed at the individual or enterprise level, increasing adoption but limiting regulatory clarity.
Türkiye’s Central Bank (CBRT) is developing the Digital Turkish Lira (DTL), a sovereign digital currency designed to enhance financial resilience, accessibility, and privacy. Phase 1 has successfully completed pilot tests and integrated a self-sovereign digital identity system for secure transactions. Phase 2 will expand the DTL to broader retail and wholesale payment scenarios, aligning with Türkiye’s digital transformation goals.
Grassroots Innovation: IRL Communities in a Digital Economy
ModaPalas: A non-profit, community-driven initiative for developers, researchers, cryptographers, and startups collaborating on blockchain, academia, AI, cryptography, and decentralized systems. It hosts regular physical gatherings in Istanbul’s Moda district, notably at Errol Drummond’s house overlooking the Bosphorus. Startups that have emerged from ModaPalas: node101, Citrea (by Chainway Labs), Eduasis, and Pioneer Labs.
ArkHaus: A community-driven physical and digital hub for founders, builders, and creatives working at the intersection of Web3, AI, and gaming.
Web3 Meta Hub: A community hub for developers, designers, social scientists, and entrepreneurs to collaborate on Web3, blockchain, and AI.
node101: A blockchain-focused builder team developing real‑world solutions with decentralized technologies. It serves B2B validator and RPC provider.
DeSci Türkiye: A community-driven initiative that decentralizes science in the fields of AI, biotechnology, and blockchain.
Altcoin Turk: A physical Web3 hub in Kadıköy.
Many grassroots efforts are led by university blockchain clubs (see below). The İTÜ Blockchain Club is more than just a blockchain club; it's a vibrant community that has already launched two startups: Fibrous and Clave.
Startup Ecosystem: Building on Ethereum
DeFi & Stablecoin Infrastructure
Fibrous: DEX aggregator on Starknet, Scroll & Base.
Inverter Network: A modular protocol for Primary Issuance Markets
Bilira: Stablecoin project that is backed by the Turkish Lira.
Parabol: A globally accessible stablecoin protocol.
Wallet
Clave: A self-custodial smart wallet for investing, earning yield, and payment.
Development shop
Pioneer Labs: A research, development, and security studio that works on decentralized applications, blockchain infrastructure, applied cryptography, and data and AI systems.
TriO Blockchain Labs: A blockchain dev company that provides innovative blockchain solutions for industries ranging from fintech to real estate.
Supporting Ecosystem
Floyka Design Studio: A Web3 creative agency delivering design, branding, UI/UX, 3D modeling, VFX, event visuals, and no-code web solutions.
Tayf Lab: A Web3 native creative design lab.
Karakod LEC: A legal tech firm that offers smart contract legal audits, legal opinions & token classifications, intellectual property & digital assets.
RiseIn: The web3-focused educational arm of Patika.dev, Turkey's largest developer community platform, that offers free courses, bootcamps, and events to help developers learn Web3 technologies and build blockchain projects.
Capital and Exchange Infrastructure
International: Binance TR remain one of the most popular exchanges in Türkiye
Paribu Ventures: Based in Istanbul, Paribu Ventures is the investment arm of Paribu, Türkiye’s leading crypto exchange.
Beyond Trading: Real-World Crypto Usage in Turkey
Türkiye ranks as the largest crypto market in MENA and seventh globally, receiving $136.8 billion in value between July 2023 and June 2024. As of 2024–2025, around 28% of Türkiye’s population owns cryptocurrency, which translates to an estimated 24.8 million crypto users in the country by 2026.
Stablecoins: USDT and USDC are the most widely used assets for Turkish citizens, serving as: a) Protection against inflation and currency collapse; b) Remittance channels for Turkish nationals abroad or freelancers working for global clients; c) Payment rails for international purchases, bypassing currency controls and “de-dollarization” policies. Managing USDT on the Tron network remains one of the most popular options. L2s and security concepts are not familiar to most users.
More efficient market: During volatile exchange rate periods banks had enormous spreads, probably directed by the government, to stop people fleeing from lira. At those times crypto markets acted as efficient markets for foreign exchange access.
Freelance, Remote Work & Export Sectors: Türkiye’s tech workforce, especially developers and digital professionals, frequently receive compensation in crypto, often directly on Ethereum or as stablecoins.
The most popular centralized exchanges (CEXs) in Türkiye are Paribu, BtcTurk, and Binance TR. For wallets, MetaMask continues to dominate the market.
The Developer Advantage: From Local Talent to Global Protocols
Türkiye has one of the fastest growing developer communities among Europe and the Middle East. It has more than 1.7m developers, with 19% YoY growth in 2024.
Within this vibrant ecosystem, Ethereum remains the dominant blockchain platform for smart contract developers in Turkey despite rising competition from newer platforms like Solana and BNB Chain.
Turkish developers are contributing to some of the leading projects in the Ethereum space, including ENS, Gnosis, Nethermind, Argot, Hyperlane, and more.
Academic Fuel: Universities Powering the Ecosystem
Research Lab & Center
Blockchain Research Laboratory (BZLab): Established in 2017 under TÜBİTAK BİLGEM UEKAE, BZLab focused on R&D in blockchain protocols, crypto‑asset security, privacy, and related business models.
BlockchainIST Center at Bahçeşehir University: Launched in 2018 and based in Istanbul, BlockchainIST is Türkiye’s first university‑affiliated blockchain research and consulting organization. It provides R&D, training, and advisory services in blockchain, DeFi, and fintech to public and private clients worldwide.
Blockchain Application and Research Center at Istanbul Aydın University: Launched in February 2021 with the mission to carry out R&D activities on the infrastructure and implementation of blockchain technologies, security and privacy analysis, business models, and crowdfunding approaches.
Blockchain Clubs
İTÜ Blockchain Club: Founded in 2018 by students at Istanbul Technical University, İTÜ Blockchain was Türkiye’s first official university blockchain society. It set the standard for peer‑driven workshops, hackathons, and study groups on Ethereum, smart contracts, and DeFi.
Sabancı University Blockchain Club: Also established in 2018, Sabancı’s student‑run club focused on decentralization principles, hosting regular talks on blockchain applications and organizing hands‑on Solidity and Web3 coding sessions.
ODTÜ Blockchain Club: Established in 2021, another good Blockchain community in Türkiye with an expert team, hosting major Blockchain Days, winning global hackathon awards like ETHCannes and ETH Brussels 2024, and running 50+ workshops and meet-ups.
YTU Blockchain Club: Since its 2020 founding at Yıldız Technical University, this volunteer-driven community has organized more than 80 events and has a network of 60+ developers.
Learn more about Türkiye’s professors and blockchain clubs, please visit the Turkish Professor List and Turkish Blockchain Club List created by Modapalas.
Cryptography and Math
Türkiye has a strong academic foundation in mathematics, computer science, and electrical engineering, fields integral to cryptography, ZKP, FHE, MPC, and protocol research. Several top universities have cryptography and security research groups, including Boğaziçi University (İstanbul), Koç University (İstanbul), İstanbul Technical University (İTÜ), Middle East Technical University (METU, Ankara), Bilkent University (Ankara), and Sabancı University (İstanbul).
Nesin Mathematics Village: A unique “illegal” non-profit village dedicated to math, philosophy, and the arts. It was launched in 2007 by Ali Nesin, a veteran mathematics professor, who received the 2018 Leelavati Award for his outstanding contributions towards increasing public awareness of mathematics in Turkey.
Highlighted Events
Past Events
Devconnect Istanbul, over 3500 Ethereum enthusiasts gathered at the Devconnect Cowork in the Istanbul Congress Center, 2023.
ETHGünü ETHDay 2023.
Not Devcon by ITU 2023.
0xVillage at the famous Nesin Math Village 2023.
Builders Week Istanbul 2025, some highlighted events include
ETHIstanbul: Hackathon (Sept 6–7, 2025) and conference, Sept 5, 2025.
Cryptist: An annual day-long Zero-Knowledge community event held in Istanbul, Sep 4, 2025.
Cipher House: A one-day meetup for researchers in FHE, MPC, ZK, and TEE, Sep 3, 2025.
ModaGarden: A co-living and co-discovery space focused on privacy, ZK, FHE, mathematics, cryptographic research, and more. Time TBD.
ZuKaş: 11 days of learning, co-creating, and onchain community experiments, Sept 9–19, 2025.
International IEEE Blockchain Workshop Istanbul'25, in collaboration with UBMK 2025, Sept 18, 2025.
Further Reading
Turkey’s Central Bank Digital Currency: a progressive step in Digital Turkish Lira, Butterworths Journal of International Banking and Financial Law
Crypto Regulations In Turkey 2025, by CoinPedia
Turkey - Crypto Usage Continues to Rise in Face of Ban, Crypto Council for Innovation
List of banks and institutions operating in Türkiye, as registered by the Capital Markets Board
Cash → Chain Istanbul, by Nalin from Daimo
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