Bringing together the leading names of the global technology and investment ecosystem and Türkiye's leading entrepreneurs and AI talents in Istanbul, GO! GLOBAL Türkiye Summit continues on its second day.
The summit, of which Anadolu Agency (AA) is the Global Communication Partner, is held in a hotel in Beşiktaş, Istanbul, in cooperation with the Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEİK), Turkey-US Business Council (TAİK) Digital Working Group and Endeavor Türkiye.
In his speech at the summit, where the global investment size represented increased to 800 billion dollars, Minister Bolat noted that the world is going through a tremendous change on the axis of digital transformation and green transformation, and said that they have to cope with these challenges, be competitive and overcome all kinds of difficulties that may arise in this transformation process.
Stating that Türkiye is an international trade country, Bolat stated that the total exports and imports of goods and services reached 850 billion dollars, which corresponds to half of the country's total Gross Domestic Product.
Bolat stated that exports of goods and services constitute 25 percent of GDP and explained that international economic relations are extremely important for them and that they have increased and diversified their economic relations with every region of the world.
"There is significant potential for cooperation between Turkish and American initiatives"
Minister of Commerce Bolat stated that Türkiye offers opportunities for international investors with its young and qualified workforce, and that they support entrepreneurs and innovative projects.
Stating that the Turkish economy has grown at an average annual rate of 5.35 percent in the last 23 years, Bolat stated that the national income increased from 238 billion dollars to 1.7 trillion dollars, and the exports of goods and services increased from 50 billion dollars to 409 billion dollars.
Bolat noted that there are 90 thousand foreign capital companies in Türkiye and a direct foreign investment of 294 billion dollars has been provided to the country in the last 23 years, and said that domestic and international initiatives contribute to the development of the Turkish economy.
Emphasizing that artificial intelligence, digital transformation and green transformation are among the priorities of the government, Bolat stated that companies are also adapting to the developments in these areas.
Stating that artificial intelligence has transformed many areas from production to trade, Bolat said, "The Turkish startup ecosystem is rapidly developing in areas such as gaming, e-commerce, health technologies, cyber security, financial technologies and software. There is a significant potential for cooperation between Turkish and American startups in these areas." he said.
"The value of Türkiye's startup ecosystem exceeded 40 billion euros"
Minister Bolat stated that the value of Türkiye's total entrepreneurship ecosystem exceeds 40 billion euros and explained that the country's dynamic entrepreneurship ecosystem includes more than 1000 venture capital-supported companies.
Stating that Türkiye's startup ecosystem grew 9.4 times between 2019-2024, Bolat continued his words as follows:
"This situation positions Türkiye as the fastest growing technology ecosystem among the leading EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) markets. In addition, Türkiye's fintech sector has surpassed an important threshold by attracting a historical investment of 201 million dollars in 2025. This leap confirms the dynamic growth of fintech as a critical element of the Turkish entrepreneurship ecosystem."
Bolat noted that Türkiye's fintech ecosystem has attracted great interest from domestic and foreign investors, and emphasized that digital payments, open banking and artificial intelligence-supported security solutions stand out in this regard.
Noting that Istanbul has become a strong technology center hosting 7 Unicorns, Bolat stated that cooperation with the USA can offer capital and access to international markets to Turkish enterprises, and innovative solutions and regional growth opportunities to American investors.
"We will definitely exceed the level of 42-43 billion dollars in bilateral trade (with the USA) this year."
Minister of Commerce Bolat said that there is serious cooperation potential for Turkish and US companies to establish partnerships in e-commerce and technology-oriented business solutions.
Talking about the trade volume between the two countries, Bolat continued his words as follows:
"Last year, our total annual bilateral trade volume increased by 13 percent, reaching 38.5 billion dollars. This year, we will definitely exceed the level of 42-43 billion dollars in bilateral trade. American companies made direct capital investments of 16.5 billion dollars in Türkiye, and an additional 60 billion dollars were invested over the years. Turkish investors in the USA also made direct investments of 14.5 billion dollars."
Bolat stated that Türkiye-US economic relations, in addition to trade, also include mutual investments, LNG imports, defense industry cooperation and aircraft purchases from companies such as Boeing and General Electric.
Stating that the foreign trade volume between the two countries is 100 billion dollars in the long term, Bolat stated that the level of 50 billion dollars can be easily reached in 2028.
"GO! GLOBAL will contribute to the establishment of permanent commercial relations"
Minister of Commerce Bolat stated that digital technologies, artificial intelligence, fintech, software and cyber security will make a significant contribution to Türkiye's economic goals, and explained that these sectors hold great opportunities not only for technology companies but also for manufacturers, service providers, exporters and investors.
Reminding that a technical dialogue has been carried out between Turkey and the USA in the field of digital economy since 2019, Bolat stated that the studies carried out on data, blockchain, artificial intelligence, 5G and cyber security will strengthen the cooperation between the companies and entrepreneurs of the two countries.
GO! Pointing out the importance of GLOBAL, Bolat made the following evaluations:
"GO! GLOBAL Turkey Summit will contribute to the establishment of permanent commercial relations between Turkish and American entrepreneurs, investors and companies. I invite Turkish and American companies to evaluate all these opportunities, exchange ideas and establish new partnerships. We believe that close cooperation in technology and digital trade will take the economic relations between these two friendly countries to much higher levels."
"More than 50 international fund investors and managers came here"
Minister of Commerce Bolat, in his statement to the press after his speech, stated that they support the summit and said, "The event is a great organization that brings together successful young entrepreneurs, startups and international fund holders in the field of digital technology in Türkiye with investors and opens the door to greater developments by making them partners." he said.
Stating that there are more than 100 startups and digital companies waiting for investment here, Bolat concluded his speech as follows:
"More than 50 international fund investors and managers came here. New partnerships and capital mergers will emerge on the occasion of this summit. As the government, we explain our innovations, developments, projects and programs in this field to both fund managers, investors and startups, and express that we are on their side. We tell them about Türkiye's successes, its increasing size and role in the world economy. Our goal is to strengthen the entrepreneurs in Türkiye and to attract international investors to Türkiye."
