In his evaluation to the AA correspondent, Zübeyiroğlu stated that there is a strong customer base for financial technologies in Turkey and pointed out that, according to BKM, 81 percent of in-store card payment transactions were made contactless in August 2026.
Pointing out that BKM's data is very important, Zübeyiroğlu said, "The fact that people use new payment methods so widely is an important advantage for companies developing products in Türkiye. I think this experience can find more response abroad, but there is a more selective market on the investment side. The 103.1 billion dollars announced by KPMG is the total fintech investment in the first half of 2026. 31.5 billion dollars of this is venture capital, large acquisitions are also included in the total figure. Therefore, the sector "Increasing the money coming in does not mean that every enterprise will find investment more easily." he said.
Zübeyiroğlu pointed out that it is important for a startup that has gained customers in Turkey to be able to sell the same product abroad, and stated that they can start negotiating with the target customer without waiting for investment.
Stating that a payment solution that facilitates cross-border collection or a technology that provides research services to portfolio management companies can find customers in other countries, Zübeyiroğlu said, "However, translating the product into another language will not be enough. That country's legislation, data usage conditions and local partners are as important as the product. I also find it necessary for startups to select a certain customer group and calculate the sales cost from the beginning. The needs of a brokerage firm and the needs of a small exporting business are different. One of the most powerful things you can show to the investor is the customer who uses your product regularly and pays for it. As you grow, you also need to know the cost of serving each new customer.” he said.
"Financial institutions that know their customers well and can use the data they have have an advantage."
Touching on where the profits created by artificial intelligence will go, Zübeyiroğlu, Founding Partner of Istanbul Fintech Week, said that he does not think that the profits will go to a single group, but he does not expect it to be distributed fairly on its own.
Zübeyiroğlu said, "Financial institutions that know their customers well and can use the data they have have an advantage. Technology companies will also earn income from models and infrastructure services. I think small technology companies that know a particular financial business well can also find a place for themselves." he said.
Reminding that McKinsey's 2023 study estimated the annual economic value that productive artificial intelligence could create in banking to be between 200-340 billion dollars, Zübeyiroğlu stated that reaching this amount depends on the full implementation of the applications examined and that it should not be read as the earned income of the entire finance sector.
Zübeyiroğlu stated that portfolio management companies can use artificial intelligence to compare activity reports and evaluate the risk of the portfolio in different market conditions and continued as follows:
"Brokerage firms can allocate unusual orders and transactions for review more quickly. Payment companies, on the other hand, can reduce erroneously stopped transactions while improving fraud controls. Accelerating the research does not necessarily mean that the investment decision will be correct, experts need to check the results. Completing a job in less time may not mean that the total cost has decreased to the same extent. Payments for model and data services should also be taken into account. I look at how much of the savings is passed on to the customer. Lower transaction fees, research services that small investors can access and new skills of employees can ensure that this gain is shared. We will also discuss these issues at Istanbul Fintech Week. Daron Acemoğlu will discuss the future of artificial intelligence and finance in his keynote speech on October 6. I care to hear the economic consequences of this transformation from his perspective.
"As a fintech unicorn, I see artificial intelligence companies that grow by working with licensed financial institutions as strong candidates."
Demet Zübeyiroğlu emphasized that she sees artificial intelligence companies that grow by working with licensed financial institutions as strong candidates as the fintech unicorn of the future, and stated that payment and electronic money companies, startups that develop investment technologies and digital banks can also grow in this field.
Zübeyiroğlu said, "Let's think of a small business that sells products abroad. It follows the payment coming from its customer, calculates the transfer cost, and tries to understand when it can pay its supplier. It may be the customer of a service that matches invoices with account movements, detects delayed collections and shows the cash status. Artificial intelligence can facilitate these tasks, and payment and e-money institutions can also offer collection and transfer services within the scope of their authority. Digital banks, on the other hand, can develop their own services with such tools." he said.
Pointing out that, according to KPMG, the total value of fintech transactions related to artificial intelligence in the first half of 2026 reached 21.4 billion dollars, Zübeyiroğlu shared the information that this amount includes mergers and acquisitions as well as investments.
"My expectation from investors is to support startups in reaching foreign customers as well as capital."
Zübeyiroğlu drew attention to the steps that Türkiye should follow in order to become a regional center in fintech and underlined that it should first be made easier for startups to reach the first customer and then the capital they need to grow.
Stating that it is important for portfolio management companies, brokerage firms and payment institutions to be customers of startups as well as banks, Zübeyiroğlu said, "Successful pilot studies need to be turned into commercial contracts. The duration of the trial, purchasing criteria and who will make the decision should be discussed from the beginning. If a startup adapts its product for months but cannot make sales, it becomes difficult to grow. In addition to regulatory institutions providing clear, predictable processes, there are also areas where they can benefit from artificial intelligence in their own work. These include comparing reports from institutions, finding inconsistencies and determining the issues to be examined by audit teams." "It is possible for experts to devote more of their time to evaluation. The justification and responsibility for the decision should remain with the person." He made a statement.
Zübeyiroğlu stated that his expectation from investors is to support startups in reaching foreign customers as well as capital, and concluded his speech as follows:
"Sector organizations can make it easier for startups to meet with the right people in the target market. It is also important to allocate a budget for joint research with universities, and it takes time to train teams that know finance and software together. Entrepreneurs, on the other hand, should not try to assemble their financial records, partnership structures and data security when investment negotiations begin. We are bringing the parties together at Istanbul Fintech Week. On 5-7 October 2026, at Hilton Istanbul Maslak, we will cover these topics from investments to artificial intelligence, from capital markets to payments and digital banking, with international participants. "We will evaluate it. It is important for us that the discussions continue after the event. We want a product from Turkey to find customers in another country and for a financial institution to start working together with a startup that met here."
