ISTANBUL

Türkiye’s fintech, gaming, and artificial intelligence (AI) investments reached $211 million in the first half of the year for its startup ecosystem, according to the Startups.watch website, as the country’s young and tech-savvy population contributed to long-term opportunities for investors.

Some 91 investment rounds saw the Turkish fintech startup business receive $97.1 million, gaming $72.4 million and AI $12.6 million, data showed.

Baris Ozistek, CEO of Bogazici Ventures, told Anadolu that the video game sector continued a strong performance this half, coming to the fore as one of the most active markets in the world.

“The second half of the year will be more active but it’ll be hard to match last year’s investment volume,” he said. “Gaming and fintech sectors led the first half of this year but AI must take the lead in Türkiye, following global trends.”

Ozistek noted that Türkiye’s startup ecosystem is strong in gaming, fintech, retail, and defense, while AI, digital health, mobility, and industrial technology sectors are still in development, at the same time, sectors like biotechnology still require high financing and are lacking.

“Turkish startups is one of the top 10 in the EMEA (Europe, the Middle East, and Africa) region,” he said, noting that startup entrepreneurs should focus on transforming different sectors with AI.

Ali Karabey, co-founder of venture capital company, 212, told Anadolu that Türkiye’s entrepreneur ecosystem was strong this half despite global fluctuations, noting that fintech and AI stood out in the number of transactions, while the country’s gaming startups came to the fore in value.

“We expect investors to remain selective and focus on business models with stronger foundations in the remainder of the year,” he said. “We expect investments to continue in AI and fintech, while energy and climate-focused solutions will attract more attention.”

He noted that the $211 million startup investment volume is above figures in markets like Romania and Bulgaria but below Poland and Czechia, while the number of transactions elevated Türkiye to the top five in Central and Eastern Europe.

He added that the integration of AI is a key step to enhancing the competitiveness of startups as investor interest shifts toward AI-based solutions.