Istanbul Fintech Week

What Istanbul Fintech Week does

Istanbul Fintech Week (IFW) is a privately organized annual fintech conference headquartered in Istanbul, Türkiye, founded in 2018. The event convenes C-suite executives, founders, policymakers, regulators, and senior practitioners across banking, payments, digital banking, Web3/blockchain, AI in finance, and digital asset tokenization. The 2026 edition, scheduled for 5–7 October 2026 at Hilton Istanbul Maslak, is positioned to host 17,000+ attendees from 62+ countries, 630+ speakers across 330+ sessions, with 100+ sponsoring brands. Programming is organized into five vertical summits (Payments, Digital Banking, Web3, AI in Finance, Stablecoins & Tokenization), supplemented by invitation-only VIP formats including the Leadership Forum and C-Suite Roundtables.

IFW operates as a pure conference and content business rather than a technology product company; there is no proprietary platform, software stack, or AI model disclosed. Revenue is generated through two principal streams: (1) tiered ticket sales processed via Eventbrite, including Early Bird discounts and the invitation-only Leadership Forum pass, and (2) corporate sponsorship packages sold across hierarchical tiers (Name, Black, Diamond, C-Suite, Silver, Strategic). The 2026 sponsorship roster features BEX Digital Wallet as Name Sponsor, Garanti BBVA at the Black tier, Akbank LAB/Troy/Türkiye İş Bankası at the Diamond tier, Collinson as C-Suite sponsor, and KPMG/MoneyPay/TurkNet at Silver, with TÖDEB as Strategic Partner and Hilton Istanbul Maslak as venue partner. Distribution runs through direct corporate sponsorship outreach, the Eventbrite e-commerce channel, and curated VIP invitation programs.

The firm also operates the "Pioneers of Digital Finance" awards program, co-organized with KPMG Türkiye since its inaugural 2023 ceremony and held annually through 2026. The awards function as both an industry positioning asset and a recurring engagement mechanism with major Turkish financial institutions and regulators. The company is led by co-founder Demet Zübeyiroğlu and operates with approximately 8 employees, indicating a lean operational structure relative to the scale of the event it produces.

Name

Istanbul Fintech Week

Legal name

Istanbul Fintech Week

Website

https://istanbulfintechweek.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Istanbul Fintech Week is a privately organized annual fintech conference based in Istanbul, Türkiye, convening 17,000+ attendees, 630+ speakers, and 100+ sponsors across five summits covering payments, digital banking, Web3, AI, and tokenization, with revenue from ticket sales and corporate sponsorships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industry Conferences and Events

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)

akta.pro primary industry

Finance & Investment Conferences (MPAGAGAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sponsorship, Exhibitor & Partnership Management Services (THAHACAK)

Keywords

• Fintech conferences
• Banking summits
• Payments summits
• Digital banking events
• Blockchain conferences

Headquarters

HQ city

Istanbul

HQ country

Türkiye

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: The company generates revenue through the sale of event tickets and passes to attendees. Tickets are sold through Eventbrite as the payment processor. Various pass tiers exist including Early Bird passes and VIP Leadership Forum access.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Revenue is generated through sponsorship packages at various tiers including Name Sponsor (BEX Digital Wallet), Black Sponsor (Garanti BBVA), Diamond Sponsors (Akbank LAB, Troy, Türkiye İş Bankası), C-Suite Sponsor (Collinson), Silver Sponsors (KPMG, MoneyPay, TurkNet), and Strategic Partners (TÖDEB).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Istanbul Fintech Week organizes and hosts a multi-day annual fintech conference in Istanbul, featuring five thematic summits (Payments, Digital Banking, Web3, AI in Finance, Stablecoins and Tokenization), VIP executive experiences including the Leadership Forum and C-Suite Roundtables, and the Pioneers of Digital Finance Awards program co-organized with KPMG Türkiye. The event generates revenue through attendee ticket sales via Eventbrite and tiered corporate sponsorship packages sold to financial institutions, payment companies, and technology firms.

Product overview

Istanbul Fintech Week is a fintech conference event platform offering a multi-day global fintech experience. The portfolio consists of five core summit programs (Payments Summit, Digital Banking Summit, Web3 Summit, AI in Finance Summit, and Stablecoins and Tokenization Stage), two VIP executive experiences (IFW Leadership Forum and C-Suite Roundtables), and the Pioneers of Digital Finance Awards program in partnership with KPMG Türkiye. The events feature expert panels, keynotes, workshops, and exclusive networking opportunities for banking, fintech, payments, and blockchain leaders.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Pioneers of Digital Finance: Award program powered by KPMG Türkiye, recognizing innovative and successful ventures in Türkiye's fintech ecosystem, established in partnership between KPMG Türkiye and İstanbul Fintech Week.

Products and services

• Payments Summit A summit addressing digital wallets, regulatory frameworks for real-time regional networks, smart orchestration platforms, embedded payments, and the intersection of payment rails with Web3 architecture. Targeted at payment service providers, digital wallet companies, payment networks, and banks focused on payments transformation.
• Digital Banking Summit A summit on composable banking, API-driven open ecosystems, next-generation open banking frameworks, human-free digital banking services, embedded finance, and modular customer-centric systems. Targeted at executives and decision-makers from digital banks, challenger banks, and traditional banks undergoing digital transformation.
• Web3 Summit A summit covering Centralized Finance maturation under regulations, Real-World Asset (RWA) tokenization, the intersection of Web3 with Artificial Intelligence, autonomous financial agents, and borderless Web3 payment rails. Targeted at blockchain companies, crypto exchanges, DeFi protocols, and Web3 infrastructure providers.
• AI in Finance Summit

Quantifiable outcome

• 17,000+ attendees expected at IFW 2026
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• BEX Digital WalletflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 October 2026BEX Digital Wallet is the Name Sponsor of Istanbul Fintech Week 2026, providing the powered-by branding for the event. As the primary sponsor, BEX Digital Wallet receives prominent visibility across all event materials, stages, and communications as the event's lead partner for financial innovation.
• Garanti BBVAcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 5 October 2026Black Sponsor of IFW 2026, representing one of Turkey's largest banks in the fintech and digital banking space. Garanti BBVA brings industry leadership and credibility to the event sponsorship.
• Akbank LABcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 5 October 2026Diamond Sponsor representing Akbank's innovation arm. Akbank LAB supports fintech innovation and startup ecosystems in Turkey.
• TroycoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 5 October 2026Diamond Sponsor and Turkey's domestic payment scheme brand. Troy operates the national card payment system in Turkey.
• Türkiye İş BankasıcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 5 October 2026Diamond Sponsor, Turkey's largest private bank with extensive fintech and digital banking initiatives.
• Collinson (Priority Pass)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 5 October 2026C-Suite Sponsor providing luxury travel and airport experiences. Collinson operates the Priority Pass airport lounge program globally.
• KPMG TürkiyecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 October 2026Silver Sponsor and partner for the Pioneers of Digital Finance Award Program. KPMG brings global fintech expertise and serves as co-awarding body for the annual fintech awards.
• MoneyPayminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 5 October 2026Silver Sponsor, a Turkish digital payment solutions provider.
• TurkNetminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 5 October 2026Silver Sponsor, a Turkish internet service provider.
• TÖDEB (Association of Payment and Electronic Money Institutions of Türkiye)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 October 2026Strategic Partner representing Turkey's payment and electronic money institutions. TÖDEB's involvement ensures regulatory and industry alignment for the event.
• Hilton İstanbul MaslakflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 October 2026Official Venue Partner providing the conference location for IFW 2026. Hilton İstanbul Maslak serves as both the event venue and accommodation partner, offering exclusive IFW room allocations for attendees.
• EventustacoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 5 October 2026Official Accommodation Partner managing the exclusive IFW room allocations at Hilton İstanbul Maslak. Eventusta handles reservation logistics for attendee accommodations.
• Çizgi AraştırmaminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 5 October 2026Supporter of IFW 2026, listed as a supporting organization.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Web Summit: Largest general-purpose tech conference (Lisbon, Rio, Qatar) with substantial fintech content. Comparable in scale and sponsor model, though broader in vertical focus than IFW.

Regional players

• Seamless Middle East: Large payments and fintech conference serving the MENA region. Comparable in scale and audience, with overlapping sponsor base (regional banks, payment schemes, fintechs).
• GITEX Fintech Surge: Fintech-focused track within GITEX Global in Dubai. Comparable as a regional fintech gathering with major sponsor and government backing serving MENA-Türkiye corridor.

Direct peers

• Paris Fintech Week: Regional European fintech conference with similar tiered sponsor structure and C-suite audience targeting. Most direct geographic and format comparable to Istanbul Fintech Week.
• Singapore Fintech Festival: Annual flagship fintech event organized by MAS / Global Finance & Technology Network. Directly comparable in scope (multi-summit, C-suite audience, government partnership, global sponsor base).
• PayExpo Europe: European payments-focused conference targeting banks, processors, and fintechs. Closely comparable in audience and content (payments, digital banking) to IFW's Payments and Digital Banking summits.
• Money 20/20 Europe: European edition of Money 20/20 held in Amsterdam. Directly comparable as a flagship fintech event competing for the same EMEA bank, payments, and Web3 sponsor budgets that IFW pursues.
• Money 20/20: The world's largest dedicated fintech conference series (Las Vegas, Singapore, Bangkok, Europe editions). Directly comparable as a tier-1 fintech event serving banks, payments, and Web3 leaders with sponsor-driven revenue model.
• Finnovex (Qorus): Global banking and fintech conference series organized by Qorus (formerly Efma). Comparable as an invite-driven, executive-focused fintech gathering with international bank sponsor base.
• Finovate (Informa): Long-running fintech conference and content portfolio owned by Informa, focused on banking, payments, and AI in finance. Closely comparable in audience and content tracks to IFW's Digital Banking and AI in Finance summits.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/istanbulfintechweek

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Istanbul Fintech Week