The first quarter of 2025 was a dynamic and transformation-oriented period for the fintech industry in Türkiye. Strong growth was observed in digital payment methods, digital banking processes and alternative financing solutions. In this process, regulatory innovations, economic stabilization steps and technological developments stood out as the main factors shaping the sector. 

Digital Payment Methods and Banking Processes 

The fact that card payments exceeded 130 billion TL, especially during the Ramadan Feast period, is an indicator of the strong demand for digital payment systems. Peer-to-peer (P2P) loan platforms, which provide an alternative payment option, continue to offer more accessible financing options by overcoming the limitations of traditional banking. 

Crypto Asset Regulations 

On the crypto asset side, which is expected to bring a breath of fresh air to payment solutions and digital money processes, the new regulations of the Capital Markets Board, which entered into force in February 2025, increased transparency and trust in the market by putting crypto asset service providers under supervision. 

Insurtech and Artificial Intelligence 

Interest in digital banking services continued to grow in the first quarter of 2025, driven by a young, tech-savvy population and increasing internet access. On the Insurtech side, which is in the process of change simultaneously with the digitalization of banking, companies that offer personalized policies with the prioritization of the use of artificial intelligence and large data are experiencing a new revolution in the insurance sector. 

Global Economic Factors and Cyber Security 

Globally, rising interest rates and inflation affect consumer spending and investment appetite, leading to uncertainties in the sector. Another topic that affects the consumer seems to be cyber security risks. Especially with the rise of artificial intelligence and quantum computing, cyber threats in financial transactions have increased. Artificial intelligence-assisted attacks and the potential of quantum computers to overcome existing encryption methods make it imperative to strengthen security and data privacy measures in the sector. 

Expectations for the Next Quarter 

With these insights from the first quarter of the year, I can summarize my expectations for the upcoming period as follows: In the later periods of 2025, we expect transformation processes in authentication technologies and open banking API ecosystems, especially in addition to artificial intelligence assisted systems. In this period, AI-based fintech initiatives will continue to innovate in areas ranging from revenue forecasting to debt management, and will continue their efforts to improve customer experience by increasing operational efficiency. In regulatory technologies that will contribute to the development of more effective practices in the areas of risk management, customer service and fraud detection, we think that the digitalization of AML and KYC / KYB processes will increase the operational efficiency of fintech companies while facilitating the audits of rule makers. 

On the other hand, digital wallets and open banking applications will redefine the user experience and business models of businesses. Open banking applications and centralized API platforms are expected to transform significantly in the coming period to make financial services more transparent and accessible. This trend improves the customer experience and adds value to fintech firms as new business models. However, environmentally friendly payment methods and green finance initiatives remain a priority agenda for both consumers and businesses. 

In addition to these developments, it is worth noting that the second phase of the Digital Turkish Lira Project will provide significant transformations in areas such as digital currency system, digital identity integration, mobile applications and offline payments. 

Architecht's Fintech Journey 

The fintech sector is expected to continue its growth in 2025 with rapidly changing digitalization dynamics and technological innovations. In this process, we will continue to provide services to the finance sector in Türkiye and abroad with the domestic and national software we have developed as Architecht. We will continue our journey in the sector with innovative and strong steps with our new AI-assisted projects such as OBA Suite, our AI-assisted microservices-based software development platform; AppWys, our digital application platform; PowerFactor, our authentication and mobile application security solution; Airapi, our open banking product; BOACard Payment Technologies Platform, which offers an end-to-end payment experience; and AIGent Suite.