FinTech Istanbul B2B Connect Summit 2025 was organized on May 22nd this year in cooperation with FinTech Istanbul and Oniki. During the event, FinTech Istanbul Co-Founder Prof. Dr. Selim Yazıcı had a short interview with Sophia Furber, Representative of New York-based Standard & Poor’s Global Inc. (S&P Global), which provides financial information and analysis services. Here are the highlights of that interview…
Selim Y.: Hi Sophia, welcome to Istanbul.
Sophia: Hello, thank you for having me.
Selim Y.: My pleasure. Please introduce yourself first.
Sophia: I’m a research analyst with a company called 451 research. So we’re a tech research house and we’re owned by S&P Global.
Selim Y.: S&P Global is I think interested in the Turkish uh fintech market. So, what do you think about the Turkish fintech market?
Sophia: It’s very dynamic. I think it’s interesting in that even if the economy has had some challenges, there are companies that have been able to scale and grow in what seems like a very resilient and sustainable way. I think for us that was very interesting. There’s a lot of innovation, a lot of energy, a lot of buzz. I think those are the things that are my first impressions of the market.
Selim Y.: So, I didn’t think that it’s your first time in İstanbul, right?
Sophia: No, I actually lived here for one year a long time ago. I was working with a company called “Oxford Business Group” uh just down the road from here.
Selim Y.: Okay, perfect. So, so how did you find the atmosphere here?
Sophia: It is buzzing. People have been so willing to talk to me. I don’t speak any Turkish apart from the most basic basic things. But I’ve had some great interactions with people. Um people have been happy to share contact details, connect me with their network as well. So, it’s been really good. Very friendly atmosphere.
Selim Y.: Perfect. So, as far as I know, you’re here to find some fintechs and to make some interviews, right?
Sophia: Absolutely. Yes. So, we started out writing some profiles on Turkish fintech companies that we think are interesting and impactful. So, we’ve written about CK already and now we’re looking to write about some other members of the fintech ecosystem, but we’re also looking to write a report on the Turkish fintech market which will be um yes to introduce uh English- speaking readers to uh this ecosystem.
Selim Y.: I think you will have some fruitful uh interviews with the Turkish fintech companies within the next two days maybe.
Sophia: Yeah, it’s an action-packed couple of days. We’re meeting a lot of people, met a lot of people already. There’s more to come tomorrow. I’m going all around the city. I’m going to be well acquainted with the traffic of Istanbul by the end of this. But yes, it’s uh hoping to speak to lots of people during my time here.
Selim Y.: So, I think you’re happy to be here uh in Fintech İstanbul.
Sophia: Yeah, 100% really happy to be here.
Selim Y.: Thanks for having us today with you. Thank you. Bye-bye.
Sophia: Thank you so much.
