Istanbul, Türkiye – July 2025 – Leading Crypto Marketing, PR & Events agency, EAK Digital, successfully hosted the fourth and biggest edition of its flagship event, Istanbul Blockchain Week.
Held on June 26-27, 2025 at the Hilton Istanbul Bomonti Hotel, the two-day event brought together thousands of global Web3 leaders for high-level discussions, major announcements, and networking – cementing Türkiye’s rising role in the future of blockchain innovation.
From keynote sessions and panel discussions to roundtables and workshops, this year’s edition was packed with proactive engagement and meaningful dialogue on topics such as stablecoins, real world assets, exchanges, investments, AI Agents, gaming, regulations, and more.
Key speakers included Mehmet Çamır, Chairman at OKX TR, Justin Sun, CEO of Tron, Daniele Sestagalli, CEO of HeyAnon and WAGMI, Onur Güven, CEO of Garanti BBVA Digital Assets, John Linden, CEO of Mythical Games, Aaron Teng, CEO of Igloo Asia (Pudgy Penguins), Marco Dal Lago, VP of Global Expansion at Tether, among others.
Executives from well-known venture capital firms, founders of blockchain startups, legal experts on cryptocurrency regulations, developers and influencers were also present.
Commenting on the event, Erhan Korhaliller, CEO of EAK Digital and founder of Istanbul Blockchain Week, said:
“By bringing together a global community of thousands of builders and innovators shaping the future of Web3, Istanbul Blockchain Week 2025 created a truly unforgettable experience. The two-day event showcased how the ecosystem is not just growing, but also maturing with purpose. We are proud to have created a platform that delivers real impact and signals the next wave of technological innovation.
“This was the fourth and biggest edition of Istanbul Blockchain Week yet, featuring many new additions compared to previous years, including DefaiCon Istanbul, the RWA Builders Summit and an innovative take on the OG Web3 event BlockDown Festival that introduced an AI-Agent led music experience.”
(Erhan Korhaliller, CEO of EAK Digital and founder of Istanbul Blockchain Week, delivers the welcome speech, formally commencing the event)
Highlights from the event
Justin Sun outlined Tron’s global leadership in stablecoin infrastructure, along with major developments in compliance, institutional partnerships, and real-world adoption, particularly in Türkiye.
Mehmet Çamır, Chairman at OKX TR, highlighted the growing importance of regulation in emerging markets such as Türkiye where there are currently about 14 million retail clients investing in cryptocurrencies.
Ali İhsan Güngör, Executive Vice Chairman of the Capital Markets Board of Türkiye (Sermaye Piyasası Kurulu), announced the upcoming e-investor platform, integrated with MKK (Central Registry Agency), which will enable investors to query their crypto asset holdings across multiple regulated institutions via e-Government, ensuring greater legal security and providing regulators with clear data.
Güngör also clarified that NFTs are outside the scope of capital market regulations. Platforms offering NFT services must clearly inform customers that NFTs are unregulated and offer them in a separate market.
Christian Thompson, Managing Director at Sui Foundation announced a boot camp effort for the first time at Istanbul Blockchain Week, aimed at educating 2,000 to 4,000 developers in Türkiye over the next 12 to 18 months.
“I feel Türkiye in particular breeds a lot of engineers and they are good. There is a lot of innovation that happens on the entrepreneurial side. There are clearly a bunch of investors that are here as well. Most of those developers are Web2. And candidly, we need them in Web3,” said Thompson.
Commenting on the Turkish market and Istanbul Blockchain Week, John Linden, CEO of Mythical Games, said:
“The Turkish market is becoming a powerhouse in gaming in general. There are some really strong companies coming up here. We have a new FIFA game and the Turkish market is quite strong for that too. There are mobile game fans, and a few football fans out here. So it is a green market.
“At Istanbul Blockchain Week, the energy is high. It is packed. It is really well done. The stage is gorgeous. We are very happy to be part of it.”
Kostas Chalkias, Co-founder and Chief Cryptographer at Mysten Labs showcased new use cases such as misinformation detection, AI-powered smart contract auditing, and blockchain-verified identity systems, that are at the intersection of AI and blockchain.
Daniele Sestagalli, CEO of HeyAnon and WAGMI, presented how HeyAnon – an AI agent for DeFi automation disrupts the traditional ways in which people interact with decentralised ecosystems, empowering users to execute complex DeFi strategies.
Daniele elaborated on HUD, an AI-powered trading assistant that is designed to deliver real-time wallet behavior insights, automated technical analysis, entry and exit strategies based on user context. He emphasised a core principle of AI: to make life easier with seamless AI and human interaction that does not force users to switch softwares.
DefaiCon Istanbul that explored the convergence of DeFi and autonomous AI agents was headlined by Daniele.
Discussions on intelligent agent networks and next-gen DeFi protocols were led by prominent industry experts such as Vader, Founder of Vader AI, Michael Heinrich, Co-founder and CEO of 0G Labs, Alberto Fernandez, Ecosystem and Partnerships Manager at Qubic, to name a few.
Exploring the frontier of Web3 and AI innovation
BlockDown Festival, the world’s first AI-Agent led festival in collaboration with Pudgy Penguins, kicked off Istanbul Blockchain Week by concluding its first day with an unforgettable opening party.
The festival introduced interactive AI elements, showcased Web3 culture, and featured world-class DJs exploring the intersection of technology, music, and digital culture.
Dealflow Den, the flagship investment matchmaking event of Istanbul Blockchain Week, attracted top-tier venture capital firms such as Coinbase Ventures, Big Brain Holdings, Animoca Brands, Sigma Fund, NewTribe Capital, and more. Selected startups participated in an exclusive pitch session on June 27, while founders engaged in networking opportunities, including 1:1 meetings and VC After Hours.
The RWA Builders Summit, held on June 27, examined key topics such as intellectual property, tokenized gold and precious metals, RWAs institutional future, stablecoins, and real estate. Panels and talks on stage revealed a clear direction: with growing infrastructure and rising market demand, RWAs are set to unlock unprecedented liquidity and broaden investor access.
Aaron Teng, CEO of Igloo Asia (Pudgy Penguins), Herman Narula, CEO of Improbable and Co-Founder of Somnia, John Linden, CEO of Mythical Games, and Garen Mehrabian, Co-Founder and COO of Public Masterpiece examined IP and RWA ownership in Web3.
Teng emphasized that the core promise of crypto is true ownership. The panelists addressed the importance of practical utility of IPs, community, distribution and digital identity beyond mere tokenization.
What’s next?
Get ready for Istanbul Blockchain Week 2026 – set to return even bigger than ever next year.
Expect more groundbreaking innovations, exclusive networking opportunities, and immersive experiences that continue to push the boundaries of Web3. Stay tuned to the official social channels for the latest updates and announcements about the upcoming edition!
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