ISTANBUL 

Türkiye can be a global hub for blockchain and Web 3.0 technologies, a manager with Binance said Wednesday.

Binance TR’s General Manager, Mucahit Donmez, said the global digital currency exchange company decided on Istanbul for its Blockchain Week event in 2023.

The last edition was held in Paris in 2022 and the Istanbul iteration will be held Nov. 8 - 9.

Organizing the event in Istanbul is showing the importance given by Binance to Türkiye, said Donmez.

"Türkiye's young population, high cryptocurrency usage and rising innovation performance show that the country can become a followed country by others rather than a follower in blockchain.

"And the steps taken by the public and the importance given to blockchain technology show that the areas that will shape the future are not ignored and are a great gain for the sector," he said.

Touching on the country's importance for Binance, he said Türkiye is first among the top-five traffic sources for the company in the last three-month period.

Binance chief marketing officer Rachel Conlan said Blockchain Week is expected to host 3,000 users in Istanbul while 2.5 million people are expected to follow virtually.

Blockchain Week will convey an important message to the world about Türkiye's role in Web 3.0 and blockchain technologies, she said.