Foreign Investor Activities in Türkiye: Manufacturing, Startups, and Market Dynamics
In recent years, Türkiye has become a strategic hub for foreign investors, attracting sustained interest in energy, technology, and fintech sectors. Throughout the 2024–2025 period, international investors have actively directed capital toward both traditional manufacturing facilities and software-driven solutions, strengthening Türkiye’s role as a bridge between Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.
Foreign Investor Movement on Borsa İstanbul
Between late 2024 and early 2025, Borsa İstanbul witnessed significant rises in foreign investor ownership across several major companies. Borsa İstanbul reported that Türk Telekom experienced the most notable increase, with foreign holdings climbing from 16.46% to 26.22% of its publicly traded shares.
Additional notable increases were observed in:
- Koç Holding: from 62.54% to 65.26%
- Akfen Renewable Energy: from 20.69% to 28.99%
- Mavi Giyim: from 42.24% to 45.35%
Among all companies listed on the BIST All Index, Altınyunus Çeşme recorded the largest relative rise in foreign share ownership, soaring from 6.73% to 19.38%.
New Investments and Türkiye’s Startup Ecosystem
In the first quarter of 2025, Türkiye attracted foreign investment totaling 70.2 million USD across 59 transactions—an impressive increase from 43.1 million USD during the same period of the previous year. This growth underscores Türkiye’s evolving potential as a dynamic innovation and technology hub in the region.
Key Foreign-Funded Ventures
Technology and Gaming
- Good Job Games: received 23 million USD in early-stage funding from US-based Menlo Ventures to support global expansion.
- Surpass Games: secured 1.5 million USD in seed funding from Netherlands-based Laton Ventures for new game development.
Fintech and Banking Technologies
- Fimple: the modular core banking platform raised 12 million USD in a round led by UK-based DN Capital, aiming to expand into MENA and CIS markets.
- TeamSec: specializing in securitization solutions, it obtained 7.6 million USD from Deniz Ventures, Rasmal Ventures, and Emirates NBD to enhance AI- and data-driven financial tools.
Enterprise Software
- Netcad: a SaaS enterprise software provider, raised 10 million USD from domestic and regional investors and is preparing for an upcoming IPO.
Health Technologies
- Albert Health: raised 1.5 million USD in seed funding from Sabancı Ventures, İş Bankası Artificial Intelligence Factory, and other partners to scale its AI-based health management platform.
Insights for Entrepreneurs
Foreign investors in Türkiye are increasingly drawn to companies with high technological value, scalable business models, and potential for regional or global expansion. The fintech, gaming, and enterprise software industries are particularly favored due to their strong innovation capacity and cross-market scalability.
For entrepreneurs and startups entering the Turkish market, focusing on technology-driven, export-ready business models may significantly improve funding prospects. Moreover, Türkiye’s strategic access to MENA and CIS markets continues to position the country as a preferred investment destination for international capital.
