MKK General Manager Ekrem Arıkan discussed changes in the number of investors in the capital markets, initial public offerings, the crypto-asset market and the Central Securities Depositories Summit, which will be held in Istanbul.
Arıkan said the total market value of securities registered with MKK stood at approximately 29 trillion lira at the beginning of the year and had reached 38 trillion lira after rising by approximately 30 percent.
Arıkan said the number of registered investors had risen by 3 percent since the beginning of the year to exceed 39 million, adding that the figure was approaching 40 million. The number of registered accounts stands at 90 million, while the number of accounts with balances is between 15 million and 16 million.
Number of investors with balances approaches 13 million
Arıkan said the number of investors with balances, which stood at 10.64 million at the beginning of the year, had risen by 21.5 percent to approximately 13 million, adding that crypto-asset investors had also been included among the investors registered with MKK.
Arıkan said there were approximately 3.5 million investors with balances in the crypto-asset market, while the number of investors who had bought or sold assets at least once was around 5 million to 6 million. He said the total value of the market had reached approximately 172 billion lira and daily trading volume had reached between 15 billion and 20 billion lira, adding that more than 1,500 records in the system showed crypto assets in investors’ balances.
Arıkan said the Crypto-Asset Central Registration System operates by matching data between trading platforms and custodial institutions, adding that MKK plans to display investors’ crypto assets in its e-YATIRIMCI application.
Arıkan said 43 platforms were members of the Crypto-Asset Central Registration System and that between 20 and 30 of them were actively conducting trading transactions. He added that banks stood out among custodial institutions.
625 companies trade on Borsa İstanbul
Arıkan said the number of companies traded on the Borsa İstanbul Equity Market had reached 625, adding that 34 companies had begun trading on the exchange in the first eight months of the year.
Arıkan said the total market value of equities had reached 22.50 trillion lira. He added that approximately 9 trillion to 10 trillion lira of this amount represented the market value of publicly held and traded companies, while the remainder consisted of privately held companies. He said the number of equity investors was between 6.5 million and 7 million.
Arıkan said the number of investors with balances in investment funds had reached 6 million, adding that the market value of the funds was approaching 11 trillion lira.
Central securities depositories to meet in Istanbul
Arıkan said the Central Securities Depositories Summit was planned to take place at the Istanbul Financial Center from October 13 to 16, 2026. He added that members of the Asia-Pacific Central Securities Depositories Association, the Eurasian Central Securities Depositories Association and the Africa and Middle East Depositories Association would meet at the summit.
Arıkan said more than 70 member institutions from over 60 countries were expected to attend the summit and that approximately 200 senior executives would take part in the event. He added that the program included plans to sign a memorandum of understanding on establishing a joint depository within the Organization of Turkic States.
Arıkan said Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz would also attend the summit and that the signatures would be exchanged in his presence. He added that the institutional structure and secretariat of the World Forum of Central Securities Depositories were also intended to be established in Istanbul.
Data platform and artificial intelligence initiatives
Arıkan said MKK’s market data had been expanded and transferred to the Data Analysis Platform under the name MKK Market Screen. He added that the platform contained 225 data categories in Turkish and English. Data on market summaries, crypto assets, the equity market, debt instruments and investment funds are published on the platform.
Arıkan said the Capital Markets Board’s regulatory work was continuing and that MKK’s primary role in this process was to provide data and measure developments in the markets.
Arıkan said a pilot project was being conducted for an artificial intelligence-powered assistant within the company, adding that they planned to develop services for external use based on their experience in this field. He also said the data collected under the Investor Risk Monitoring System included in the Medium-Term Program could be used with the support of artificial intelligence.
Arıkan said the Central Document Management System had been launched for account-opening procedures by investors residing abroad in the capital markets, adding that the system was an important step for foreign investors.
