Efficiency and Technology Fair, one of Turkey’s leading technology events, took place at Ankara ATO Congresium Exhibition Center between February 8-10. Organized for the 6th time, the Productivity and Technology Fair brought together smart solution technologies covering many sectors such as defense, informatics, industry, education, energy, agriculture, communication, health and transportation. The fair offered important opportunities for local and foreign companies to establish close relations, create new project opportunities, expand their product range and increase cooperation.
Since 2015, Roofstacks, which has been developing technology in the fields of tourism, fintech, blockchain, gaming and metaverse and is on its way to becoming a pioneer in Turkey and the geography with its innovative approach, provided unforgettable moments to the guests with its experience area booth at the event, and hosted 2 important panels where it brought together opinion leaders in Turkey and on a global scale.
New Perspectives in Blockchain Technologies
In the two panels organized within the scope of the event, valuable participants made evaluations in many dimensions, from the future of blockchain technology to regulations and steps to be taken on a sectoral basis.
The first panel on “Blockchain Technologies: Ethical Responsibility and Regulatory Perspectives” was moderated by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Oğuz Güner, Head of the Public Diplomacy Department of the Presidential Communications Directorate. Panelists included Prof. Dr. Sayım Yorgun, Lecturer at the Department of Labor Economics and Industrial Relations, Faculty of Economics, Istanbul University, Lawyer Esra Soylu, Board Member of Roofstacks, and Altan Taşkıran, Deputy General Manager (Retail and Digital Banking) at Halkbank.
Highlights of the panel:
Prof. Dr. Sayım Yorgun “Blockchain’ is not only a financial technology, it also has the potential to increase efficiency and speed in areas such as real estate, agriculture, social life and working systems. With the 19th century mind, 20th century institutions, we are trying to take action to understand and use the technology of the 21st century, and when we fill the gaps in this flow, we will be able to truly understand and start using blockchain technology.”
Altan Taşkıran, Deputy General Manager of Halkbank, said that blockchain technology will always be a supporter of financial solutions, just as digitalization was in the past, and stated that today, approximately 95 percent of banking transactions are made with digital banking and that it will not be possible to escape from blockchain technology just as we could not escape mobile technology.
Taşkıran stated that as Halkbank, they do not shy away from blockchain technology, on the contrary, they see it as a faster, cheaper and safer technology; He emphasized that they consider blockchain as an opportunity, not a threat.
Another point that stood out in Taşkıran’s valuable speech was that Halkbank has taken steps with the awareness that the storage of crypto assets is the most important point and that financial institutions will play an important role in this regard.
Taşkıran also touched on the issue of regulations, one of the important issues of the last period; He stated that regulations develop after technology and that the regulations for blockchain technology should be facilitating and providing an element of trust.
RoofStacks Board Member Attorney Esra Soylu talked about the legal basis and liability framework of the digital person and stated that blockchain technology is a transformative technology that requires more cooperation and consensus at the level of governments and companies around the world.
Emphasizing that Turkey is the first in Europe and in the top five in the world with an annual cryptocurrency transaction volume of more than 170 billion dollars and that it is both an important producer and an important customer for Europe with more than 18 million users; she stated that Turkey should pioneer international standardization rules and create this framework with this important potential.
Esra Soylu also touched upon the issue of regulation, stating that regulations should not restrict innovation, but rather support it, and emphasized the importance of adopting an appropriate regulatory approach so that users can experience new technologies safely.
The Future of Blockchain
Moderated by GoArt CSO İlker Selim Zorluoğlu, the second panel titled“Blockchain: Markets, Innovations, Futures“, which was moderated by Mr. İlk Selim Zorluoğlu, GoArt CSO. Among the speakers of the panel; Princeville Capital Partner Anthony Doeh, Islamic Coin CEO and Founder Mohammed AlKaff AlHashmi, Kelsier Group President and Co-Founder Dr. Tom Davis took part. The panel discussed many developments in Web3 and DeFi, NFTs and the rise of the Metaverse.
Dr. Tom Davis spoke about the evolution of Web3 technologies, specifically how Web3 technologies such as blockchain, DeFi and NFTs have radically changed the concept of community. Thanks to these technologies, communities can now have a say in decentralized projects, directly influence their investments and take active roles in the management of projects. Davis stated that these technologies create a more participatory and interactive structure by giving community members a sense of authenticity, ownership and participation.
Mohammed AlKaff AlHashmi, CEO and Founder of Islamic Coin: “Blockchain technology aligns with the fundamental principles of finance, strengthening the standards of transparency and fair transactions, which will enable Islamic finance to reach a wider audience and gain acceptance.”
Anthony Doeh, Partner at Princeville Capital: “New blockchain technologies are changing the world of finance by enabling companies and investors to transact faster and with less overhead. In the sports industry, blockchain has the potential to make everything from tickets to fan merchandise more secure and transparent.”
İlker Selim Zorluoğlu, CSO of GoArt: “Blockchain technology can be used not only to transfer money, but also to securely record everything from artworks to house sales. In the future, thanks to blockchain, the things we own will have a value in the digital world and this will make buying and selling much easier.”
Roofstacks, which provides speed, efficiency and cost advantages to its business partners with its investments in software and new technologies, will continue to transfer its knowledge and experience to the sector.