Gültepe: We Will Establish Türkiye as a Global Brand in E-Exports
The Istanbul Global E-Export Summit (IGEXX 2026), organized for the second time under the leadership of the Ministry of Trade, coordinated by the Türkiye Exporters Assembly (TİM), and in cooperation with the Electronic Commerce Operators Association (ETİD), commenced at the Haliç Congress Center under the theme “Beyond Borders.”
The Istanbul Global E-Export Summit (IGEXX 2026), organized under the leadership of the Ministry of Trade, coordinated by the Türkiye Exporters Assembly (TİM), and in cooperation with the Electronic Commerce Operators Association (ETİD), is being held at the Haliç Congress Center from 3 to 5 September.
The opening of the summit, held for the second time, was attended by Minister of Trade Prof. Dr. Ömer Bolat, TİM President Mustafa Gültepe, International Energy Agency President Dr. Fatih Birol, ETİD President Hakan Çevikoğlu, and prominent representatives of the business community.
Held under the theme “Beyond Borders,” IGEXX 2026 brings together 4,000 buyers from 60 countries, as well as leading players from the global e-commerce ecosystem, in Istanbul.
“We must combine our production strength with the power of market access”
Speaking at the opening of the summit, TİM President Mustafa Gültepe said that the strategic importance of e-exports in global trade continues to grow. Drawing attention to the way digitalization has accelerated companies' access to global markets, Gültepe said, “In the past, it took many years for a company to expand into international markets. Today, however, it is possible to sell products to virtually every corner of the world through the right platforms. We must therefore combine our production strength with the power of market access. I have full confidence in our country's production capabilities. We need to extend this strength to more markets and more consumers and generate greater added value. E-exports offer a highly significant opportunity in this regard.”
Emphasizing that e-exports would continue their rapid growth in the period ahead, Gültepe stated that Türkiye aims to be at the forefront of this transformation. Gültepe said, “A single product can turn a company into a brand, a company can turn an industry into a brand, and an industry can turn a country into a brand. Today, e-exports enable our manufacturers to undertake this journey far more rapidly and across a much broader geography. For this reason, I regard IGEXX, which is hosting 4,000 buyers from 60 countries, as a meeting point for our companies seeking to expand into global markets.”
“We are determined to increase the share of e-exports to 10 percent”
Pointing to the rapid expansion of Türkiye's digital trade capacity, Gültepe said that the country's e-commerce volume increased by 52.2 percent in 2025, surpassing TRY 4.5 trillion, while foreign exchange revenues generated from e-exports exceeded USD 5 billion.
Noting that Türkiye possesses far greater potential on the strength of its existing capacity, Gültepe said, “In the medium term, we are determined to increase the share of e-exports in our total exports to 10 percent. It is precisely in pursuit of this objective that we are bringing the global e-commerce ecosystem together in Istanbul. Today, 40 global marketplaces representing a total volume of USD 3 trillion are here in Istanbul.”
“See Türkiye not merely as a market, but as a partner”
Addressing global marketplaces and platform representatives, Gültepe also drew attention to Türkiye's robust production and export infrastructure. Stressing that Türkiye is a major manufacturing hub with exports worth USD 280 billion, Gültepe continued:
“With more than 160,000 companies and 27 sectors, we provide goods and services to more than 200 countries and regions. Our production base is ready, our exporters are ready, Türkiye is ready. See Türkiye not merely as a market, but as a partner. Our strength lies in production; yours lies in access. When we combine our strengths, we all stand to gain. I invite you to integrate more Turkish manufacturers into your global networks.”
“We will establish Türkiye as a global brand in e-exports”
Calling on exporters to take full advantage of the opportunities offered by IGEXX, Gültepe stated that the “Beyond Borders” theme powerfully reflects Türkiye's vision for e-exports.
Gültepe said, “We will transcend borders in access. We will transcend borders in branding. We will transcend borders in scale. Together, we will establish Türkiye as a global brand in e-exports.”
Gültepe thanked Minister of Trade Prof. Dr. Ömer Bolat and the Ministry of Trade for their leadership in organizing the summit, and also conveyed his appreciation to ETİD and ETİD President Hakan Çevikoğlu for their contributions.
E-Export Achievement Awards presented to their recipients
At the E-Export Achievement Awards held as part of IGEXX 2026, companies that distinguished themselves through their achievements in the field of e-exports were honored. The awards were presented by Minister of Trade Prof. Dr. Ömer Bolat, TİM Vice President Çetin Tecdelioğlu, and ETİD President Hakan Çevikoğlu.
During the program, Almir Organizasyon, Asır Group, Erve Tekstil, Evle Global, Gulsha, Has-Mob, Heep Mücevherat, Kayra Export, Lazika, Neda Trade, Pamuka, the Champ Global, Unit Uluslararası, Benasse, Dekor Sanat, and OMAC were presented with E-Export Achievement Awards.
As part of the summit, plaques of appreciation were also presented to IGEXX 2026 Diamond Partners Amazon Türkiye, Hepsiburada, Horoz Lojistik, and n11, as well as Strategic Partner Trendyol, in recognition of their contributions.
Following the presentation of the awards and plaques, Minister of Trade Prof. Dr. Ömer Bolat and TİM Vice President Çetin Tecdelioğlu visited the Ministry of Trade and TİM stand, where they received information on the activities being carried out.