Ripple executive says the company is "very bullish on Türkiye"

Ripple’s senior executive for the Middle East and Africa has said the blockchain payments company is “extremely bullish on Türkiye”, describing the country as one of the global leaders in cryptocurrency adoption. Reece Merrick, Ripple’s managing director for the Middle East and Africa, made the remarks in a post on X, pointing to data he described as compelling.

“Türkiye leads crypto adoption in the MENA region and ranks among the highest globally,” he wrote. Citing statistics, he said about 25.6% of Türkiye’s population currently owns cryptocurrency, rising to 52% among adults aged 18 to 60. In January, Ripple extended its custody partnership with Garanti BBVA Kripto — the digital-asset arm of one of Türkiye’s largest private banks — to provide institutional-grade custody services for XRP, Bitcoin and Ethereum.

Türkiye’s regulatory framework has also evolved: the Capital Markets Board has introduced new licensing, capital adequacy and asset custody requirements for crypto service providers, with implementation completed by 2025.