Crypto investors in Türkiye are broadening their portfolios
The seventh edition of Paribu's Crypto Awareness and Perception Survey is out. The survey measures awareness and perception of crypto assets in Türkiye and explores people's expectations and motivations.
Share of people trading crypto
37%
It was 1% in 2020
2026 base: all participants; previous years: those who have heard of crypto.
- 2020: 1%
- 2021: 8%
- 2022: 13%
- 2023: 25%
- 2024: 27%
- 2025: 31%
- 2026: 37%
Summary
Fieldwork began on July 1, the day Bitcoin hit its lowest level of 2026. The Paribu Fear and Greed Index had spent most of the first half of the year in extreme fear. The results show that crypto investors did not pull out of the market during this period; instead, they broadened their portfolios. The role of AI in investment decisions is also becoming more visible.
Chapters
- 01AdoptionThe share of people trading crypto rises every year
- 02PortfolioCrypto investors spread their portfolios across multiple instruments
- 03Bitcoin and othersBitcoin overtook “virtual money” for the first time as the crypto basket grew
- 04PlatformOne in two cares whether a platform is local or foreign
- 05Artificial intelligenceAI extends from research to investment decisions
The share of people trading crypto rises every year
The survey shows that trust in crypto goes hand in hand with growing adoption.
71%
Crypto traders who find crypto transactions easy
The share of people trading crypto has risen every year since the first survey in 2020, when it stood at 1%. Up from 31% last year, it reached 37% this year. The share of people who have never traded crypto fell from 69% to 63%. 71% of traders find crypto transactions easy, rising to 94% among daily traders.
Base: 740 traders
46%
See crypto as a trustworthy investment
Trust in crypto is on the rise
Among all participants, the share who see crypto as a trustworthy investment rose from 42% to 46%. It is 76% among traders and 91% among daily traders. Among non-traders, the share who cite lack of trust as a barrier fell from 47% to 42%.
How much do you trust each of the investment instruments below? (Trust + Strongly trust)
- Gold: 2026 91%, 2025 91%
- Foreign currency: 2026 81%, 2025 77%
- Real estate: 2026 78%, 2025 77%
- Private pension system: 2026 53%, 2025 49%
- Deposit interest: 2026 50%, 2025 48%
- Crypto: 2026 46%, 2025 42%
- Stocks / mutual funds: 2026 37%, 2025 35%
- Bonds / bills: 2026 24%, 2025 22%
Base: 2026: 1,999 all participants; 2025: 2,000 who have heard of crypto
Crypto investors spread their portfolios across multiple instruments
The data points to an investor profile that manages crypto alongside other instruments and rebalances according to market conditions.
69%
Crypto-trading investors who prefer crypto
Crypto ranks third among investment preferences and first among traders
Gold is investors' first choice at 57%, followed by foreign currency at 36% and crypto at 33%. Among crypto traders, crypto is the top choice at 69%. 60% of crypto-trading investors chose crypto as their primary investment over the past year. On the other hand, 44% of traders see high price volatility as crypto's biggest drawback, down from 52% last year.
Which of the following investment / savings instruments do you prefer?
- Crypto: Traders 69%, All investors 33%
- Gold: Traders 56%, All investors 57%
- Foreign currency: Traders 31%, All investors 36%
- Stocks / mutual funds: Traders 27%, All investors 19%
- Deposit interest: Traders 20%, All investors 14%
- Real estate: Traders 16%, All investors 12%
- Private pension system: Traders 15%, All investors 15%
- Bonds / bills: Traders 7%, All investors 6%
Base: 1,344 investors / 652 investors who trade crypto
56%
Moved crypto holdings into another instrument in the past year
More than half of crypto investors rebalanced their portfolios in the past year
56% of crypto-trading investors moved part of their crypto holdings into another instrument in the past year. Gold came first at 26%, followed by stocks at 19% and Turkish lira deposits at 9%. Of those who moved funds, 47% cite the downtrend, uncertainty and volatility in the market, and 38% cite profit-taking.
In the past year, have you moved your crypto investments into another investment instrument?
- To gold26%
- To stocks19%
- To TRY deposits9%
- To foreign currency2%
- Did not move44%
Base: 652 investors who trade crypto; reasons: 366 who moved funds
2.7
Average number of investment instruments held by crypto investors
Crypto investors use 2.7 investment instruments on average
For investors who do not trade crypto, the figure is 1.5. Only 10% of investors who prefer crypto invest in crypto alone. 57% also prefer gold, 32% foreign currency and 27% stocks and mutual funds. Traders turn to crypto with 2.8 different motivations on average. Only 7% trade solely in expectation of returns.
Base: 448 investors who prefer crypto / 692 investors who do not trade crypto
Bitcoin overtook “virtual money” for the first time, and the crypto basket grew
This broadening of the crypto basket moves in step with the broadening of portfolios overall.
30%
Think of Bitcoin first when they hear “crypto”
When people hear “crypto”, Bitcoin comes to mind first
The share of people who think of Bitcoin first when they hear “crypto” rose from 25% to 30%, putting Bitcoin ahead of “virtual/digital money” for the first time. 99.5% of participants know Bitcoin. 7 in 10 crypto traders trade Bitcoin. 59% of Bitcoin traders hold it as an investment, compared with 48% for Ethereum, 33% for Dogecoin and 28% for Shiba Inu.
What first comes to mind when you hear “crypto”?
- 2023: Bitcoin 24%, Virtual / digital money 30%
- 2024: Bitcoin 20%, Virtual / digital money 28%
- 2025: Bitcoin 25%, Virtual / digital money 29%
- 2026: Bitcoin 30%, Virtual / digital money 25%
Base: 2026: 1,999 all participants; previous years: those who have heard of crypto
32%
Trade three or more crypto assets
One in three traders trades three or more crypto assets
32% of traders trade three or more crypto assets. Over the past year, the share trading Solana rose from 11% to 18%, Shiba Inu from 11% to 16% and USDC from 6% to 13%. Awareness of stablecoins also grew: USDT 31%, USDC 26%.
Which of the following cryptocurrencies have you traded before?
- BTC: 2026 71%, 2025 70%
- ETH: 2026 32%, 2025 31%
- DOGE: 2026 23%, 2025 21%
- SOL: 2026 18%, 2025 11%
- SHIB: 2026 16%, 2025 11%
- ADA: 2026 13%, 2025 12%
- USDC: 2026 13%, 2025 6%
- PEPE: 2026 13%, 2025 10%
Base: 2026: 740 traders; 2025: 617 traders
One in two cares whether a platform is local or foreign
50%
Consider it important whether a platform is local or foreign
The share of people who consider it important whether a platform is local or foreign rose from 40% to 50%. Three in four of them prefer local platforms, rising to 85% among traders. The expectation of fast and easy transactions rose from last year's 44% to 57%, followed by low fees at 54% and security at 53%.
How important is it to you whether the crypto platform you trade on is Turkish or foreign? (Very important + Important)
- 2023: Consider it important 54%
- 2024: Consider it important 46%
- 2025: Consider it important 40%
- 2026: Consider it important 50%
Base: 2026: 1,999 all participants; previous years: those who have heard of crypto
AI extends from research to investment decisions
53%
Traders who often or always use AI in investment decisions
More than half of traders use AI in their investment decisions
53% of traders often or always use AI in their investment decisions, rising to 87% among daily traders. 43% of traders say they could let an AI assistant manage their crypto portfolio. One in three people who research crypto turn to AI.
How often do you use AI in your investment decisions?
- All participants: Never 19%, Rarely 8%, Sometimes 30%, Often 27%, Always 16%
- Traders: Never 16%, Rarely 7%, Sometimes 24%, Often 28%, Always 25%
Base: 1,999 all participants / 740 traders
About the survey
The Crypto Awareness and Perception Survey is conducted by Paribu in collaboration with FutureBright Group to measure awareness and perception of crypto assets in Türkiye and to identify expectations and motivations. Run every year since 2020, the survey was published for the seventh time in 2026.
Fieldwork was carried out in July–August 2026 with 1,999 people aged 18–55 from the AB, C1 and C2 socioeconomic groups across 12 regions representing Türkiye (NUTS-1). The margin of error is ±2.2 at a 95% confidence level. The crypto trader subsample is 740 people, with a margin of error of ±3.6.
This year, data was collected through an online survey instead of face-to-face interviews.
Previous surveys
Access all surveys.
- 2026Crypto investors in Türkiye are broadening their portfolios2026 report(PDF, opens in a new tab)
- 2025One in three people trades crypto2025 report(PDF, opens in a new tab)
- 2024Gold is investors' first choice; 3 in 10 prefer crypto2024 report(PDF, opens in a new tab)
- 2023The share of people trading crypto has doubled2023 report(PDF, opens in a new tab)
- 2022Of those who have heard of crypto, 4 in 10 trust it as an investment2022 report(PDF, opens in a new tab)
- 20217 in 10 people have heard of crypto2021 report(PDF, opens in a new tab)
- 2020Less than 1% of people trade crypto2020 report(PDF, opens in a new tab)
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Popular cryptocurrencies
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Disclaimer
The information in this survey, which measures awareness and perception of crypto assets in Türkiye, does not constitute investment advice. Paribu does not make any recommendations regarding the buying, selling or holding of digital assets.