Binance Blockchain Week showcases Turkish crypto industry

Binance Blockchain Week Istanbul 2023 saw global crypto exchange Binance bringing its flagship event to Turkey on Nov. 8–9, where business is conducted in the Turkish lira — a top trading pair on its platform. 

While Binance CEO Changpeng “CZ” Zhao was absent from the event, the Binance c-suite, along with key executives from a full roster of event sponsors, was more than enough to turn Binance Blockchain Week into one of the most packed Web3 events Istanbul has ever seen.

As a city bridging Europe to Asia, Istanbul is no stranger to international crypto and blockchain summits. While most events pick the heart of the city for easy access and nearby hotels, Binance picked a venue on the coastline of the Bosphorus — away from the subway and many other transportation methods — to show its visitors Istanbul’s true beauty.

It’s usually not a problem to visit the main event area without a registration or to get a last-minute ticket at the entrance — at least for most events in Turkey. But, for Binance Blockchain Week, the security was tight and tickets were sold out. Binance’s event team designed a two-floor layout for over 2,000 attendees from all around the world.

Visitors were welcomed by a spacious hall that led to the upper floor, where the main stage and booths were installed. The entry floor offered various activities, including a small hair salon where visitors opted in to get the Binance logo sprayed on their hair, two old-school arcade machines and the startup-focused Innovation Stage.

The importance of the Istanbul event was evident from Binance’s perspective, as the crypto platform kept the big announcement of its Web3 wallet — not to be confused with the Binance-owned Trust Wallet — for this event. 

Binance’s head of regional markets, Richard Teng, kicked off the event by introducing the Binance Web3 Wallet to 150 million Binance users.

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Starting on a high note, Binance Blockchain Week Istanbul provided keynotes and panels from prominent names of blockchain, crypto, Web3, gaming and entertainment gathered in Istanbul for two days. There were panels to attend or networking opportunities for people from all backgrounds and experience levels.

The big moment

Watch when @_RichardTeng first announced the new #Binance Web3 Wallet at #BinanceBlockchainWeek!

https://t.co/tP0nOtLANQ pic.twitter.com/xEQh6YpBS5

— Binance (@binance) November 11, 2023

Binance chief marketing officer Rachel Conlan told Cointelegraph that the exchange considered several cities before picking Istanbul as the destination for this year’s Binance Blockchain Week. 

“The city has an incredibly vibrant crypto community, and the strong support we’ve continually received from this local community played a decisive role in our decision.”

Referencing surveys that placed Turkey among the countries with the highest crypto adoption, Conlan noted that this engagement and adoption “reaffirms our long-term commitment to investing in and nurturing the blockchain ecosystem in Turkey, making Istanbul a natural choice for our flagship event.”

The flagship event was missing Binance’s CEO, who is known to adopt a decentralized culture within Binance and even suggested that he might be willing to step down as CEO.

“Effective decentralization means not only the distribution of authority and responsibility but also visibility,” Conlan said.

Binance wants to constantly engage users and ensure consistent presence across multiple forums and regions, and having an experienced team to independently represent the company is crucial to that goal, she added.

Binance and the larger Web3 ecosystem

Even though it was a Binance event, the conference included several other firms and platforms. Tron, Chiliz, Animoca Brands, Zignaly, Alchemy Pay and Trust Wallet were among the booths installed in the sponsor area.

“Binance Blockchain Week has always been about more than just Binance; it’s about building community,” Conlan explained, adding that by fostering collaborations with partners, Binance aims to extend its reach to the larger Web3 ecosystem.

Event participants were also happy with the vivid and dynamic atmosphere they encountered in Istanbul. “We are surprised by the energy and enthusiasm of the Turkey crypto community at Binance Blockchain Week,” said David Uhryniak, Tron’s head of ecosystem development, adding that the most exciting aspects of the event were the stablecoin panel…