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Stating that although the use of cryptocurrencies as a means of payment is prohibited by the Cryptocurrency Regulation, consumers continue to demand this, Göztepe Nakliyat CEO Ulaş Gümüşoğlu said, “We are trying to raise awareness of consumers that we cannot collect with crypto money due to legislation. However, the demands in this direction are increasing day by day”.

*** This release is originally published in Turkish.
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ISTANBUL (TR) - The cryptocurrency market, which exceeds 3 trillion dollars in the world, maintains its activity in Turkey. The number of Turkish investors is estimated to be around 4 million. Although the use of cryptocurrencies as a means of payment in Turkey does not comply with the legal regulations, the demand of consumers in this direction is felt in many sectors. Cryptocurrencies, which can also be used in shopping in different countries around the world, can only be considered as an investment tool in Turkey. Reminding that the use of cryptocurrencies in shopping is prohibited with the Cryptocurrency Regulation published by the Central Bank in April, Göztepe Nakliyat CEO Ulaş Gümüşoğlu said, “We receive payment requests from our consumers with crypto money, especially bitcoin and ethereum. Although we said that we only accept Turkish lira, one of our customers who wanted to pay with crypto money sent us a cold wallet with an annual payment. We politely declined this offer and returned the wallet to him and requested payment in TL through the bank. The regulation very clearly limits the scope of activity of cryptocurrencies on the scale of investment. The fact that we still do not receive requests from our consumers in this direction, although it is prohibited to be used directly or indirectly in payments, indicates that there is still confusion in this regard.” Despite this, we also feel the excessive interest in these payment methods.”

One day, cryptocurrencies will turn into fixed government-controlled payment units.

Mentioning that they offer credit card and cash payment options within the scope of their services to consumers and companies, Göztepe Nakliyat CEO Ulaş Gümüşoğlu said, “Until now, we have not used crypto money as a payment tool in our activities. We will not include cryptocurrencies among our payment methods unless the relevant legal regulations are established. We reject such requests, citing the Cryptocurrency Regulation. Cryptocurrencies and altcoins such as Bitcoin, Solana, Ethereum are not suitable for use in the transportation sector at the moment, as they follow a volatile and fluctuating course. If an infrastructure is established by the government that allows making payments with stable coins such as USDT supported by banks, we will make the necessary changes to meet the demands in this direction.”

Raising awareness to consumers

Ulaş Gümüşoğlu stated that as a company that has been operating for more than 40 years, they have adopted consumer satisfaction as a priority, and said, “The service we provide at international standards brings consumer satisfaction with it. We see accurate information to our consumers as a part of taking this satisfaction to higher levels. For this reason, we inform our consumers who want to pay with crypto money about the relevant regulation. Thus, we support them to gain awareness in this direction.”

The rise in foreign exchange prices, especially the appreciation of the dollar and euro, worried consumers

Göztepe Nakliyat CEO Ulaş Gümüşoğlu stated that the increasing concerns of consumers with the rise in foreign currency are also felt in the transportation sector, and made the following assessment on the subject: “Our customers, especially calling from abroad, ask whether shipping fees will increase due to the increase in foreign currency. We have always continued our activities with our national currency, TL. We did not reflect the increases in foreign exchange rates in our prices. Although our costs increased when the dollar reached the limit of 18, we did not increase the price of our rents and services. As a company that continues its activities in the transportation sector with domestic and national ideologies, it is our greatest wish for our customers to get rid of these concerns. We are ready to compromise, if necessary, to maintain the availability of our products and services. Until now, we have maintained the continuity of our services, reasonable rates of our prices, and most importantly, the trust our customers have in us. We will maintain this stance under all circumstances.”