The Istanbul Global E-Export Summit (IGEXX 2026) was held at the Halic Congress Center under the coordination of Turkiye’s Trade Ministry and in cooperation with the Turkish Exporters Assembly (TIM) and the Electronic Commerce Operators Association (ETID). Trade Minister Omer Bolat, International Energy Agency (IEA) Executive Director Dr Fatih Birol, TIM Chairman Mustafa Gultepe, ETID Chairman Hakan Cevikoglu and leading representatives of the business community attended the opening session of the event. Speaking at the summit, Bolat said digital channels had now become the most important means of reaching consumers.
He noted that the COVID-19 pandemic had triggered major changes in the information technology and e-commerce sectors. While e-commerce accounted for 4.5% of total trade in 2019, both globally and in terms of Turkiye’s national income, these figures rose rapidly. The share of e-commerce in total trade increased from around 4.5% to 20%,” Bolat said.
Bolat said Turkiye’s e-commerce sector recorded an annual growth rate of 80% between 2019 and 2025, while its share of the overall retail sector also increased rapidly, reaching around 20%. Referring to global e-commerce data, Bolat said global gross domestic product grew by 33% between 2019 and 2025, while the overall retail sector expanded by 28%. Bolat noted that business-to-consumer (B2C) e-commerce had experienced even faster growth during the period.
E-commerce’s share of total global retail sales is 20%. This is also the global average, and the same applies to Türkiye,” he said. The minister said the Trade Ministry had undertaken a range of initiatives to make it easier for companies to access the information they need to expand their e-export operations.
He added that Turkiye aims to reach $6 billion in e-exports by the end of this year. The number of companies generating more than $10,000 in e-exports annually increased from 8,132 in 2022 to 11,420 by the end of 2025, according to Bolat. Istanbul ranked first among Turkish provinces in terms of e-export volume, while the ready-to-wear and apparel sector ranked first among industries, he said.
Bolat identified the United States, Germany, Azerbaijan, Romania and Saudi Arabia among Turkiye’s leading partner countries in e-commerce exports. Here we are to serve you with news right now. It does not cost much, but worth your attention.
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