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AzerNEWS Staff

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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.

“The COVID-19 pandemic, which erupted at the beginning of 2020, provided an opportunity for the information technology and e-commerce sectors to advance at an enormous and rapid pace. 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%.

“The overall retail sector reached $32 trillion, while the size of global production reached $118 trillion,” he said.

Bolat noted that business-to-consumer (B2C) e-commerce had experienced even faster growth during the period.

“The volume of B2C, or direct business-to-consumer e-commerce, grew by 91% and reached $6.5 trillion. 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.

“So far, we have made approximately 40 guides and manuals available on our ministry’s websites for companies, covering e-export roadmaps and customs procedures for 25 countries, as well as 28 marketplaces and five digital channels,” Bolat said.

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.