Turkish Consumer Confidence Rebounded in February

Published February 17, 2026 by The Daily Scout

Consumer confidence in Turkey rebounded in early February after a decline in the previous month. The Bloomberg HT Consumer Confidence Preliminary Index rose by 5.96% compared to January. The uptick suggests a potential recovery in domestic demand, which could benefit B2C-focused startups.

Why it matters

- The Turkish startup ecosystem attracted USD 5.6 billion in investments between 2021 and the third quarter of 2025, ranking 12th in Europe. In 2025, venture capital investments fell by 45% to $589 million across 306 deals, with no Series C or later-stage funding rounds recorded, reflecting a broader European trend. - Fintech and gaming dominated the investment landscape in 2025, accounting for 68% of all capital. Notable fintech deals included Midas, a neobroker, which raised $80 million in a Series B round in August 2025, and payment solutions provider Sipay, which secured a $78 million Series B in April 2025 at an $875 million valuation. - In the climatetech sector, weather intelligence startup Buluttan raised $1 million in December 2025. A World Bank report identified Turkey as having high potential in climate technologies among middle-income countries, though the sector currently receives mainly small, seed-stage investments. - The AI sector is gaining traction, particularly in defense tech. RobotEye AI, a developer of smart surveillance systems, recently secured an investment at a $12.5 million valuation. In January 2026, Brandefense, a digital risk protection startup, received a seed round from Yapay Zeka Fabrikası. - In healthtech, AI-powered startups are emerging, such as Mamosis for cancer diagnosis and Hop Health for medical tourism, though specific recent funding rounds are less publicized. Government initiatives like the establishment of a Health Valley aim to boost R&D and commercialization in this sector. - The Turkish government actively supports deeptech and commercialization of university research through organizations like KOSGEB, which offers R&D and innovation support programs for SMEs. However, challenges remain, with only 14.3% of deeptech startups in Turkey having secured investment. - For technical founders, popular Turkish online communities for tech-related discussions include Donanım Haber. Academic research from institutions like Boğaziçi University in natural language processing is also gaining international recognition. - The macroeconomic background for this activity includes an annual inflation rate of 30.65% as of January 2026. In its first meeting of 2026, the Central Bank of Turkey reduced its benchmark policy rate to 37%. The bank has revised its year-end inflation forecast for 2026 to a range of 15-21%.

Key numbers

The Bloomberg HT Consumer Confidence Preliminary Index rose by 5.96% compared to January.
The uptick suggests a potential recovery in domestic demand, which could benefit B2C-focused startups.
- The Turkish startup ecosystem attracted USD 5.6 billion in investments between 2021 and the third quarter of 2025, ranking 12th in Europe.
In 2025, venture capital investments fell by 45% to $589 million across 306 deals, with no Series C or later-stage funding rounds recorded, reflecting a broader European trend.

What happens next

Government initiatives like the establishment of a Health Valley aim to boost R&D and commercialization in this sector.
The uptick suggests a potential recovery in domestic demand, which could benefit B2C-focused startups.

Sources

Quick answers

What happened in Turkish Consumer Confidence Rebounded in February?

Why does Turkish Consumer Confidence Rebounded in February matter?

The Turkish startup ecosystem attracted USD 5.6 billion in investments between 2021 and the third quarter of 2025, ranking 12th in Europe. In 2025, venture capital investments fell by 45% to $589 million across 306 deals, with no Series C or later-stage funding rounds recorded, reflecting a broader European trend. Fintech and gaming dominated the investment landscape in 2025, accounting for 68% of all capital. Notable fintech deals included Midas, a neobroker, which raised $80 million in a Series B round in August 2025, and payment solutions provider Sipay, which secured a $78 million Series B in April 2025 at an $875 million valuation. In the climatetech sector, weather intelligence startup Buluttan raised $1 million in December 2025. A World Bank report identified Turkey as having high potential in climate technologies among middle-income countries, though the sector currently receives mainly small, seed-stage investments. The AI sector is gaining traction, particularly in defense tech. RobotEye AI, a developer of smart surveillance systems, recently secured an investment at a $12.5 million valuation. In January 2026, Brandefense, a digital risk protection startup, received a seed round from Yapay Zeka Fabrikası. In healthtech, AI-powered startups are emerging, such as Mamosis for cancer diagnosis and Hop Health for medical tourism, though specific recent funding rounds are less publicized. Government initiatives like the establishment of a Health Valley aim to boost R&D and commercialization in this sector. The Turkish government actively supports deeptech and commercialization of university research through organizations like KOSGEB, which offers R&D and innovation support programs for SMEs. However, challenges remain, with only 14.3% of deeptech startups in Turkey having secured investment. For technical founders, popular Turkish online communities for tech-related discussions include Donanım Haber. Academic research from institutions like Boğaziçi University in natural language processing is also gaining international recognition. The macroeconomic background for this activity includes an annual inflation rate of 30.65% as of January 2026. In its first meeting of 2026, the Central Bank of Turkey reduced its benchmark policy rate to 37%. The bank has revised its year-end inflation forecast for 2026 to a range of 15-21%.