Crypto dream team: meet Bitay’s top talent
Building a globally competitive crypto platform is no easy feat. Yet the executive team behind Bitay, a digital asset exchange group that found initial success in Turkey and is now expanding into emerging markets such as India, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, and Poland, is up to the challenge. Talented, tenacious, and bringing experience in a wide range of sectors, from fintech to capital markets and crypto, these executives and advisors are taking Bitay’s operations “glocal” by establishing a global network of tailored local exchanges, all of which will be overseen by a holding company in the Netherlands.
At the heart of the venture is CEO Niyazi Yılmaz, who has long recognized the disruptive potential of peer-to-peer systems. Building on his deep experience in the financial technology and investment sector, including over 15 years working variously as an analyst, trader, treasury director, and manager at large brokerages and asset management companies, he trained his focus on crypto after recognizing its transformative power and identifying room for improvement when it came to centralized crypto exchanges. Bitay grew out of Yılmaz’s work at Türkinvest, the company he founded with the aim of designing custom trading software solutions for investment firms. In addition to his industry experience, Yılmaz also has a Ph.D. in Economics, an LLM in Business Law, an MS in Financial Mathematics, and MA in Economics and Finance.
A global expansion requires a team of world-class executives, both in Turkey and abroad. Overseeing the maintenance and development of our cutting-edge technology is Ufuk Özdemir, Bitay’s Chief Technology Officer. The former CIO and EVP of Borsa Istanbul have 30 years of experience in trading systems infrastructure and exchange technologies, with particular expertise in order management systems and enterprise architecture. Another key player is Bitay’s Chief Architect, Coşkun Şahin, a highly experienced technology, and development executive with broad knowledge of various IT programs and a Ph.D. in Computer and Control Engineering.
Overseeing our global operations and business development are A. Mustafa Baltacı, Bitay’s Head of Global Operations, and Demet Zubeyiroğlu, Bitay’s Chief Business Development Officer. Baltacı has 25 years of experience in the financial services and fintech industry, holding positions at FintechPark, Borsa Istanbul, and the World Bank, among others. Zubeyiroğlu also brings 25 years of experience to the table, albeit in the entrepreneurship world, working with diverse technologies as the CEO of KOOPHub. Together they co-founded Istanbul Fintech Week, while their individual ties to the fintech and crypto ecosystems are equally strong: Zubeyiroğlu is the Chairperson of FINTR, Turkey’s fintech association, and Baltacı is serving as an Ambassador for the Global Blockchain Business Council.
One key component of our “glocalization” strategy involves implementing a fully regulated business model in various countries, which requires having strong local leaders on the ground. In India, where we are prioritizing our expansion efforts, that person is Amanjot Malhotra. Bitay’s Head of India has eight years of experience in fintech, crypto, blockchain, defi, and product management, and was most recently the Director of Product at Liechtenstein Cryptoassets Exchange. Ivan Takev has been brought on as Head of Bulgaria, another country where we are focusing our expansion efforts. The former CEO of the Bulgarian Stock Exchange, Takev has a demonstrated track record in the financial services industry, with a deep knowledge of capital markets, investments, and corporate finance. Finally, Bitay’s Head of Azerbaijan, another market of interest, is Zaur Alakbarov, a committed executive with a diverse track record and 15 years of professional experience in entrepreneurship, innovation, banking, and financial services, notably at the International Bank of Azerbaijan, Bank Respublika, and Unibank.
Also crucial to the growth of our digital asset exchange group is Emine Deniz, Bitay’s Customer Affairs Specialist, who comes with 10 years of experience in the retail and SME banking industry as a senior sales representative and account manager; Mete Umut Elmas, Bitay’s Global Growth Manager, formerly of Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, and Arçelik; and Bogdan Wiśniewski, Bitay’s Senior Advisor in the CEE Markets, who has 30 years of experience in business development, investment, and technology.
But this is just the start — with a focus on searching out highly skilled individuals, Bitay is continually expanding its team of executives and advisors, assembling top crypto talent from around the globe to support our growth journey.
About Bitay
Bitay Global is a digital asset exchange based in Estonia. In its first country of operation, Bitay went live in Turkey Q4'2019. Today, around 1M Turkish users trust Bitay to invest, trade and spend cryptos. At Bitay Global, our mission is to accelerate the growth and proliferation of the cryptocurrency ecosystem with a wide range of intuitive, accessible, and efficient solutions that are geared toward real-world adoption.
We now take it to the next level and make Bitay services available in untapped markets. Our goal is to build the most preferred exchange of the emerging markets.
