Angel investments amount to $102 mln in 2019

ISTANBUL-Anadolu Agency

AA Photo

Angel investments amounted to $102 million in Turkey in 2019, up 66 percent on an annual basis, an official said on Feb. 17.

Turkey is the fourth largest angel investment country in Europe with 141 angel investors, Lütfi Elvan, the chairman of parliament's planning and budget committee, told the World Congress of the World Business Angel Investment Forum (WBAF 2020) in Istanbul.

The country is determined to improve venture capital and angel investment fields, Elvan stated.

On the global angel investment volume, he said it totaled $21 billion in the U.S. and €7.5 billion ($8.8 billion) in Europe last year.

The two-day congress kicked off on Feb. 17, hosting hundreds of participants from 92 countries and 132 international speakers in 24 panels, including angel investors, venture capitalists, policymakers, entrepreneurs, and business leaders.

Some 1,500 delegates are expected to attend the event.

Biggest event of its kind

WBAF chairman Baybars Altuntaş said the congress is the biggest event of the world’s early and post-early stage equity and capital markets.

The WBAF is a unique opportunity not only for angel investors and policymakers but also for industry and business leaders to forge new connections and pursue business opportunities, he stated.

Altuntaş said: "The congress offers industry leaders global access to the best and the brightest in the business world."

Forum hosts ministers

WBAF 2020 also hosted a ministerial roundtable meeting on critical issues with seven ministers from seven countries.

The roundtable was a global convergence of policymakers to discuss in detail the G20’s agenda to increase financial inclusion in the world, according to a statement issued by the forum.

Elvan and the country's former deputy prime minister moderated the roundtable.

Ministers tried to find ways to develop an international dialogue between public and private institutions that will empower early and post-early stage equity markets in response to the worldwide digital transformation.

Among the participants were Safia Boly, the minister for private investment, SMEs and national entrepreneurship of Mali; Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, the 6th president of Mauritius; Dato’ Lokman Hakim Ali, the secretary-general of ministry of international trade and industry of Malaysia; Jose Enrique Millo Rocher, the secretary-general of international affairs of the Andalusia Government of Spain; Martha Delgado Peralta, the undersecretary for multilateral affairs and human rights of the ministry of foreign affairs of Mexico; and Eduard Shalsi, the minister of state for the protection of entrepreneurship of Albania.