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Coincord
Coincord is Turkey's first regulated crypto asset manager, running a multi-strategy digital-asset fund from Istanbul since 2018.
Coincord
Coincord was established in 2018 by Cem Özer, a finance and technology executive who previously held roles at Garanti BBVA and later became a visible figure in Turkey's blockchain community. The firm emerged as the country's first venture to package digital-asset exposure into a regulated fund vehicle, securing a capital markets license from Turkey's Capital Markets Board (SPK). This regulatory posture — operating a domestically licensed crypto fund when most peers ran unregulated pools or offshore entities — gave Coincord an early institutional foothold. The firm's strategy spans liquid token portfolios, decentralized-finance yield strategies, and venture-stage blockchain infrastructure investments. Coincord runs a flagship multi-strategy fund that allocates across Layer 1 and Layer 2 protocols, staking operations, and select DeFi protocols. On the venture side, the firm focuses on early-stage equity and token warrants in projects building developer tooling, institutional custody infrastructure, and compliance middleware. Geographic exposure centers on Turkey, the UAE, and broader MENA markets, with secondary deal flow from European Web3 hubs. Confirmed portfolio companies include publicly announced positions in Turkish DeFi platform BiLira and cross-border payments infrastructure project SONA. Team size is not publicly disclosed. Coincord operates from Istanbul with no known additional offices. In 2023, Özer expanded the firm's distribution by partnering with a Swiss fund administrator to offer a parallel offshore feeder vehicle, targeting family offices and wealth managers in Zurich and Dubai who had previously been unable to access Turkish-regulated structures. The firm also sponsors BlockchainIST Center, an Istanbul-based co-working and research hub that doubles as an ecosystem pipeline for deal flow and developer talent. Coincord's structural differentiator is its regulatory moat: as one of the few SPK-licensed crypto funds, it navigates a compliance environment that bars most international competitors from direct onshore marketing to Turkish institutional allocators. This regulatory asymmetry — combined with the scarcity of local institutional-grade crypto vehicles — positions the firm as the primary regulated on-ramp for foreign capital seeking curated Turkish and MENA blockchain exposure.
General information
Firm type
Asset Manager
Year founded
2018
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
Europe
Country
Turkey
City
Istanbul
Corporate office
Istanbul, Turkey
Principals
Cem Özer
Founder and CEO
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at Coincord?
Cem Özer, the founder and CEO, leads investment decisions. Özer's professional background includes digital strategy and fintech roles at Garanti BBVA, one of Turkey's largest private banks. He is a public advocate for regulated digital-asset frameworks and has represented the firm at OECD blockchain policy forums.
How is Coincord regulated?
Coincord operates under a license from Turkey's Capital Markets Board (SPK), the national securities regulator. This license permits the firm to market its fund to domestic institutional investors — a distinction that separates it from most Turkish crypto managers. In September 2023, Coincord also launched an offshore feeder vehicle in Switzerland for non-Turkish investors.
What is Coincord's strategy mix?
The firm runs a multi-strategy approach across three verticals: actively managed liquid token portfolios, yield-generating DeFi strategies including staking and liquidity provision, and early-stage venture investing in blockchain infrastructure. Its venture mandate targets developer tooling, institutional custody, and compliance middleware, with a geographic tilt toward Turkish, UAE, and broader MENA projects.
Does Coincord take fund commitments or only invest proprietary capital?
Coincord manages external capital through its SPK-licensed fund structure, accepting commitments from qualified domestic investors. The 2023 offshore feeder launch opened the strategy to international family offices and wealth managers, primarily in Switzerland and the UAE, who require a regulated non-Turkish entry point.
Which sectors does Coincord avoid?
Coincord does not invest in pure-play NFT platforms, metaverse gaming tokens lacking underlying game economies, or unregistered private token sales in jurisdictions with ambiguous securities classification. The firm's regulatory posture in Turkey requires it to avoid instruments the SPK might classify as unlicensed securities offerings.
What is BlockchainIST Center, and how does it relate to Coincord?
BlockchainIST Center is an Istanbul-based co-working space and blockchain research hub sponsored by Coincord. It functions as a deal-flow pipeline and developer-community nexus for the firm. The center hosts regular meetups and hackathons, providing Coincord with early visibility into emerging Turkish and regional Web3 teams.
How does Coincord source proprietary deal flow?
Deal flow originates through three channels: the founder's network across the Turkish banking and fintech ecosystem, a dense pipeline of projects emerging from BlockchainIST Center's developer community, and structured relationships with European Web3 accelerators that route MENA-focused teams toward Coincord as a regional liquidity and regulatory partner.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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