1. Four years ago, you had just left BKM and founded SC Yonetim Danışmanlık. What have you been up to since then?

The past four years have been both intense and intellectually rewarding. Through SC Yonetim Danışmanlık, I’ve been working closely with banks, fintechs, retail and technology companies — mostly at board and executive level — on topics ranging from digital payments to organizational transformation and leadership in the age of AI.

Alongside advisory work, I’ve continued writing and speaking extensively. I regularly publish articles on payments, fintech, and digital leadership, trying to connect technological change with broader economic, social, and geopolitical shifts. In many ways, this period has allowed me to step back from day-to-day operations and look at the payments ecosystem more holistically.

2. What takes up most of your time now?

Today, my time is split between three main areas: strategic advisory work, writing, and dialogue.

I spend a significant amount of time working with leadership teams — helping them think through where payments, financial services, and digital platforms are heading, and what this means for their business models and cultures.

Reading and writing has also become a bigger part of my daily routine. It’s both a way of thinking and a way of sharing — testing ideas, questioning assumptions, and hopefully contributing something useful to the broader conversation. Finally, I invest a lot of time in conversations: with founders, executives, regulators, and younger professionals who are shaping the next generation of finance.

3. Looking forward, where do you see the most exciting and challenging changes coming up in payments?

Payments are becoming increasingly strategic — not just a utility, but a geopolitical, regulatory, and data-driven battleground. We’re seeing this in the rise of real-time payment systems, digital wallets, embedded finance, and the growing overlap between payments, identity, and data.

At the same time, stablecoins, CBDCs, and alternative settlement models are challenging long-established assumptions about money and trust. The most exciting — and challenging — part will be navigating fragmentation: different regulatory regimes, competing standards, and regional payment blocs. The winners will be those who can combine technological excellence with regulatory literacy and long-term strategic patience.

4. Last time we spoke, music and the drum were your hobby. Is that still the case?

Yes — music is still very much part of my life, and the drum remains a favorite way to disconnect and reset. While I may not practice as regularly as I’d like, rhythm has a way of staying with you.

Beyond music, reading has become an even more central “hobby,” if one can call it that. I’m increasingly drawn to books that sit at the intersection of economics, philosophy, technology, and society — trying to make sense of the pace and direction of change we’re all experiencing.

5. Four years ago, you were reading The Papalagi. What are you reading now, or what has stood out recently?

Over the past year, I’ve been particularly interested in books that explore systemic uncertainty and the human side of economic and technological change. Works by authors such as Amin Maalouf, Daron Acemoglu, Yanis Varoufakis and Vedat Milor have been especially thought-provoking.

If I had to pick one overarching theme, it would be books that ask not just what is changing, but who we are becoming as a result — as individuals, organizations, and societies.

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