Turkish mobility giant Marti announces a 20% cash reserve allocation to Bitcoin, planning to increase it to 50%! The CEO stated it is to hedge fiat risk.

Turkey's leading ride-hailing and micro-mobility company Marti Technologies announced a significant financial strategic adjustment: allocating 20% of the company's cash reserves to encryption assets, with Bitcoin (BTC) as the preferred initial investment target. CEO Oguz Oktem clearly stated that there are plans to increase this allocation ratio to 50% in the short term. This move aims to use encryption assets as a long-term value storage tool to hedge against fiat (especially hard currency) related risks and inflation risks, while emphasizing that it will not affect existing business operations. Marti becomes another publicly listed company in emerging markets adopting a Bitcoin reserve strategy, with its stock price rising by 7% shortly after the announcement. This article will detail its allocation strategy, company background, market reaction, and implications for emerging market enterprises.

Core Strategy: Progressive Encryption Asset Allocation

1. Initial Ratio: 20% of the company's cash reserves will be allocated to encryption assets, with Bitcoin as the preferred "experimental coin."
2. Target Ratio: The plan is to increase the allocation ratio to 50% soon.
3. Custody and Compliance: All crypto assets will be held by regulated custodians with institutional-level compliance qualifications.
4. Source of Funds: Only use Surplus Cash Reserves, without affecting the funds required for daily operations.
5. Holding Strategy: Hold Indefinitely, showcasing a long-term investment perspective.
6. Diversification Plan: Future plans to increase holdings in other encryption assets, such as Solana (SOL) and Ethereum (ETH).
7. Parallel with Traditional Assets: The new strategy will be managed in parallel with traditional assets such as cash, cash equivalents, and securities.

Strategic Motivation: Hedging Risks, Long-term Store of Value

• Key Driver: Hedging Fiat Currency Risks: CEO Oguz Oktem clearly stated that the Bitcoin strategy aims to address the risks associated with hard currencies (such as USD, EUR) which may refer to exchange rate fluctuations, acquisition difficulty, or sanction risks.
• Against Inflation: In the current high inflation economic environment in Turkey (where the lira continues to depreciate), cryptocurrency assets are seen as a Store of Value and a Long-term Hedging tool.
• Prudent Treasury Management: Oktem refers to this strategy as "a prudent approach to treasury management in the current economic environment facing both inflation and hard currency risks."

Company Background and Business Strength

• Market Position: Turkey's leading tech mobility platform, offering electric vehicles (including electric scooters, electric skateboards, and electric bicycles) rental services, operated through a mobile application.
• Milestone data ( as of June 2024 ):
  • Number of users: over 2 million ( has grown by 12.7% since March )
  • Number of drivers: over 300,000 ( increased by 8.3% since March )
  • Cumulative completed orders: over 35 million times
• Listing Status: Listed in July 2023 in the United States, becoming the first Turkish micro-mobility company to be listed in the United States.
• Financial Goals: It has surpassed its 2025 target, with expected revenue of 34 million USD in 2025 and adjusted EBITDA anticipated to be between 3 million and -17 million USD.
• Expansion Plan: Soon, the coverage will expand from the current cities of Ankara, Istanbul, Antalya, Izmir, etc., to Konya, Kayseri, Kocaeli, Bursa, Mersin, and Adana. The covered population will increase from 28.8 million to approximately 42.2 million, and the team size will grow from 180 to 260 people.

Market Reaction and Industry Significance

• Stock Price Volatility: After the announcement (July 29), the company's stock price soared by 7%, but then quickly fell back by 6.7%, reflecting the market's short-term divergence on this innovative strategy.
• Join the Trend of Public Companies: Marti has joined the ranks of public companies incorporating encryption assets into their balance sheets, providing a reference model for emerging market enterprises.
• Emerging Market Corporate Paradigm: In emerging market countries with high inflation and unstable local currencies, allocating Bitcoin and other encryption assets is becoming a viable strategy for seeking asset preservation and hedging systemic risks.

Conclusion: The decision by Turkish mobility giant Marti to allocate 20% of its cash reserves to Bitcoin with plans to increase it to 50% is a landmark treasury management transformation for emerging market listed companies in response to macroeconomic challenges (high inflation, domestic currency devaluation, hard currency risk). It emphasizes a strategy of compliant custody holding that does not affect core business operations and serves as a long-term store of value, providing a reference framework for companies facing similar predicaments. Although short-term stock price fluctuations reflect the market's cautious attitude towards this move, it undoubtedly reinforces the narrative of Bitcoin as a "corporate reserve asset," especially in emerging economies. Marti's strong business growth (over 2 million users, 35 million orders) and proactive expansion plans provide fundamental support for its crypto allocation strategy. In the future, attention should be paid to the execution of its increasing allocation ratio, the plans for additional investments in Solana and Ethereum, and the actual impact of this strategy on its financial performance (especially EBITDA improvement). As more companies explore crypto asset allocation, Marti's case will become an important window for observing the evolution of treasury strategies among emerging market enterprises.