Venture capital and business angels: Turkish case

Venture capital (VC) may be defined as a support to entrepreneurial talents and appetite by turning ideas and basic science into products and services which are expected to envy the world. Although venture capitalists and business angels supply external funding for risky investments, the aspects of venture capitalists and business angels are different approaching the investment candidates. Business angels in the last decade have become undispansible players providing external capital for risky start-ups and contributing technological advancements and economic growth. Business angels could be either private wealth individuals or institutional venture capitalists. Private angels invest their own money that's why their invested capacity are limited while venture capitalists invest others'money with an extensive source. This research examines the the way of doing business for venture capitalists and business angels. Furthermore, venture capital market and business angels are reviewed for the Turkish case.Publisher's Versio

An overwiev on public-private-partnership projects: a case of Turkey

Purpose- The aim of this paper is to review the PPP projects that have undertaken in Turkey over a period of 1980-2018. Methodology- The statistics of PPP projects are examined in terms of the number of projects, values of investments, sectoral distribution. Findings- Turkey is one of the top users of PPP financing models to construct public projects by comparing the some other countries initiating lots of PPP projects over a long period. Conclusion- In order to achieve success in this complex structure consisting of public, sponsors and financiers in PPP, it is critical to prepare a good project. Predictability of the project obligations will minimize the possibility of additional costs in the future. Ensuring that the tendering and contracting processes are correctly configured, hence, all project risks can be identified and the risk sharing can be done more accurately.Publisher's Versio

Gender differences in risk perception and investment behavior

Purpose- Gender differences in investment behavior have been reported by various studies. Behavioral investing seeks to bridge the gap between psychology and investing. Behavioral finance is becoming more predominant in the financial and investment industry. The general concept of behavioral finance suggests that investors do not necessarily make rational investment decisions. Many results of behavioral finance studies show that men and women have different strengths and weaknesses in terms of skills required for investment management. This study focuses on the role of gender in risk perception and investment behavior, with a sample size of 288 respondents. In other words, the aim of the research is to reveal whether there is a difference in investment preferences between men and women. It is investigated whether the gender factor affects investment decision-making behavior. Using an experimental finance approach, the relationship between gender diversity and investment decisions is examined. Methodology- This study focuses on the role of gender in risk perception and investment behavior, with a sample size of 288 respondents. Gender differences in investment behavior have been reported by various studies. Behavioral investing seeks to bridge the gap between psychology and investing. Behavioral finance is becoming more predominant in the financial and investment industry. The general concept of behavioral finance suggests that investors do not necessarily make rational investment decisions. In accordance with the aim of the research, to reveal whether there is a difference in investment choices between men and women, the investment differences between the genders are shown using the graphic method in this study. Then, the normality test and Mann-Whitney U test were applied by using 288 respondents, respectively. Findings- According to the graphic method results it is found that women generally prefer to invest between 10% and 25% of their monthly income in financial markets. T cryptocurrency market is riskier than the stock market for both women and men. Women experience more stress than men at the thought of losing money because of their investment choices. The Cronbach Alpha coefficient for estimating the reliability of the scale employed for respondents’ investment preference was found to be 0.701. The results of data processing obtained by the value of the Kolmogorov-Simirnov significant which means the data were not normally distributed residuals. According to Mann-Whitney U test results, it is underlined that the gender factor differs according to the following variables based on 95% significance level: Conclusion- Survey with different aspects of questions focus on investors’ risk perception. “How often do you check your investments?”; “What is your approximate holding time of an investment instrument?”; “What percentage of your monthly income would you prefer to invest in financial markets?”; “The thought of losing money because of my investment choices is stressed me out”; “Have you ever invested in Cryptocurrencies?”; “What is the most suitable option for your knowledge of the cryptocurrency market?”. It is concluded that there is a significant difference between gender and investment preference.Publisher's Versio

A measurement of dollarization

Purpose- Dollarization refers to the use of foreign currency instead of domestic currency by citizens as a result of macroeconomic instabilities. Generally, due to the instability caused by inflation, the local currency loses its functions as a unit of account, a store of value, and in the last stage, a medium of exchange. Partial dollarization is the fulfillment of any of the three functions of money by a foreign currency. The purpose of this study is to measure the dollarization level of the Turkish economy between 2000 and 2022 (a 23-year period). This study employs the most comprehensive definition of portfolios of Turkish Lira and foreign currency to measure the degree of asset and liability dollarization. This study measures the dollarization degree of the Turkish economy by using the composite dollarization index developed by Reinhart et al., (2003). Methodology- The composite dollarization index based on the definition by Reinhart et al., 2003, has two components; asset dollarization and liability dollarization. This study measures the level of dollarization by using Reinhart's definition of the Turkish economy between 2000 and 2022. We construct the asset dollarization as a ratio of the foreign currency portfolio to the total portfolio. Liability dollarization is defined as the sum of the ratio of foreign currency credit to the total credit, the ratio of the domestic debt in foreign currency to the total domestic debt, and the ratio of total external debt to the GDP. The composite dollarization index is the sum of asset dollarization and liability dollarization. Findings- The dollarization in bank deposits rose to 57%in 2001 and then dropped to 27% in 2010. The dollarization in bank deposits has started to rise again since 2013. The increase in dollarization in bank deposits has accelerated since 2021. It reached 70% by the middle of 2022. Asset dollarization has a similar path to the dollarization in bank deposits. The level of the asset dollarization is generally lower than the level of the deposit dollarization for all years examined. The liability dollarization also follows a similar path. As the degree of asset dollarization increases, the degree of liability dollarization also increases. Finally, the composite dollarization index has been rapidly increasing since 2010. Conclusion- As discussed extensively in the literature, the degree of dollarization is an important indicator of a healthy economy. The literature supports that there is a strong link between the degree of dollarization and macroeconomic indicators. When economic instabilities are on the screen, the use of a stable foreign currency instead of domestic currency increases. Some previous studies measured the dollarization by considering only asset dollarization or only liability dollarization may have deficiencies in the comprehensive definition of dollarization. Therefore, a comprehensive measurement of dollarization should better consider both the assets and liabilities of the balance sheets. The empirical findings of this study indicate that the degree of dollarization has been increasing since 2013 and the rate of increase accelerated especially after 2021 based on the comprehensive dollarization index constructed.Publisher's Versio

Effects of electron scattering on the topological properties of nanowires: Majorana fermions from disorder and superlattices

We focus on inducing topological state from regular, or irregular scattering in (i) p-wave superconducting wires and (ii) Rashba wires proximity coupled to an s-wave superconductor. We find that contrary to common expectations the topological properties of both systems are fundamentally different: In p-wave wires, disorder generally has a detrimental effect on the topological order and the topological state is destroyed beyond a critical disorder strength. In contrast, in Rashba wires, which are relevant for recent experiments, disorder can {\it induce} topological order, reducing the need for quasiballistic samples to obtain Majorana fermions. Moreover, we find that the total phase space area of the topological state is conserved for long disordered Rashba wires, and can even be increased in an appropriately engineered superlattice potential.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figs, RevTe

Financial inclusion for selected OECD countries

Purpose- Financial inclusion is defined as a process that ensures the ease of access, availability, and usage of the formal financial system for all members of an economy by emphasizing the use of accessibility and availability of financial services. A financial sector is measured and compared on four main features; debt is the size of financial institutions, access is the access and use of financial services by the users, efficiency is the efficiency in the provision of financial services, and stability is the stability in the provision of financial services. Financial inclusion, in short, is adults' access to and use of financial services. This study aims to measure the financial inclusion level for selected OECD countries from 2010-2021. Also, this study aims to estimate the effect of financial inclusion on economic growth and income inequality for selected countries. Methodology- The data used in this study cover a range of variables related to financial inclusion from various institutions, including the IMF-Financial Access Survey (IMF-FAS), the World Bank - World Development Indicators (WB-WDI), the World Bank - Global Financial Development Database (WB-GFDD) and the Standardized World Income Inequality Database (SWIID). These variables provide insights into the dimensions and determinants of financial inclusion and their impact on economic and social outcomes for selected OECD countries. In the study, we run panel data regressions for each group separately, using GDP per capita as the dependent variable to determine the impact of the Financial Inclusion Index on economic growth. We also construct two different models for each group of countries with and without the added control variables into the models. Findings- The analysis reveals that the effect of financial inclusion on economic growth is negative for all groups of countries. The impact is significant for Group 1 and Group 2. The magnitude of coefficients changes when we add control variables to the model. However, it does not change the significance level of the coefficients. The magnitude of the coefficients increases as countries’ per capita income increases. At the same time, the effect of financial inclusion on the GINI index is significant only in the model for Group 3 with control variables. The sign of the impact is negative. It implies that the GINI index decreases as the financial inclusion index increases. So, the effect of financial inclusion on income inequality is positive for countries in Group 3. Conclusion- The empirical results did not support the relationship between financial inclusion and economic growth (GDP per capita). These results may be explained by advocating the financial sector's quick and fundamental digital transformation. Hence, the rules for availability, accessibility, and usage of financial products and system are completely changed in the past ten years. On the other hand, the relationship between financial inclusion and income inequality, measured by GINI Index, is consistent with the literature only for Group 3 countries (developing countries). The increase in the gap between rich-developed and developing countries may explain these results. An increase in financial inclusion still supports adjustments in income inequality in developing countries, but its effect is disappeared in developed countries in the last 12 years.Publisher's Versio

Digital transformation in businesses: the process and its outcomes

Purpose- The purpose of this study is to serve as an extensive outlook about digital transformation. Its content comprises the elements of digital transformation, the ways of adapting to digital transformation, reasons for failure, means of digital transformation, and insights and discussions on new business environment. Methodology- In this study, a comprehensive literature review is followed to learn about the current business circumstances regarding digital transformation and have a deep understanding on the previous studies conducted about digital transformation. Findings- The literature review reveals that digital transformation has provided positive impract on businesses at different levels. Although challenges against digital transformation may arise, they can be tackled if the nature of digital transformation is understood well. The success of digital transformation is dependent on numerous factors from different aspect which should be studied carefully before and during the adoption of digital transformation. Conclusion- It may be concluded that the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the digital agenda of businesses. At first, it should be understood that digital transformation is not a mere upgrade of technology or technical equipment within an organization but requires time, curiosity, creativity, recognition of opportunities, and cultural transformation. A successful adoption of digital transformation requires the recognition of means of digital transformation, the steps for adaptation to digital transformation, the analysis of failure, the outcomes of digital transformation. The recent evolutions related to digital transformation is evident in different aspects of business. The most recent observed changes in businesses are required skills of employees, organisational culture, business models, and customer relationship management practices.Publisher's Versio

Digital payment systems: a future outlook

Purpose- This study examines the development of digital payment systems with the evolution of communication technologies, financial institutions and fintech companies. Also, this study analyzes the expected effects of developing payment systems and fintech applications. Methodology- The study defines different types of digital payment systems, compares general characteristics of digital payments, provides a timeline of developments for digital payment systems and compares most used digital payment applications. Findings- The payments market is changing in line with consumer behavior. Cashless economies, mobile banking, instant payments, digital commerce, and the growing impact of regulatory agencies are a few trends affecting the payments market. Contactless payments also make the payment process easier and more convenient for consumers who benefit from shorter lines, cash-on-hand issue elimination, and faster moving queues.The Asia-Pacific region is anticipated to witness significant growth in the market such as China and India. Digital and mobile wallets account for 58% of regional e-commerce payments in the region and are expected to reach 68.2% by 2023. The e-commerce sector is witnessing a spike in demand as consumers order essential items such as food and clothes through e-commerce websites, where most consumers prefer the digital mode of payment.Transition towards the cashless economy, emergence of new online financial institutions, a decentralized monetary governance with the adoption of blockchain and cryptocurrencies are envisioned. Advancements in payment technologies as well as digital payment systems adoption will create momentum and create further investments towards digitalization of monetary exchange. Conclusion- It is concluded that evolution of digital payment systems will extend convenience, return, convergence, cross-border and timelimitless transaction. Inclusion of the unbanked is expected to drive growth and create new opportunities. There is a clear transition towards a cashless economy with the increasing adoption of digital payment systems by all spenders. Speed, privacy, convenience, security and decentralization will mean a wider inclusion for all global citizens; even including some unbanked population. Decentralization and blockchain will mean a blur in distribution of wealth, some money leaving the traditional banking systems. Digital payment systems provide a wide range of transaction options to its users; swiped credit cards, electronic checks, mobile wallets and contactless payment. By 2050s, the circulation of physical money is expected to vanish, leaving its place to virtual currencies changed on digital platforms.Publisher's Versio

Market risk premiums in BIST 100 in the Covid era

Purpose- Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) is the most widely used and popular method in analysis of investment projects, stock valuation, firm valuation, mergers and acquisitions, initial public offerings and secondary public offerings. The determination of market risk premium is one of the most important inputs in the application of this model. The determination of market risk premium for the Turkish market has not deeply studied in the literature so far. This study intends to calculate the market risk premium for the Turkish Stock Market with a special emphasis on the Covid-19 era. Methodology- The monthly data from the Reuters Database are collected for the BIST100 and 17 different sectoral indexes for the years of 2019 and 2020. Moreover, the monthly average short term interest rates on the Turkish Treasury Bonds are obtained from the database of Central Bank of Turkey for the years of 2019 and 2020. Based upon the historical observations, the market risk premium is defined as the difference in between the market index returns (BIST100 and 17 sectoral indexes) and the average short term interest rates on monthly basis. Findings- The market risk premiums measured on BIST100 index are about 10% in 2019 and 20% in 2020. The market risk premium is doubled in the Covid era. The volatilities of BIST100 index are 7.86% in 2019 and 8.15% in 2020. The volatility of market risk premiums are also significantly increased in the Covid era. Conclusion- Covid era has significantly increased the market risk premiums and volatilities of the Turkish market. The results of this study may be used as a reference study for local and international financial institutions, valuation industry and trade firms and academics for an approximation of market risk premium in the Covid era.Publisher's Versio