SAFEbit

SAFEbit is a regulated Turkish cryptocurrency exchange and launchpad platform that traces its origins to Bitci Teknoloji A.Ş., founded in 2018. On May 20, 2025, businessman Seyfi Şahin acquired all of Bitci's shares and immediately initiated a full corporate transformation — overhauling its structure, technological infrastructure, internal control systems, and regulatory compliance framework. The company relaunched under the SAFEbit brand with Emrah Aktaş as CEO; former CEO Ahmet Onur Yeygün transitioned to deputy board chair to guide the handoff. The legal entity operating the platform is Safebit Kripto Varlık AŞ (full registered name: SAFEBIT KRIPTO VARLIK ALIM SATIM PLATFORMU ANONİM ŞİRKETİ), headquartered in Turkey.

Problem and Context

Turkey has one of the highest cryptocurrency adoption rates globally, driven partly by sustained local currency volatility. Turkish retail investors need regulated, legally compliant access to digital assets in an environment where the government has tightened enforcement through two principal regulators: the Sermaye Piyasası Kurulu (SPK, Capital Markets Board) and the Mali Suçları Araştırma Kurulu (MASAK, Financial Crimes Investigation Board). SAFEbit positions itself as a platform that gives Turkish users the full range of crypto services — spot trading, staking, early-stage project access through launchpad and launchpool — without requiring them to move assets to offshore or unregulated venues.

How It Works

At its core, SAFEbit operates as a centralized exchange (CEX) with an order-book spot market. Users complete KYC verification to onboard, then fund accounts via 24/7 Turkish lira (TRY) bank transfers through partner banking institutions, which is a significant convenience for the domestic market given Turkey's strict capital-flow environment. Once funded, users trade across roughly 139 listed coins and 170 trading pairs, with percentage-based order shortcuts (25%, 50%, 75%, 100% of balance) built into the trading interface.

Beyond spot trading, SAFEbit offers:

Staking pools: Users lock tokens into fixed-duration staking pools to earn yield expressed as APR. The platform runs periodic promotional pools tied to its native SAFE token, including burn-linked staking events where a portion of staked tokens is removed from supply (burned) to support the token's deflationary mechanics.

Launchpad: The platform hosts early-access token sales, giving verified users allocation rights in new crypto projects before public listing.

Launchpool: Users provide liquidity or stake assets to earn newly issued tokens from projects seeking distribution, functioning similarly to yield farming tied to token generation events.

Native SAFE Token

SAFEbit operates a native utility token (ticker: SAFE) on the Binance Smart Chain (BEP-20). The SAFE token provides platform-specific benefits within the SAFEbit ecosystem — including access to exclusive staking pools, Launchpad allocations, and fee incentives. The token incorporates burn mechanics that reduce circulating supply over time, linking holder incentives to platform activity.

Supported Assets and Solana Ecosystem Tokens

SAFEbit supports over 100 cryptocurrencies and maintains active Turkish lira trading pairs alongside USDT pairs. The exchange lists several major Solana ecosystem tokens, including JTO (Jito DAO), PUMP (Pump.fun), and SOL itself. For Solana-focused traders in Turkey, SAFEbit provides TRY-denominated entry into the Solana ecosystem without requiring offshore accounts or peer-to-peer workarounds.

Security and Compliance

Security infrastructure includes:

• Cold wallet storage: The majority of user funds are held in cold wallets rather than hot wallets connected to the internet.
• Two-factor authentication (2FA): Required for account access and withdrawals.
• Independent audits: The platform conducts independent security audits, though specific audit firm names or report dates have not been publicly detailed in available sources.
• KYC and AML: All users undergo identity verification structured to meet MASAK Anti-Money Laundering requirements.
• SPK authorization: The platform operates under Turkey's Capital Markets Board framework for crypto asset service providers, which requires minimum paid-in capital. SAFEbit discloses 500 million TRY in paid-in capital.

Team and History

SAFEbit traces its origins to Bitci Teknoloji A.Ş., founded in 2018 by entrepreneur Çağdaş Çağlar in Bodrum, Turkey. Bitci became Turkey's first blockchain-based crypto exchange and built significant brand recognition through ambitious sports fan-token partnerships: it signed agreements with the Spain and Brazil national football teams, McLaren Formula 1, Rangers FC, FIBA, and MotoGP, issuing fan tokens on its proprietary BitciChain blockchain and native Bitcicoin (BITCI) token. By 2022, Bitci had opened operations in Brazil and announced expansion into Spain. The global downturn in fan-token sentiment and tightening Turkish regulation created headwinds, ultimately leading to the full ownership change in May 2025 when Seyfi Şahin acquired all shares and launched the SAFEbit rebrand.

The mobile application, available on iOS and Android, reflects the history — the Android package name still carries the original Bitci branding. A major UI and product redesign shipped as version 23.0.0 in May 2025, modernizing the interface ahead of the regulatory transition.

Solana Ecosystem Fit

SAFEbit is not a Solana-native protocol; it is a centralized exchange that lists Solana ecosystem assets and provides regulated Turkish lira on-ramps to them. For Solana projects seeking distribution and liquidity in the Turkish market, SAFEbit's launchpad and launchpool infrastructure offers a compliance-grade pathway into one of crypto's most active emerging markets. Conversely, Turkish retail investors looking to access Solana-based tokens — including staking derivatives, governance tokens, and new project launches — can do so through a domestically regulated platform without the legal uncertainty of using unregistered offshore venues.

With approximately $71 million in 24-hour trading volume and 170 active trading pairs, SAFEbit operates at meaningful scale for a regional CEX and represents the institutional face of crypto adoption in Turkey's rapidly formalizing regulatory environment.