For smart city investments in Istanbul, creative PPP, private financing solutions and EU funds should be emphasized in addition to public financing.

Hosting a well-developed banking sector, being open to direct investment, the central government's target to quadruple the budget allocated to R&D, the fact that large infrastructure investments are made through PPP, hosting the head offices of global and domestic companies, and the e-Government system make the finance area strong.

The strategies have benefited from EU funds, the increase in liquidity in the world, and the world's money being directed towards technologies that support smart cities.

Slow and inflexible bureaucratic processes, insufficient support for innovative work, the existence of an informal economy, low level of EU funding, and limited venture capital stand out as areas for improvement.

In order for the city to attract more FDI, it is important to change the perception of risk, to ensure macroeconomic stabilization, and to have events and innovative practices that will continuously raise the image of the city.