Burçak Ünsal is a Turkish technology and financial regulation lawyer, and the founding partner of Ünsal Law Firm in Istanbul. With dual admission to the New York and Istanbul bars and extensive in house and private practice experience, Ünsal has become a prominent adviser on fintech, cryptocurrency, blockchain, and digital platform regulation for both local and international clients operating in or entering the Turkish market.
Overview
Ünsal’s practice sits at the intersection of law, technology, and finance, with a particular emphasis on emerging technologies such as distributed ledgers, digital assets, and platform economies. He advises global technology platforms, financial institutions, digital asset service providers, and startups on complex regulatory, transactional, and dispute resolution matters. His work covers the full lifecycle of technology businesses, from initial structuring through scaling, cross border expansion, and regulatory engagement.
History and Background
Ünsal graduated from Istanbul University and later pursued postgraduate legal studies abroad, including at the University of Virginia School of Law. He is admitted to practice in both New York and Istanbul, a combination that allows him to bridge common law and civil law approaches for clients that operate across multiple jurisdictions.
Before founding Ünsal Law Firm, he built a career across leading international and domestic law firms and in house legal roles. Ünsal worked with global firms such as Baker Botts, DLA Piper, and other international practices in Washington, D.C., London, Tokyo, and Istanbul, focusing on corporate, technology, and regulatory work. He then served as regional counsel for major technology platforms, including Google and YouTube, where he dealt with internet regulation, content liability, privacy, data protection, and competition issues across diverse regulatory environments.
Core Practice Areas and Services
At Ünsal Law Firm, Ünsal focuses on a broad range of technology driven legal issues with a strong emphasis on crypto and fintech. Key practice areas include:
- Fintech and digital finance, including payment services, e money, lending platforms, and neobanks.
- Cryptocurrency, blockchain, and digital asset regulation, including licensing, compliance frameworks, and product structuring.
- Capital markets and securities law aspects of token offerings, tokenized instruments, and investment products.
- Information technology, telecoms, and platform regulation, including intermediary liability and content governance.
- Data protection, privacy, and cybersecurity compliance for technology and financial services firms.
- Corporate and commercial transactions, mergers and acquisitions, and joint ventures in tech and fintech sectors.
- Regulatory investigations, enforcement actions, and complex disputes involving financial and technology regulators.
Technology and Blockchain Focus
Ünsal has been an early and active participant in Turkey’s blockchain and crypto ecosystem. He co founded Inkube, one of Turkey’s first blockchain technology incubators and accelerators, which has supported projects exploring smart contracts, tokenization, and decentralized applications. Through his law firm, he advises crypto exchanges, digital asset custodians, infrastructure providers, and protocol based projects on how to operate within Turkish and cross border regulatory frameworks.
His work frequently involves designing compliant structures for token sales, non fungible token initiatives, and DeFi aligned products in light of evolving rules on securities, derivatives, payments, and anti money laundering. Ünsal also provides guidance on how global regulatory developments, such as European MiCA style frameworks or foreign tax proposals on digital assets, may impact Turkish and regional market participants.
Use Cases and Market Position
Ünsal occupies a niche position as a lawyer who combines hands on experience at major global technology platforms with deep knowledge of Turkey’s financial and technology regulations. This makes him a key contact for:
- International digital asset firms seeking to enter or service the Turkish market.
- Local fintech and crypto startups that need to scale in a compliant way and access foreign capital.
- Traditional financial institutions exploring partnerships with digital asset providers or blockchain technology vendors.
- Investors who require legal risk assessments of crypto and technology driven opportunities in Turkey.
Beyond client work, Ünsal regularly appears at industry conferences and academic events that focus on blockchain, crypto assets, and fintech. He has taught or lectured on crypto assets regulation and cyber law at Turkish universities and contributes to professional discussions on the future of digital asset regulation, data governance, and financial innovation.
Professional Roles and Affiliations
In addition to his role as founding and managing partner of Ünsal Law Firm, Ünsal is active in several professional organizations. He has served as a member of the Corporate Governance Association of Turkey and holds qualifications as a patent and trademark attorney before the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office and the European Patent Office. These roles complement his work for technology companies that rely heavily on intellectual property, software, and data driven business models.
Risks and Considerations
Like other practitioners in the crypto and digital asset field, Ünsal operates in a regulatory environment that is still developing. Turkish authorities, similar to regulators in other jurisdictions, continue to refine their approach to crypto trading platforms, stablecoins, token issuance, and cross border digital asset flows. While Ünsal’s practice is built around anticipating and managing these regulatory shifts, market participants remain exposed to changes in licensing regimes, tax treatment, and enforcement priorities.
For investors, founders, and institutions engaging with crypto or blockchain services in Turkey, working with practitioners such as Ünsal can help clarify regulatory expectations and structure transactions in a more compliant way. However, regulatory uncertainty, jurisdictional fragmentation, and the technical complexity of blockchain systems mean that legal and operational risks cannot be fully eliminated and must be evaluated on an ongoing basis.
