Yandex to invest $400M in Turkish digital market to localize its services

Russian technology company Yandex plans to invest $400 million in Türkiye over the next three years to localize its services and enhance offerings tailored for the Turkish market, Yandex Türkiye General Manager Alexander Popovskiy announced on Thursday.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency about the company’s investment plans and the future of the artificial intelligence sector in Türkiye, Popovskiy said, “We closely follow the dynamic growth of Türkiye’s digital market and are proud to be part of this progress.”

Popovskiy announced that Yandex will soon introduce a new program designed to help Turkish content publishers reach their target audiences more effectively. “We are preparing to launch a program specifically tailored for Turkish publishers. This platform will support digital content creators across all platforms, helping them engage with their audiences more efficiently,” he stated.

In addition to supporting content creators, Popovskiy revealed Yandex’s plans to collaborate with Türkiye’s technology community, institutions, and especially educational organizations. “We aim to build meaningful partnerships within Türkiye’s tech ecosystem. However, details on these collaborations will be shared at a later stage,” he added.

AI-driven search innovations

Popovskiy emphasized that the first phase of this vision involves supporting local businesses through Yandex Ads solutions and the Yandex Türkiye Startup Program. “Through these initiatives, entrepreneurs gain free access to various B2B services, empowering them to grow their businesses,” he explained.

Discussing Yandex’s advancements in search engine technology, Popovskiy introduced “Yazeka,” an AI-powered search solution developed specifically for Turkish users. “With Yazeka, we aim to revolutionize access to information by providing users with instant, accurate answers, eliminating the need to sift through endless search results,” he stated.

Yazeka, powered by Yandex Search, uses AI to generate summaries from various online sources, ensuring that all AI-generated answers are supported by reliable citations. “Users can verify the authenticity of information by accessing original sources through provided links, fostering transparency while creating new opportunities for web traffic,” Popovskiy explained.

Popovskiy underlined Yandex’s competitive edge, highlighting its longstanding expertise in filtering out unreliable information. “Our extensive experience enables us to deliver the most relevant results for search queries. One of our core strengths is detecting ‘spam links’—low-quality content designed to manipulate search rankings. By analyzing user interactions with such links, we reduce their visibility, ensuring users encounter only high-quality, relevant content,” he said.

Popovskiy acknowledged Türkiye’s rapidly expanding digital ecosystem and its role in reducing digital inequality, lowering access costs, and enhancing online security. “We are pleased to see the Turkish government taking steps to regulate competition in the digital market. Such regulations not only offer consumers and businesses more choices but also contribute to the public sector’s economic growth. We believe Türkiye has the potential to become a regional digital leader,” he concluded.