Blockchain and cryptocurrencies impacting the world economy

The impact of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology on the global financial system has attracted increasing attention in recent years. Following the 2008 global financial crisis, the search for decentralized digital assests came to the fore as traditional trust-based financial structures were questioned. In this context, with the technical document published by Satoshi Nakamoto in 2009, the peer-to peer payment system and its underlying blockchain technology entered our lives. In this study, the differences between the concepts of cryptocurrency, digital money and virtual money are explained based on the historical development and functions of money, and the contribuions of these concepts to the transformation process in the world economy are analyzed. The aim of the thesis is to examine the effects of blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies on economic systems in a multidimensional way and to reveal how these Technologies have created a transformation in financial markets, especially in tha banking sector. It is evaluated how the features offered by blockchain such as transparency, security, transaction speed and low cost reshape traditional financial processes. Blockchain and digital currency applications in Turkey ara discussed in comparision with global developments; regulatory frameworks and institutional approaches are compared. In the application part of the study, the development process of the cryptocurrency market between 2014 and 2025 was analyzed, especially through the example of Bitcoin, and the macroeconomic size and market dynamics of cryptocurrencies were revaled. In addition, the regulatory approaches to cryptocurrencies in countries such as El Salvador, the US, Germant, China and Turkey are compared, and the current state and problems faced by the cryptocurrency ecosystem in Turkey are evaluated. In line with the data obtanieed, the potential IV effects of cryptocurrencies on the economic structure have contributed to the existing literatüre by addressing their behavioral, technological and structural dimensions. This study provides an important resource to make sense of the new shape of the financial system in the digital transformation process and to evaluate the opportunities offered by blockchain technology. It also provides guiadance for future policies and strategies by emphasizing the need for regulation of cryptocurrencies and the role of consumer behavior in this process.