加密貨幣先驅 Faruk Özer 駕馭動盪的土耳其

1994 年，Faruk Özer 出生於土耳其工業小鎮科賈埃利的一個穆斯林家庭。小時候，他有天生的幽默感，喜歡家庭活動。厄澤爾在經濟動盪中長大，目睹了雷傑普·塔伊普·艾爾多安的崛起和國家的「無聲革命」。受到該國創業精神的啟發，他從高中輟學去創業，恰逢土耳其第一個加密貨幣交易所BtcTurk 在2013 年推出。然而，Gezi 公園的抗議活動和隨後政府的鎮壓標誌著一個重要的轉折點，因為艾爾段的獨裁主義加劇，外國投資減少。

Faruk Özer: The Crypto Trailblazer in a Tumultuous Turkey

Faruk Özer：動盪的土耳其的加密貨幣開拓者

Born in the heart of Turkey's industrial hub of Kocaeli in February 1994, Faruk Özer emerged as the youngest sibling in a close-knit family, inseparable from his brother Güven and sister Serap. Their upbringing was a symphony of shared adventures, ranging from outdoor camping excursions to immersive video game sessions and culinary endeavors. Friends invariably remarked upon their shared sense of humor, a testament to their familial bond.

Faruk Özer 於 1994 年 2 月出生在土耳其工業中心科賈埃利的中心地帶，是一個關係密切的家庭中最小的兄弟姐妹，與弟弟 Güven 和妹妹 Serap 形影不離。他們的成長經歷是一首共同冒險的交響曲，從戶外露營旅行到沉浸式電玩遊戲和烹飪活動。朋友總是評價他們共同的幽默感，證明了他們的家庭紐帶。

Özer's parents were devout Muslims who bestowed meaningful names upon their children: "trust" (Güven), "mirage" (Serap), and "the one who distinguishes between right and wrong" (Faruk). Their print and copy shop, situated just steps away from their home, was the bustling backdrop of their daily lives.

厄澤爾的父母都是虔誠的穆斯林，他們給孩子取了有意義的名字：「信任」（Güven）、「海市蜃樓」（Serap）和「辨別是非的人」（Faruk）。他們的印刷影印店離家僅幾步之遙，是他們日常生活的繁華背景。

Kocaeli, once home to Roman emperors and adorned with remnants of ancient fortress walls, had undergone a transformation into an industrial powerhouse. The city's skyline was a mosaic of tobacco and sugar beet fields, petrochemical plants, and paper mills, a symbol of the economic resurgence that had swept across Turkey after the fall of the Ottoman Empire.

科賈埃利曾經是羅馬皇帝的居所，擁有古代堡壘城牆的遺跡，現已轉變為工業重鎮。這座城市的天際線是由菸草和甜菜田、石化廠和造紙廠組成的馬賽克，象徵奧斯曼帝國垮台後席捲土耳其的經濟復甦。

However, Özer's birth coincided with a period of economic turmoil. Turkey's fragile financial system, reckless borrowing, and political corruption had ignited triple-digit inflation. The lira's volatility threatened the savings of countless citizens, prompting a mass exodus of domestic assets into foreign currency deposits. By year's end, a staggering 50 percent of bank deposits were denominated in foreign currencies, a remarkable surge from a mere 1 percent the previous year.

然而，厄澤爾的出生恰逢經濟動盪時期。土耳其脆弱的金融體系、不計後果的借貸和政治腐敗引發了三位數的通貨膨脹。里拉的波動威脅到無數公民的儲蓄，促使國內資產大量外流，轉入外幣存款。到年底，外幣存款佔銀行存款的比例達到驚人的 50%，較前一年的僅 1% 大幅增加。

Amidst this economic upheaval, a charismatic and eloquent orator named Recep Tayyip Erdoğan emerged on the political scene. His sympathetic gaze and neatly trimmed mustache became familiar sights as he campaigned through Istanbul's streets, adorned in a paisley kipper tie. Erdoğan denounced the secular elite he held responsible for the country's economic woes. A devout Muslim himself, he connected with voters in his humble neighborhood of Kasımpaşa, where he had once earned a living selling simit, or sesame bread. Riding a wave of discontent, Erdoğan was elected mayor of Istanbul in an upset victory.

在這場經濟動盪中，一位名叫雷傑普·塔伊普·艾爾多安 (Recep Tayyip Erdoğan) 的魅力非凡、雄辯的演說家出現在政治舞台上。當他戴著佩斯利花紋領帶在伊斯坦堡的街道上競選時，他富有同情心的目光和修剪整齊的小鬍子成為人們熟悉的景象。艾爾段譴責他認為對國家經濟困境負有責任的世俗菁英。他自己是一名虔誠的穆斯林，在卡西姆帕薩 (Kasımpaşa) 的簡陋社區與選民建立了聯繫，他曾在那裡靠賣芝麻麵包謀生。頂著不滿情緒，艾爾段出人意料地當選伊斯坦堡市長。

Concurrently, two Turkish business magnates launched Turkcell, the nation's pioneering mobile communication system, predating similar initiatives in the United States by a year and a half. In 2003, Erdoğan ascended to the role of prime minister, heralding a decade of unprecedented economic growth. Labeled by foreign observers as Turkey's "Silent Revolution," this period was characterized by business-friendly policies, a massive construction boom, and a successful curbing of inflation. Erdoğan's pro-business stance fostered a thriving middle class and propelled Turkey towards the threshold of European Union membership.

同時，兩位土耳其商業巨頭推出了土耳其首創的行動通訊系統 Turkcell，比美國推出類似措施早了一年半。 2003年，艾爾段就任總理，預示著十年來前所未有的經濟成長。這段時期被外國觀察家稱為土耳其的“無聲革命”，其特點是有利於商業的政策、大規模的建設熱潮和成功抑制通貨膨脹。艾爾段的親商業立場培育了蓬勃發展的中產階級，並推動土耳其邁向加入歐盟的門檻。

Özer, even as a teenager, was captivated by the entrepreneurial spirit. Juggling his studies with after-school shifts at his parents' print shop, he harbored an unyielding desire to forge his own path in the business world. Midway through high school, he resolved to abandon further education, convinced that it would not lead him to his entrepreneurial dream.

厄澤爾在青少年時期就被企業家精神所吸引。他一邊學習，一邊在父母的印刷店放學後輪班，他懷抱著在商業世界開闢自己道路的堅定願望。高中到一半時，他決定放棄繼續深造，因為他確信這不會讓他實現創業夢想。

By 2013, Turkey had witnessed a remarkable economic transformation. Gross domestic product had nearly tripled, the lira had stabilized against the dollar, and the country was actively pursuing EU membership. This period also marked the impending launch of BtcTurk, Turkey's first cryptocurrency exchange and reportedly the world's fourth.

到了2013年，土耳其見證顯著的經濟轉型。國內生產毛額成長了近兩倍，里拉兌美元匯率穩定，該國正在積極尋求加入歐盟。這段時期也標誌著 BtcTurk 即將推出，這是土耳其第一家加密貨幣交易所，據報道也是全球第四家。

However, in May of that year, a peaceful gathering in Istanbul's Gezi Park transformed into a flashpoint of unrest. Activists, protesting plans to redevelop the park into an Ottoman-style shopping mall, were met with excessive force by police. This incident ignited nationwide demonstrations, with over 3 million people taking to the streets. Their grievances extended beyond the loss of green space, encompassing the growing authoritarianism of Erdoğan's government. The protests resulted in thousands of injuries and at least five deaths. Özer, then 19 years of age, witnessed firsthand the escalation of violence and the erosion of civil liberties.

然而，當年5月，伊斯坦堡蓋茲公園的一次和平集會變成了騷亂的爆發點。活動人士抗議將公園重新開發為奧斯曼風格購物中心的計劃，並遭到警察過度武力鎮壓。此事件引發全國示威，超過300萬人走上街頭。他們的不滿不僅限於綠地的喪失，還包括艾爾段政府日益增長的獨裁主義。抗議活動導致數千人受傷，至少五人死亡。當時 19 歲的厄澤爾親眼目睹了暴力升級和公民自由受到侵蝕。

In the aftermath of the Gezi Park protests, Erdoğan's government embarked on a crackdown on dissent, jailing a record number of journalists and implementing internet censorship. These actions prompted a withdrawal of foreign investment, further straining Turkey's economic progress.

蓋齊公園抗議活動發生後，艾爾段政府開始鎮壓異議人士，監禁了創紀錄數量的記者，並實施了網路審查。這些行動促使外國投資撤出，進一步限制了土耳其的經濟發展。