Global Capital in Astana: AFD 2026 Brings Together Asset Managers with US $26 Trillion Under Management
Astana Finance Days brings together representatives of the world’s leading financial institutions, including BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager with more than US$15 trillion in assets under management, also Goldman Sachs, Capital Group, Brookfield, E Fund Management, Rothschild & Co., IFC Asset Management Company, Hong Kong Investment Corporation and other global financial organisations. The companies represented at the forum collectively manage over US$26 trillion in assets.
On September 9 and 10, the Astana International Financial Centre is hosting the 9th financial forum, Astana Finance Days 2026: Delivering Impact. Capital in Action. It brings together investors, representatives of the financial and technology sectors, regulators, government and quasi-government institutions, and international businesses. The forum attracted 8000 participants from 90 countries.
The forum’s programme focuses on capital markets and investment products, regulation and the legal environment, institutional-scale innovation, financing of the real sector of the economy, as well as regional and cross-border cooperation.
“Today's competition for capital requires not only attractive terms but also the ability to transform opportunities into real projects and investments. This is the essence of Astana Finance Days 2026: Delivering Impact. Capital in Action. We bring together investors, regulators, and businesses to transform ideas into practical solutions, investment projects, and long-term partnerships,” noted Renat Bekturov, Governor of the AIFC.
The first day’s business programme begins with sessions on the role of sovereign and institutional capital in economic growth, the future of financial infrastructure, the tokenisation of real-world assets, investor protection, sustainable finance and the development of real-sector projects.
The day’s central event will be the plenary session, “Rewiring the Architecture of Finance”. Speakers will include Timur Suleimenov, Governor of the National Bank of Kazakhstan;
Renat Bekturov, Governor of the AIFC; Timur Turlov, Chief Executive Officer of Freedom Holding Corp.; Balaji Srinivasan, founder of Network School and bestselling author of The Network State; and Sergio Mello, Global Head of Stablecoin Solutions at Anchorage Digital. The session will be moderated by Sallianne Taylor, Head of Government Relations for EMEA at Bloomberg. Participants will discuss how technology, regulation and new models of capital movement are reshaping financial markets. The global financial system is entering a new era in which digital assets are becoming an integral part of public policy, while artificial intelligence is beginning to manage capital flows. The digital tenge, crypto reserves, AI regulation and decentralised finance are no longer abstract concepts but part of national agendas and business strategies. How do national regulators, development institutions and global technology companies envision the future of the global financial system and the evolving map of capital flows? The session will bring together key architects of the emerging financial order to discuss the transformation of financial infrastructure and the future of digital assets.
Ben Powell, Managing Director and Chief Investment Strategist for the Middle East and APAC — BlackRock Investment Institute, will offer a distinct perspective on the new capital markets cycle.
During the session “Sovereign and Institutional Capital as Catalysts for Growth and Strategic Transformation,” participants will discuss how sovereign and institutional investors can support long-term development, structural transformation and the implementation of large-scale projects. The discussion will feature representatives of the Hong Kong Investment Corporation, Fitch Ratings and other financial institutions.
The technology track will continue with the sessions “The Future of Financial Infrastructure” and “Capital Beyond Borders: Tokenisation and the New Financial Infrastructure.” Representatives of the Development Bank of Kazakhstan, the National Payment Corporation of Kazakhstan, Mastercard, Janus Henderson Investors, Bir Ecosystem, Phillip Securities, Solana, The Open Platform and Commodity Chain will discuss the development of payment infrastructure, digital assets and new mechanisms for capital movement.
One of the key industry topics on the first day will be the financing of junior exploration companies and early-stage mining projects. The session “Financing Junior Mining Projects: Challenges and Opportunities” will feature representatives of Solidcore, Alphamar, Elistra Advisory and Aurora Minerals Group.
The programme will continue with keynote presentations by representatives of KAZ Minerals, Solidcore Resources, AGS, Zubr Capital, Freedom Holding Corp. and BI Group, focusing on the technological transformation of the economy, investment in AI infrastructure and computing capacity, the development of innovation clusters, attracting international capital, and the commercial real estate market. The programme will also feature project pitches and investor matchmaking sessions with potential investors. In April this year, the AIFC launched the Junior Mining Platform to attract investment into early-stage exploration projects and opened applications for junior companies. The AIFC platform connects junior companies with domestic and international investors. Of the 48 projects submitted, 23 were selected and will be presented to investors during a pitching session at the forum.
The forum will also feature the second annual meeting of the Turkic Green Finance Council, bringing together representatives of financial regulators, government bodies and development institutions from across the Turkic region. Participants will include Kubanychbek Omuraliev, Secretary General of the Organization of Turkic States; Baghdad Amreyev, President of the Turkic Investment Fund; and representatives of the Central Bank of Azerbaijan, the Kyrgyz Stock Exchange, the Hungarian National Bank, the AIFC Green Finance Centre and other organisations.
Also on the first day, a closed meeting of the AIFC Islamic Finance Advisory Board will be held.
Financial security will be addressed during the session “Financial Intelligence in the Digital Age: From Virtual Assets to Artificial Intelligence.” Representatives of the Egmont Group, Sherlocq, Eurasian Bank and the Astana Financial Services Authority will discuss how the development of digital technologies is changing approaches to identifying financial risks and interactions between the public and private sectors.
A separate track will focus on the AIFC’s legal infrastructure. The session “Capital in Action: How the AIFC Court and IAC Protect Investor Rights” will feature Chief Justice of the AIFC Court, the Chairman of the International Arbitration Centre and other speakers. The session will examine how the AIFC Court and IAC protect investor rights through effective international dispute resolution and digital innovation. Participants will also discuss institutional dispute-resolution strategies aimed at increasing transparency, strengthening investor confidence and supporting sustainable investment in Kazakhstan.
At the forum, the AIFC will also debut AIDA — the AIFC Intelligent Digital Assistant AIDA is a multilingual intelligent assistant designed to support clients and help them navigate the Centre’s services. It processes text and voice queries, provides information about AIFC registration, applicable requirements, procedures and services, and, where necessary, directs users to the appropriate department or specialist. Forum participants will be able to test the system in different languages in real time.
The first day’s regional track will continue with the AFSA roundtable “From Fragmentation to Integration: Regional Cooperation to Strengthen Financial Markets.” It will bring together representatives of financial regulators from Georgia, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, as well as international financial organisations and development institutions, including the Asian Development Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation. Representatives of Bloomberg and stock exchanges from Central Asia and the South Caucasus will also participate. The roundtable will address key barriers to cross-border capital flows and practical measures to expand access to financial markets, facilitate mutual recognition and information exchange, and strengthen supervisory cooperation.
During the day, several agreements are expected to be signed. These include a Memorandum of Understanding between the National Bank of Georgia and the Astana Financial Services Authority (AFSA) to facilitate access and recognition in the financial services sector, as well as a Memorandum of Understanding between AFSA and the Croatian Financial Services Supervisory Agency (HANFA) to strengthen regulatory cooperation and deepen the partnership.
As part of the AIFC grain tokenisation initiative, Tech Hub Limited is also expected to sign separate Memoranda of Understanding with Concordia Group Ltd. and Aitas Agro Ltd. to advance technological solutions and develop new instruments for the agricultural market.
An important component of the forum will be the AFD Exhibition Hub, an exhibition platform bringing together financial institutions, banks, investment and asset management companies, and fintech and technology projects. Participants will present their products, solutions and achievements while establishing direct contacts with potential partners and investors.
Astana Finance Days 2026 is being held with the support of its partners. Freedom is the forum’s Gold Partner; Solidcore Resources, KAZ Minerals and ITS are Silver Partners; LMAX Group and Teniz Capital Investment Banking are Bronze Partners; Allur is the Industry Partner; Binance is the Crypto Partner; Mastercard is the Fintech Partner; Air Astana is the Official Airline; Euronews and SCMP as the International Media Partners. Other partners include Orient Capital Management, Dana Capital Limited, BI Group, CICC, Roemer Capital (Europe), Masdar, E Fund Management (Hong Kong), Abylai Global Solutions, Symphony Digital Assets, Fitch Ratings, AmCham Kazakhstan, Solana, Halyk Finance, MYD Production, Atlas Capital, PwC, Anchorage Digital, Alif, Jupiter Jet, RCS Group, Zubr Capital, Vitis Capital, Amicorp, Code Coin and others.
Reference:
The Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) is an independent jurisdiction where investors and business meet emerging opportunities of Kazakhstan and Central Asia in a transparent and sustainable environment backed by the principles of English Common Law. www.aifc.kz
AIFC Press Office,
Ainur Issabayeva, press secretary
E-mail: [email protected]
