On 10 September, the 9th edition of Astana Finance Days 2026: Delivering Impact. Capital in Action continues at the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC), bringing together investors, representatives of the financial and technology sectors, regulators, government and quasi-government institutions, and the international business community.
Day Two focuses on Kazakhstan’s role as a regional financial and trade hub, the continued development of its capital markets, aviation finance, private equity, digital assets and Islamic finance, artificial intelligence infrastructure, the creative industries, and new sustainable finance instruments.
The second day's business program opens with a plenary session “From Transit to Transactions: Kazakhstan’s Rise as a Regional Finance and Trade Hub.” The session features Nurlan Zhakupov, Chairman of the Management Board of Samruk-Kazyna JSC; Renat Bekturov, Governor of the AIFC; Yilmaz Kocagöz, Co-Head of EMEA Emerging Markets Sales at Goldman Sachs; and Jad Ellawn, Managing Partner and Regional Head for the Middle East at Brookfield. The session is moderated by Drew Guff, Founder Partner and Chief Investment Officer of Siguler Guff.
Participants examine how Kazakhstan's geographic position, development of tran
sport routes, financial infrastructure, and capital markets can help transform transit flows into investment projects, transactions, and long-term partnerships.
The discussion will continue with the session “Kazakhstan’s Capital Market: What Comes Next?” featuring representatives of the Astana Financial Services Authority (AFSA), the Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan for Regulation and Development of the Financial Market, FTSE Russell and the Association of Financiers of Kazakhstan. Participants will discuss measures to enhance market liquidity, broaden the investor base and further develop market infrastructure.
The regional agenda will continue with the session “Unlocking Investment Flows: Kazakhstan–China Capital Market Integration.” The session will bring together representatives of Astana International Exchange, China International Capital Corporation, Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing, Shanghai Stock Exchange and Samruk-Kazyna JSC. Discussions will focus on cross-border capital raising, access for Kazakhstani issuers to international investors, and the continued development of financial cooperation with China.
At the session “Residency through Investment: Positioning Kazakhstan for Globally Mobile Capital”, representatives of government authorities and international experts will discuss the development of investment residency mechanisms, including the AIFC Investment Tax Residency Programme (ITRP). Through the AIFC’s partnerships with the global platforms Bybit and Binance, digital assets traded on AFSA-licensed platforms have become available as a new investment instrument under the ITRP.
Aviation finance will be one of the key sectoral themes of Day Two. During the roundtable “The Untapped Potential of the Regional Aviation Finance Market in Kazakhstan and Central Asia,” representatives of government authorities, airlines, airports, cargo operators, financial institutions and leasing companies will discuss financing for aircraft, aviation infrastructure and other strategic industry assets.
At the roundtable, the AIFC will present its first analytical report, Aviation Finance in Kazakhstan and Central Asia: Global Trends and the Role of the AIFC. The report examines aircraft financing and leasing models, the experience of international aviation hubs, the investment potential of Central Asia and the Caucasus, and the opportunities offered by the AIFC jurisdiction for structuring aviation transactions.
The successful completion of Kazakhstani cargo airline Jupiter Jet's first aircraft leasing transaction with an American lessor will also be announced during the event. The AIFC Aviation Finance Hub supported the company in structuring the leasing transaction.
In addition, the AIFC and the Development Bank of Kazakhstan plan to sign a Memorandum of Understanding to support sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) projects. The parties intend to jointly promote the development of SAF projects, facilitate cooperation among market participants and create conditions for attracting financing to Kazakhstan’s emerging SAF sector.
A separate section of the programme is dedicated to the development of the private equity market. The AIFC, Qazaqstan Investment Corporation (QIC) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) will present a joint report featuring previously unpublished data on investment activity, together with the findings of surveys and interviews with market participants.
The Day Two technology track will examine the AIFC digital asset ecosystem, the development of Islamic investment instruments and new forms of market infrastructure. During the session “Beyond Traditional Markets: The Rise of Derivatives and Prediction Markets”, representatives of AFSA, ITS, AIX, Bloomberg, Binance and Orient Capital Management will discuss the application of new instruments and approaches to their regulation.
A significant part of the programme will focus on transforming intellectual property into an investable asset. The panel session “Creative Industries as an Emerging Asset Class: Unlocking Investment in Film, Music, Gaming, and Digital Content” will bring together representatives of the music industry, game development, digital platforms, venture capital funds and investment companies. Participants will discuss financing mechanisms for creative projects, intellectual property monetisation models and the criteria determining the investment readiness of creative businesses.
The discussion will be followed by Creative Pitch Day 2026. The AIFC’s creative platform received more than 100 applications from the film, music, game development and digital content sectors. Of these, 19 projects were shortlisted and will be presented to potential investors.
During the second day of the forum, a number of documents are expected to be signed, including a Memorandum of Understanding between the AIFC Green Finance Centre, First Carbon Group Ltd. and Green Investment Group LLP on cooperation in sustainable finance, the development of carbon projects and investment attraction; a Memorandum of Understanding between the AIFC Green Finance Centre and HYT-CAPITAL LLC on cooperation in the preparation, structuring and financing of sustainable projects, the development of relevant financial instruments and investment attraction, including through the opportunities offered by the capital markets of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan; a Memorandum of Understanding between the AIFC and the Creative Industries Alliance of Qazaqstan on the development of creative industries, attracting investment into creative projects and the further development of the AIFC Creative Industries Platform; Memorandum of Understanding between CodeCoin Tech Ltd. and Delta DA Ltd., and between CodeCoin Tech Ltd. and JSC Altyn Bank, on cooperation in cross-border financial services, fintech, asset management, trade finance and payment infrastructure; as well as a Memorandum of Understanding between Astana International Exchange (AIX) and the Kyrgyz Stock Exchange (KSE) aimed at strengthening cooperation and fostering engagement between the capital markets of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.
Another major event will be the launch of trading on Astana International Exchange in voluntary carbon market credits verified under the international Verified Carbon Standard (VCS). AIX will become the first exchange in Central Asia to provide its own infrastructure for such trading.
In addition, Tech Hub Ltd. and ōzen will sign a framework cooperation agreement aimed at developing a music royalty tokenisation platform in Kazakhstan and Central Asia.
New investment opportunities associated with artificial intelligence will be presented during the session “AI as a New Driver of Capital and Markets”. AIFC Insights will present its report, AI as Infrastructure: Investment, Compute, Power and Capital Formation across Kazakhstan and the Turkic Space, which examines the computing capacity, data centres, energy and telecommunications infrastructure required for the development of AI.
The sustainable finance agenda will continue with the presentation of preliminary findings from a joint AIFC–OECD study on nature-related financial risks. The initial analysis covers the banking sector, which accounts for approximately 91% of the country’s total financial-sector assets.
During a session on the development of blue finance, the AIFC Green Finance Centre, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE) will present their work on Kazakhstan’s first national Blue Taxonomy and National Blue Bond Issuance Guidelines. These instruments are intended to establish common criteria for financing projects related to water security, the modernisation of water infrastructure, wastewater treatment and the protection of aquatic ecosystems.
As part of the technology track of the Day Two participants will discuss new financial instruments and approaches to their regulation. AFSA will present its newly developed regulatory framework for testing Event-Based Contracts during the session “Beyond Traditional Markets: The Rise of Derivatives and Prediction Markets”. Payouts under these derivative instruments depend on the occurrence of a specified financial or economic event. Testing will take place exclusively within the AIFC FinTech Lab, allowing new products to be assessed in a controlled regulatory environment.
Furthermore, AFSA has also recognised the Clearing Participation Certificates to be issued by International Trading System Limited as a Qualified Investment. The new collateral instrument is intended to improve liquidity management efficiency and facilitate access to secured financing through repo transactions.
The AIFC will also present a concept for establishing the AIFC Reinsurance Hub, a regional reinsurance platform for structuring, joint underwriting and reinsurance of major corporate, energy, infrastructure and transport risks. The initiative aims to strengthen reinsurance capacity in Kazakhstan and Central Asia, improve underwriting quality, and expand market participants' access to international reinsurers. The hub is expected to utilize the AIFC's financial and legal infrastructure, including its special regulatory regime and English common law framework.The parameters of the proposed model will be further developed in cooperation with government authorities, regulators, the insurance community, investors and international market participants.
The Day One of the forum concluded with the announcement of the AIFC Awards 2026 laureates. The awards recognise companies and organisations for their significant contribution to the development, strengthening and promotion of the AIFC ecosystem. Awards were presented in the following categories:
- Leading Asset Manager — OQAM Finance Ltd.;
- Financial Market Development Leader — International Trading System Limited;
- Excellence in Islamic Finance — MIZAN Islamic Finance Ltd.;
- AIFC Business Establishment Pioneer— Consult Engineering Group Limited;
- Sustainable Finance & ESG Leadership — Global ESG Partnership NPIO;
- Best Digital Customer Experience — Ailat AI Ltd.;
- Best Global Promotion of the AIFC Ecosystem — Fonte Capital Ltd.;
- Best Local Promotion of the AIFC Ecosystem — Abylai Global Solutions Ltd.
At the AIFC Legal Awards 2026, Sayat Zholshy Law Firm Limited was named Law Firm of the Year, while Maxim Burak was named Lawyer of the Year.
AIFC Special Recognition for contributions to international cooperation was presented to GulfLink Ltd., China International Capital Corporation (CICC), Shanghai Stock Exchange, and the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in the Republic of Kazakhstan.
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 contact 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; and Euronews is the International Media Partner. 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]
