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]
