Astana, September 18, 2026 – The Europe Today: The ninth Astana Finance Days 2026, held under the theme “Delivering Impact. Capital in Action,” brought together around 8,000 participants from 90 countries at the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) on September 9–10.
The two-day forum gathered investors, financial and technology companies, regulators, government institutions and international businesses to discuss developments in financial infrastructure, digital assets, artificial intelligence, sovereign and institutional capital, cross-border market connectivity, and Kazakhstan’s role as a regional financial and trade hub.
Participants included representatives of major international financial institutions and investment companies such as BlackRock, Goldman Sachs, Capital Group, Brookfield, E Fund Management, Rothschild & Co., IFC Asset Management Company and Hong Kong Investment Corporation. Collectively, the companies represented at the forum manage more than $26 trillion in assets, including over $15 trillion managed by BlackRock.
AIFC Governor Renat Bekturov said the centre was established to connect Kazakhstan and Central Asia with global capital markets, emphasizing the importance of directing capital toward companies, projects and businesses capable of generating growth and new opportunities.
The forum featured senior representatives from Kazakhstan’s financial and corporate sectors, including Timur Suleimenov, Governor of the National Bank of Kazakhstan; Nurlan Zhakupov, Chairman of the Management Board of Samruk-Kazyna; and Timur Turlov, CEO of Freedom Holding Corp. International speakers included Balaji Srinivasan, founder of Network School, alongside representatives of BlackRock, Goldman Sachs, Brookfield, Bloomberg and Anchorage Digital.
One of the key capital-market developments was the listing on the Astana International Exchange (AIX) of two tranches of Development Bank of Kazakhstan Dim Sum bonds with five- and ten-year maturities. The total issuance amounted to 3.7 billion Chinese yuan, with coupon rates of 2.25% and 2.75%.
The transaction expanded the range of yuan-denominated financial instruments available on AIX and opened additional opportunities for attracting Chinese capital.
AIX also launched trading in voluntary carbon credits verified under the international Verified Carbon Standard, becoming the first exchange in Central Asia to introduce such trading. The new instrument is intended to provide transparent trading rules and market-based pricing while facilitating access to financing for climate-related projects in the region.
Investment in the real economy was another major component of the forum. During Junior Mining Investment Day, 23 early-stage mining projects were presented to investors and strategic partners, resulting in four letters of intent for further discussions on potential financing and cooperation.
The pilot Creative Pitch Day 2026 attracted more than 100 applications covering film, music, game development and digital content. Nineteen shortlisted projects were presented to investors, leading to nine letters of intent.
The AIFC also advanced financing mechanisms for creative industries through a framework agreement between Tech Hub Ltd. and ōzen X. The parties plan to establish a music royalty tokenisation platform within the AIFC jurisdiction, based on a catalogue of 7,000 music tracks, providing artists with a potential mechanism to raise capital against future royalty income.
In aviation finance, the AIFC presented a regional pilot report examining aircraft acquisition and leasing models and investment opportunities in Central Asia and the Caucasus. The AIFC Aviation Finance Hub supported Kazakhstan-based cargo airline Jupiter Jet in completing its first aircraft leasing transaction with a US lessor.
The AIFC and the Development Bank of Kazakhstan also signed a memorandum of understanding to explore projects related to sustainable aviation fuel.
Sustainable finance remained a key area of discussion, with the AIFC Green Finance Centre, UNDP and the Partnership for Action on Green Economy presenting further work on Kazakhstan’s Blue Taxonomy, national guidelines for blue bonds and criteria for projects related to water security and aquatic ecosystems.
Several memoranda of understanding were signed during the forum, covering areas including mutual access to financial markets, regulatory cooperation, sustainable aviation fuel, green finance, agricultural tokenisation, creative industries, digital assets, and cooperation between AIX and the Kyrgyz Stock Exchange.
The forum also featured world-renowned Kazakh singer Dimash Qudaibergen as a special guest.
Astana Finance Days 2026 concluded with the AIFC Awards 2026, which recognised 14 companies, organisations and experts for their contributions to the AIFC’s financial, investment and legal ecosystem and its international partnerships.
The event was supported by a broad group of partners from the financial, technology, aviation, investment and media sectors.
The outcomes of Astana Finance Days 2026 highlighted the AIFC’s role as a platform connecting international capital, regulatory expertise and regional projects through new financial instruments, cross-border agreements and investment opportunities.
