Astana Finance Days 2026: New Investment Instruments, AI, and Green Finance in the Spotlight

Astana Finance Days 2026: Focus on New Investment Instruments, AI, and Green Finance

On September 10, the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) continues to host the 9th financial forum Astana Finance Days 2026: Delivering Impact. Capital in Action. The forum gathers investors, representatives of the financial and technological sectors, regulators, state and quasi-state entities, as well as international businesses.

The main topics of the second day are strengthening Kazakhstan's status as a regional financial and trade hub, further development of the capital market, aviation finance, private equity, digital assets and Islamic finance, artificial intelligence infrastructure, creative industries, and new sustainable finance instruments.

The business program of the second day opened with the plenary session "From Transit to Transactions: Kazakhstan's Emergence as a Regional Financial and Trade Hub." The discussion featured Nurlan Zhakupov, Chairman of the Management Board of JSC "Samruk-Kazyna"; Renat Bekturov, Governor of the AIFC; Yilmaz Kocagoz, Co-Head of Regional Sales for Emerging Markets in the EMEA region at Goldman Sachs; and Jad Ellawn, Managing Partner and Regional Head for the Middle East at Brookfield. The session was moderated by Drew Guff, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Siguler Guff.

Participants discussed how Kazakhstan's geographical location, the development of transport routes, financial infrastructure, and capital markets can help transform transit flows into investment projects, deals, and long-term partnerships.

This was followed by the session "Kazakhstan's Capital Market: Vector of Further Development." Representatives of the AIFC 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 discussed increasing market liquidity, expanding the investor base, and improving infrastructure.

The regional agenda continued with the session "Unlocking Investment Flows: Integrating the Capital Markets of China and Kazakhstan." Representatives of the Astana International Exchange, CICC, Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing, Shanghai Stock Exchange, and JSC "Samruk-Kazyna" discussed cross-border capital raising, access of Kazakhstani issuers to international investors, and the further development of financial cooperation with China.

A special emphasis was placed on investment residency mechanisms. At the session "Residency through Investment: Positioning Kazakhstan for Globally Mobile Capital," representatives of government bodies and international experts reviewed the development of relevant mechanisms, including the AIFC Investment Tax Residency Program.

As part of the AIFC's partnership with global platforms Bybit and Binance, digital assets traded on AFSA-licensed platforms have become available as a new investment instrument under the program.

### Aviation Finance as a New Direction

One of the key industry tracks of the second day was aviation finance. At the roundtable "Unlocking the Potential of the Regional Aviation Finance Market in Kazakhstan and Central Asia," representatives of government bodies, airlines, airports, cargo carriers, financial institutions, and leasing companies discussed the financing of aircraft, aviation infrastructure, and other strategically important assets of the industry.

During the event, the AIFC presented its first analytical report, "Aviation Finance in Kazakhstan and Central Asia: Global Trends and the Role of the AIFC." The study focuses on aircraft financing and leasing models, the experience of international aviation hubs, the investment potential of Central Asia and the Caucasus, as well as the capabilities of the AIFC jurisdiction for structuring aviation deals.

In addition, the successful completion of the first aircraft leasing transaction by the Kazakhstani cargo airline Jupiter Jet with an American lessor was announced. The AIFC Aviation and Finance Hub assisted the company in structuring the deal.

The AIFC and the Development Bank of Kazakhstan also intend to sign a memorandum of understanding to support projects in the field of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). The document provides for cooperation in the development of SAF projects, interaction among market participants, and creating conditions to attract financing to Kazakhstan's emerging sustainable aviation fuel sector.

### Private Equity and Digital Assets

A separate block of the program was dedicated to the development of the private equity market. The AIFC, Qazaqstan Investment Corporation (QIC), and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) presented a joint report containing previously unpublished data on investment activity, as well as results of surveys and interviews with market participants.

In the technology track, participants discussed the development of the AIFC digital asset ecosystem, Islamic investment instruments, and new forms of market infrastructure.

At the session "Beyond Traditional Markets: The Development of Derivatives and Prediction Markets," representatives of AFSA, ITS, AIX, Bloomberg, Binance, and Orient Capital Management discussed the application of new financial instruments and approaches to their regulation.

### Creative Industries Enter the Investment Market

A significant part of the second day's program was dedicated to turning intellectual property into an independent investment asset.

At the panel session "Creative Industries as a New Asset Class," representatives of the music industry, game development, digital platforms, venture capital funds, and investment companies discussed financing mechanisms for creative projects, intellectual property monetization models, and investment readiness criteria for creative sector companies.

The practical continuation of the discussion was the Creative Pitch Day 2026. The organizers of the AIFC creative platform received more than 100 applications in the fields of cinema, music, game development, and digital content. The final list included 19 projects that were presented to potential investors.

The forum also features the signing of several agreements in the fields of sustainable finance, creative industries, fintech, cross-border financial services, and the development of capital markets in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. In particular, memorandums are planned to be concluded with the participation of the AIFC Green Finance Centre, First Carbon Group Ltd., Green Investment Group LLP, HYT-CAPITAL, the Creative Industries Alliance of Kazakhstan, CodeCoin Tech Ltd., Delta DA Ltd., JSC "Altyn Bank," as well as the Astana International Exchange and the Kyrgyz Stock Exchange.

### Carbon Market and Tokenization

One of the notable events of the forum will be the official launch of voluntary carbon market unit trading on the AIX. According to the presented materials, the exchange will be the first in Central Asia to provide its own exchange infrastructure for trading carbon units verified under the international Verified Carbon Standard (VCS).

In addition, Tech Hub Ltd. and ōzen signed a framework cooperation agreement aimed at developing a music royalty tokenization platform in Kazakhstan and Central Asia.

### Artificial Intelligence as a New Investment Asset

New investment opportunities related to artificial intelligence were presented at the session "AI as a New Driver of Capital and Markets."

The AIFC Insights analytical center presented the report "AI as Infrastructure: Investment, Compute, Power and Capital Formation across Kazakhstan and the Turkic Space," dedicated to the computing power, data centers, energy, and telecommunications infrastructure required for the further development of AI.

In the sustainable finance block, preliminary results of a joint study by the AIFC and the OECD on financial risks associated with natural capital were presented. The primary analysis covers the banking sector, which accounts for about 91% of the country's financial sector assets.

At the session on the development of blue finance, the AIFC Green Finance Centre, UNDP, and the Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE) presented the results of their work on Kazakhstan's first national Blue Taxonomy and the National Guidelines for Issuing Blue Bonds.

These instruments are expected to set uniform criteria for financing projects in water security, modernization of water infrastructure, wastewater treatment, and the protection of water ecosystems.

### New Financial Market Instruments

Forum participants also discussed the prospects for the development of derivatives and prediction markets. AFSA presented a legal framework for testing Event-Based Contracts, the payouts of which depend on the occurrence of a specific financial or economic event.

The testing of new instruments will take place exclusively within the AIFC FinTech Lab, allowing products to be evaluated in a controlled regulatory environment.

In addition, AFSA recognized clearing participation certificates, which International Trading System Limited plans to issue, as qualified investments. The new instrument is designed to increase the efficiency of liquidity management and attracting secured financing through repo transactions.

Another initiative was the presentation of the concept of the AIFC Reinsurance Hub — a regional reinsurance hub for structuring, joint underwriting, and reinsuring large corporate, energy, infrastructure, and transport risks.

The initiative is aimed at developing the reinsurance capacity of Kazakhstan and Central Asia, improving the quality of underwriting, and expanding market participants' access to international reinsurers. The parameters of a possible model are planned to be further developed with government bodies, regulators, the insurance community, investors, and international market participants.

### AIFC Awards 2026

The first day of the forum concluded with the announcement of the AIFC Awards 2026 winners. The award recognizes companies and organizations that have made a significant contribution to the development, strengthening, and international promotion of the AIFC ecosystem.

The awards were presented to:

- "Leading Asset Management Company" — OQAM Finance Ltd.;

- "Leader in Financial Market Development" — International Trading System Limited;

- "For Achievements in Islamic Finance" — MIZAN Islamic Finance Ltd.;

- "For Contribution to Business Creation and Development in the AIFC" — Consult Engineering Group Limited;

- "Leadership in Sustainable Finance and ESG" — Global ESG Partnership NPIO;

- "Best Digital Customer Experience" — Ailat AI Ltd.;

- "Best International Promotion of the AIFC Ecosystem" — Fonte Capital Ltd.;

- "Best Promotion of the AIFC Ecosystem in Kazakhstan" — Abylai Global Solutions Ltd.

As part of the AIFC Legal Award 2026, Sayat Zholshy Law Firm Limited was recognized as the Law Firm of the Year, and Maxim Burak was named Lawyer of the Year.

Special AIFC awards for contribution to the development of international cooperation were awarded 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 part of Astana Finance Days 2026 remains the AFD Exhibition Hub — a unified exhibition space bringing together financial institutions, banks, investment and management companies, as well as fintech and technology projects.

Participants present products and solutions, hold business meetings, and establish direct contacts with potential partners and investors.