World’s largest asset managers BlackRock, Goldman Sachs, Capital Group and Brookfield gather in Astana (PHOTO)

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

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

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.

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.

AIFC Press Office,

Ainur Issabayeva, press secretary

E-mail: [email protected]