On October 7, 2021, the AIFC Green Finance Centre and the AIFC Academy of Law held a webinar on “Green Finance in Kazakhstan” in cooperation with the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange (KASE) and PwC Kazakhstan. Speakers at the webinar made presentations on the activities of the AIFC Green Finance Centre within the framework of initiatives for the development of green finance, green finance overview and perspectives in Kazakhstan, as well as the listing of ESG bonds on KASE.
Asel Nurakhmetova, Advisor of the AIFC Green Finance Centre, made a presentation on overview of the green bond market, perspectives and issuance of green bonds, as well as the activities of the AIFC Green Finance Centre related to the development and promotion of sustainable financing, attracting investments in environmental and social projects, expanding green finance instruments, products and services.
Vassiliy Kalabin and Akbota Askanbay, representatives of PwC Kazakhstan, made a presentation on green finance overview and perspectives in Kazakhstan. Vassiliy Kalabin, Manager, ESG expert at PwC Kazakhstan, spoke about the concepts of sustainable financial products and current trends. Akbota Askanbay, Director of Corporate Governance and ESG Practice at PwC Kazakhstan, made a detailed presentation of the topic of the green bond standards and principles.
Zarina Abitayeva, Director of the Issuers and Investors Relations Department of Kazakhstan Stock Exchange (KASE), made a presentation on the issuance of ESG bonds at KASE. Zarina spoke about the activities and directions of development, requirements for ESG information disclosure of KASE, as well as about listing procedure and tax incentives for ESG bonds.
More than 150 people took part in the event.
The webinar recording is available here. (Access code: y=Ba&n7a)
The AIFC Green Finance Centre is highly interested in organising webinars for the public and will continue its work to raise awareness in the field of green finance.
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The Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) was created by the initiative of the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Leader of the Nation, Nur-Sultan Nazarbayev as part of the “100 steps to implement five institutional reforms” national program. The Management council of the AIFC during the council’s meeting on July 2, 2020 approved the Centre’s development strategy until 2025. In accordance with the strategy, the vision of AIFC is in becoming the leading financial centre in the region that includes Central Asia, the Caucasus, EAEU countries, western China, Mongolia, and Eastern Europe.
The mission of the AIFC is in assisting the sustainable and long-term development of the region. As the head of state Tokayev noted, “AIFC, with its unique opportunities, can act as a universal platform that connects the countries in the region.” The strategic directions for the sustainable development of the AIFC include the development of a circular economy, financial technologies, and “digital financial centre.”
For more information about the AIFC, follow the link www.aifc.kz
The AIFC Green Finance Centre is an AIFC Organisation created to enable the development of green finance in Kazakhstan and Central Asia. The main goal is to bring investments to sustainable economy through trending financial instruments, such as green and social bonds. In addition to that, the AIFC Green Finance Centre, being a regional think-tank, provides strategic and business consulting in green finance and sustainable development to Governments, quasi-state organisations and entrepreneurs. The Centre provides initial assistance to potential issuers, investors and market players on preparations for the issuance of green bonds on the AIFC Exchange (Astana International Exchange).