Delegation of the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Belarus headed by Deputy Minister Olga Tarasevich has visited "Astana" International Financial Centre on July 16, 2021. The delegation from Minsk was accompanied by the Ambassador of the Republic of Belarus to the Republic of Kazakhstan Pavel Utyupin.
The guests were introduced to the activities of AIFC bodies, including the Court and the International Arbitration Center, the Financial Services Regulatory Committee, the Islamic Finance and Business Hub and the Expat Centre. The guests were particularly attentive to the work of the Green Finance Center and the AIFC Exchange, since the main purpose of the visit was to discuss the issue of green bonds placement on the AIFC platform.
The interest of the Belarusian side to place such bonds on the AIFC Exchange was indicated by the Prime Minister of Belarus Roman Golovchenko as part of his visit to the AIFC during his working visit to Kazakhstan at the end of June this year.
In this regard, the Head of the Green Finance Centre Aidar Kazybayev with the participation of Vice Minister of Finance of the Republic of Kazakhstan Dauren Kenbeil, Deputy Chairman of the EDB Board Amangeldy Yesenov and CEO of the AIX Renat Bekturov held a working meeting with the delegation of the Belarusian Ministry of Finance to discuss possible areas of cooperation on the placement of green securities. During the meeting, the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Belarus expressed interest in introducing green financing tools in the Republic.
As a result of the meeting, the parties signed a trilateral Framework Agreement on Cooperation between the AIFC, the Eurasian Development Bank and the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Belarus.
The agreement provides assistance to the Republic of Belarus in the development of green finance on the platform of AIFC Green Finance Center, as well as the exchange of best practices and knowledge in the field of investment in environmental and social projects.
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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).
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