Financial Center News #119

The 8th edition of Astana Finance Days, hosted by our member AIFC (Astana International Financial Centre), once again confirmed its status as the leading financial forum of the region. With 5,000+ participants from 80+ countries and $1.5 trillion AUM represented, the event showcased the role of capital in shaping the future economy.

💬 "Since its inception, the #AIFC has provided a unique institutional environment… strengthening the confidence of global investors. The total investment of AIFC companies in Kazakhstan has already exceeded $17 billion." — Serik Zhumangarin, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Economy

💬 "When we say 'capital,' it has many dimensions — Astana itself, financial capital, human capital, and institutional capital. This is what builds trust, and trust is the foundation of any financial system." — Renat Bekturov, CFA, AIFC Governor

Congratulations to AIFC (Astana International Financial Centre) for yet another successful edition of #AstanaFinanceDays, building the future economy through capital, innovation, and trust.

Our member Casablanca Finance City (CFC) is once again taking the lead in shaping the conversation on Africa's economic future. In partnership with Financial Times Live and with the support of the Région Casablanca–Settat, CFC is organizing a high-level forum that will gather business leaders, policymakers, and international experts to explore how African companies can thrive in today's rapidly evolving global environment. This year's edition will address crucial topics, including the green transition, innovation, financing mechanisms, and the impact of geopolitical shocks on trade and investment in Africa. Join this full day of insightful dialogue and forward-looking perspectives.

📅 19 September 2025 | 📍 Four Seasons Casablanca

📲 Register here: https://lnkd.in/eGpkBjjv

ADGM continues to lead as the region's fastest-growing international financial centre. H1 2025 marks record-breaking growth, strategic partnerships, and an expanding workforce, reinforcing Abu Dhabi's position at the forefront of global finance.

Read more here: https://lnkd.in/dFy-d7a4

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev delivered his annual Address to the Nation, setting out Kazakhstan's economic priorities for the years ahead. One of the central messages was the launch of a new investment cycle. This is a strategic opportunity for Kazakhstan to diversify from commodity dependence and position itself as an industrial and technological hub in Eurasia. Through the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC), businesses have already attracted more than USD 17 billion in investments, including USD 2.6 billion in just the first half of this year. AIFC continues to provide innovative financial instruments and global partnerships to support this wave of industrialisation.

The President also emphasized the importance of making Kazakhstan's regions more attractive to investors. Too often, investors limit their view to Astana and Almaty, but real opportunities also lie in other regions. At the AIFC, a dedicated unit works with regional projects and provides access to capital markets. Recently, it facilitated an investment dialogue in Aktobe Region between the regional administration and SM Minerals, a major Chinese mining company registered within the AIFC. This example shows how regional initiatives can be structured and promoted to attract international investors.

Digitalisation and AI remain at the heart of Kazakhstan's agenda. Within the AIFC ecosystem, more than 760 IT companies operate under competitive conditions. We are also gradually introducing innovative approaches in the digital assets market. Earlier this year, a spot Bitcoin ETF was launched on our platform, a product only a few jurisdictions worldwide have introduced. More recently, the world's first Solana spot ETF with staking was listed at AIFC. In the first half of 2025, trading volumes on AIFC-licensed crypto exchanges exceeded USD 2.8 billion. We see this as a strategic driver of investment and will continue working with government and international partners to strengthen this area.

Another important point raised by the President was the potential use of the National Fund for investments through partnerships with global asset managers. In addition, Kazakhstan has significant liquidity in its pension fund, successfully managed by the National Bank of Kazakhstan. At the same time, the National Bank is considering involving private asset managers, which could open the market to new approaches and broader participation in portfolio investment. For global asset managers, now is the right moment to explore Kazakhstan's market.

The AIFC will continue to serve as a trusted platform connecting global investors with local opportunities, providing modern infrastructure, a robust legal framework, and access to capital markets. For international companies, this is the right moment to explore Kazakhstan not only as a resource-rich economy, but as a dynamic partner in technology, finance, and regional development.

#BFC CONNECT

We teamed up with the European Chamber of Commerce in Korea (ECCK) to host an IR event with the Marine & Shipbuilding Committee.

BFC shared how #Busan is charting its course as a global #maritime #finance hub 🌊 from government initiatives to the city's long-term vision.

ABB and Teladia also joined to spotlight industry perspectives, making the dialogue even more dynamic. Big thanks to ECCK and all participants for bringing sharp insights and energy into the BIFC.

#DIFC has launched its latest Future of Finance report, "The Shift to Private Capital: The new private wealth hubs", revealing how the rapid rise of private markets and an unprecedented USD 124trn intergenerational wealth transfer are reshaping global finance.

Dubai, with the highest concentration of private wealth in any Middle Eastern city, is now home to 81,200 millionaires, 237 centimillionaires and 20 billionaires, reflecting its growing influence in global finance.

DIFC's expanding ecosystem, home to the region's biggest wealth and asset management cluster of 440 firms, including 85 hedge funds, is further cementing Dubai's role as a trusted gateway to USD 8 trillion of regional wealth.

Read the full report now: https://lnkd.in/dPaUKB33

[ EDB Hosts Eswatini Delegation on Benchmarking Tour ]

A seven-member delegation from Eswatini is presently undertaking a fact-finding mission to the Republic of Mauritius. As part of this mission, the Economic Development Board (EDB) hosted the delegation on Tuesday, 9th September 2025. The purpose of the visit is to benchmark institutional frameworks and to gain insights into the ease of doing business and the overall investment climate in Mauritius.

On this occasion, Mrs. Nirmala Jeetah, Director of Bio Industry and Project Development and representative of the ITC SheTrades Mauritius Hub, delivered a detailed presentation on the investment and business environment in Mauritius. She emphasized the vital role of strong collaboration between the public and private sectors in fostering a conducive business climate.

🌐 Read more: https://lnkd.in/dR2d5pQG

FinanceMalta extends its warmest wishes to our Chief Operations Officer, Graziella Grech, on her birthday. Her dynamic drive and energetic leadership are invaluable to our mission of promoting Malta as an international financial center.

📊 The FSA, along with OIA, MSX and MCD, met with Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) in Hong Kong

To explore cooperation in market access, cross-listing, virtual assets, fintech and green finance. 🌱✨

A great success for EschBORN for Innovation: The initiative initiated by Mayor Adnan Shaikh to promote start-ups and their networking of existing companies has once again produced a promising cooperation. The start-up Soulsa and the city-famous GLOBUS Markthallen in Eschborn will work together to create a modern shopping experience with creative food trends in the future. The goal of EschBORN for Innovation is to further expand the lively business community and to synergistically connect the innovative founders, companies and institutions at the location. "We want to position Eschborn as an innovative, smart and sustainable city in the region that is successful together with all stakeholders and drives innovation and good ideas," emphasizes Mayor Shaikh. It pursues an agile and integrative approach in order to offer the players in the start-up ecosystem a platform for growth and innovation through targeted networking, advice and training. Eschborn, also known as the location of Deutsche Börse, can obviously do more than just finance.

🌍 London – Europe's hub of financial innovation. Poland – one of the fastest-growing fintech powerhouses in Europe.

On 22 September at The Shard, visionaries, investors, and industry leaders will gather to answer a key question: What trends are shaping the future of finance?

Speakers include: 🔹 Pawel Widawski – CEO, Future Finance Poland 🔹 Jerzy Boczkowski – Embassy of the Republic of Poland in London 🔹 Experts from global innovators

📅 Save the date – this event puts Poland and the UK together on the fintech world map!

👉 Register now ➡ https://lnkd.in/ebRfapuw

🚀 Launching FSDC's Latest Report on Impact Investing

We are delighted to unveil our new research report at the AVPN Global Conference during Hong Kong Green Week 2025.

Against the backdrop of the global impact investing market's rapid expansion to US$1.57 trillion, the report highlights opportunities in climate resilience, inclusive growth, and blended finance. It also underscores the growing influence of private capital, particularly family offices, as drivers of sustainable finance, and showcases how Hong Kong stands out as a vital connector between global capital and impact opportunities across Asia-Pacific.

Mr Daniel Fung, FSDC Vice-Chair, announced the launch, while Dr Rocky Tung, FSDC Director and Head of Policy Research, shared perspectives on how cross-sector partnerships are shaping sustainable finance.

👉 https://lnkd.in/gMDgExKN

In Q2 2025, Türkiye's GDP grew 4.8% year-on-year, more than double Q1's pace. Strong gains in construction and investments underline a dynamic, resilient economy powering ahead despite global challenges.

Yesterday in Dubai Faizal Bhana hosted our family enterprise and NextGen focussed event, in partnership with Rishabh Shroff, Partner at Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas and Nirav Shah, Founder and Managing Director at FAME Advisory DMCC.

The evening event "The Role of the NextGen in the Family Enterprise" focussed on #Indian family enterprise, and its influence on the GCC's investment, advisory and philanthropy landscape.

The audience from the #Jersey, #India and #Dubai advisory communities heard from the following first class line-up of distinguished experts who shared their insights and experience on the legal, financial and practical strategies and effective legal and governance structures for succession planning at both family and business levels: • Kiran Amlani, Director, RAKC Holdings Limited • Mahesh Shahdadpuri, Head of Wealth Planning & Family Advisory, Europe Middle East & Africa, Standard Chartered Global Private Bank • Pankaj Gupta, Co-Founder and Co-CEO, Gulf Islamic Investments (GII) • Hemang Agravat, Senior Manager – Corporate Services, FAME Advisory DMCC • Karen Carre Howell, Director FPP (part of the JTC Group)

Our discussions highlighted a major shift for Indian family enterprises: the accelerating use of the India-GCC-City of London-Jersey corridor. This strategic route is essential for navigating complex multi-jurisdictional tax networks, establishing robust legal systems, and accessing specialised legal, fiduciary, and intermediary expertise.

Plus this wealth corridor is no longer just anecdotal. It has become a crucial and active channel, moving billions in assets and fuelling a surge in C-suite hiring. This significant expansion is being strategically led by the NextGen of leaders, who are at the forefront of this global growth story.

Furthermore, we recently published insights from our series of roundtables on cross-border investment trends, hosted in the Gulf region earlier this year. Read the report on our website to discover what trends are reshaping cross-border investment and finance structuring: https://jsy.fi/4gfCrii

View photos from the event on our website: https://lnkd.in/eXZn-58N

Today, our CEO, Hortense Mudenge, joined the launch of Apex Group Ltd office in Rwanda. In her remarks, she noted that Apex's arrival is a testament to the growing confidence in Rwanda's stable and progressive business environment.

The new Rwanda office will provide clients with a comprehensive suite of innovative solutions, including Fund Administration, Corporate Services, Compliance Solutions, and ESG advisory services.

By aligning with KIFC's vision of fostering cross-border investment, innovation, and sustainable finance, Apex Group will contribute to Rwanda's emergence as a trusted gateway for capital into Africa and beyond.

We're pleased to open our Focus on Compliance & Risk Management livestream with a fireside chat with Andrew McDougall, Managing Director of Geopolitical Risk at Barclays, on Navigating Geopolitical Risk. Andrew will explore how financial institutions can navigate today's heightened geopolitical risks. He and Lynn Robbroeckx will discuss how to distinguish signal from noise, balance short-term shocks with long-term resilience, integrate geopolitics into global enterprise risk management, and highlight underestimated geopolitical risks for risk managers.

Register here: http://bit.ly/4g2DYrW

With the kind support of: Aptus.AI

QFC, through its Digital Assets Lab, has launched a blockchain-based Digital Receipt System (DRS) proof of concept, designed to enhance transparency, efficiency, and regulatory compliance in Shariah-compliant finance. 🏦☪️

Developed in collaboration with AlRayan Bank, Blade Labs, and Hashgraph, the system runs on HashSphere using Hedera technology, and is deployed on Google Cloud.

This milestone reflects QFC's commitment to advancing digital assets, tokenisation, and financial innovation, while reinforcing Qatar's role as a hub for Islamic finance.

We introduce you to the jury of our BW Startup Award, which will be presented at the Finance Summit | 18.09.2025 of the Boerse Stuttgart Group.

➡️ Patrice Pogorelik Patrice is Head of Innovation Products at TechQuartier and brings new impetus to FinTech, Green Tech, AgriFood and digital transformation with accelerators and venture clienting programs. To this end, she and her team network startups, corporates, investors and policymakers so that ideas become real impact.

➡️ Fabian Wagenblast Fabian Wagenblast is a partner, tax consultant and specialist advisor for international tax law at RSM Ebner Stolz. He has been there for 13 years and advises in particular medium-sized corporate groups, investment companies and start-ups together with the underlying shareholders (private clients) on all issues of national and international tax law.

➡️ Petra Wörwag Growing up in a family of entrepreneurs, Petra Wörwag joined the family business as the fourth generation and sat on the management and supervisory board until the company was sold in 2021. Today, she invests specifically in women-led startups, accompanies young female founders as a sparring partner and is involved in encourageventures e.V. for a more diverse female founder and investor ecosystem.

We are happy that you are with us! 🙌

Would you like to learn more about the Venture Day? All information and the list of all participating start-ups can be found here: https://lnkd.in/eqTwM7wK

Last week our Director, International Development, Anna Rogers, joined a panel at the Houses of Parliament to discuss the future of carbon markets and financing nature.

The event, hosted by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Sustainable Finance (APPG) and Bankers for Net Zero (B4NZ), brought together over 150 leaders from finance, government and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to explore how high-integrity carbon markets can drive climate action.

Chaired by Anna Gelderd MP, the panel unpacked the implications of COP29's Article 6.2 framework for sovereign carbon credits and cross-border cooperation. Speakers shared insights from pilot projects in Bolivia, Ukraine and The Bahamas, and discussed the UK's strategic role in scaling carbon markets and nature finance globally.

Anna was part of a Q&A where she discussed: 📊 the potential of Article 6.2 to unlock $300–600 billion in climate finance by 2030, bridging the climate finance gap and incentivising nature-positive solutions ⚖️ the need for strong legal frameworks, digital registries and public-private collaboration 🌍 the UK's opportunity to become a global hub for carbon markets, attracting investment, creating green jobs and reinforcing its leadership in climate action.

Find out more about our work on carbon and nature markets here: 👉 https://lnkd.in/gjgh3SKU

Kenya is more than a market, it is the gateway to Africa's future! Positioned at the crossroads of trade, finance, and innovation, the country provides investors with a launchpad into one of the world's fastest-growing regions. Here's why global enterprises are choosing Kenya:

✅ Unmatched market access: Strategic trade routes connect East, Central, and Southern Africa, unlocking a consumer base of 500M+ people. ✅ A thriving financial ecosystem: Anchored in Nairobi, one of Africa's most dynamic capital markets and a fintech hub powering cross-border commerce. ✅ A young, ambitious workforce: Tech-savvy, entrepreneurial, and driving digital transformation across industries. ✅ Future-ready infrastructure: Modern connectivity by air, sea, and digital highways that enable borderless growth.

At TRIFIC SEZ, these strengths converge. Purpose-built for tomorrow's industries, it offers the regulatory ease, infrastructure, and scale enterprises need to thrive.