NUR SULTAN: Astana Finance Days (AFD) financial conference opened in Nur-Sultan city on July 1 and will commence on July 4, 2019. It is held for the second time and is designed to bring together world experts, politicians, representatives of business, civil service and academia, international financial centres, as well as representatives of companies registered in the Astana International Financial Centre.
As part of AFD-2019, participants will be able to attend the following panel sessions of the conference and workshops.
On July 2, the grand opening of the AIFC Court’s building and the International Center for Arbitration will take place. Also set to start are the FinTech Summit, and an EdTech Forum with the theme “People. Inspiration. Progressive Growth.” Additionally, the 11th meeting of the working group on economic cooperation of the Cooperation Council of Turkic-speaking states will take place.
On July 3, the III Capital Markets Forum “Financing the Economy through Capital Market Tools,” the Forum on Infrastructure Finance, the AIFC Conference on Islamic Finance and Legal Issues, the 9th meeting of Ministers of Economy of the Cooperation Council of Turkic-speaking States and the 3rd meeting of the Executive Council of the Islamic Organization for Food Security.
On July 4, the AIFC Conference on Islamic Finance will take place, and a panel session: Business &/vs. Media, organized by the ATAMEKEN BUSINESS media holding. Also on the day, the First Forum of AIFC participants, a demonstration of the processes of arbitration and mediation, as well as legal discussions of the AIFC are set to take place.
The AFD will also host the II Annual Meeting of the AIFC International Council chaired by the Head of State. The Council includes the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan, ministers of the financial and economic bloc, the head of the AIFC, as well as such international experts as President and Chairman of the Board of Sberbank Herman Gref and President of the European Bank for Development and Reconstruction Suma Chakrabarti.
AIFC and Centre for Fourth Industrial Revolution ink partnership agreement
The Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) signed a partnership agreement with the World Economic Forum (WEF) Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution is a hub for global, multi-stakeholder cooperation to develop policy frameworks and advance collaborations that accelerate the benefits of science and technology. For the first stage AIFC identified the following 3 priority project areas: 1) Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning; 2) Blockchain and Distributed Ledger Technology; 3) Digital trade. Being a partner of the Center means AIFC can work alongside governments, policymakers, regulators, industry, and academia to establish a framework that best enables emerging technologies. This builds on the AIFC’s collaboration with the start-up community through its Innovation Labs, digital groups and local industrial partners to prototype and deliver outcomes not only for Kazakhstan’s economy but also for the region.
“The AIFC is pleased to join the World Economic Forum’s Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution as a partner to support Kazakhstan’s national ambitions in transforming the country into one of the safest, most stable, ecologically sustained states of the world with a dynamically developing economy in line with the Kazakhstan 2050 strategy, as well as taking the lead in advancements in digital technologies as part of the Digital Kazakhstan initiative,” – mentioned Governor of AIFC, Kairat Kelimbetov.
“The Astana International Finance Centre brings a unique perspective to the Centre Network. We are looking forward to working with them across our artificial intelligence, blockchain, and digital trade project areas,” – said Murat Sonmez, Head of the World Economic Forum Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution Network. Depending on the depth of the engagement, partners can engage with a number of projects each year and may be entitled to embed key personnel within the Centre for extended periods. Engagement allows for attendance at the Annual Meeting of the New Champions, the Forum meeting devoted to science, technology, and innovation, held annually in China.
In addition, it gives access to the Forum’s online platforms, TopLink and Transformation Maps. Partnering organizations will also be able to participate in meetings and workshops at the Center. AIFC joins Centre partners that are global companies with the scale and ambition to help chart Fourth Industrial Revolution governance. Those include Accenture, Cognite, Deloitte, Deutsche Bank, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, McKinsey & Company, Microsoft Corporation, Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corporation, SAP, Saudi Aramco, Splunk, Inc., Suntory Holdings Ltd., Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Visa Inc.
Courtesy: Media Hub International, UAE