ASTANA (TCA) — On June 8, during the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Kazakhstan, the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) and Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE) announced the signing of a Shareholders’ Agreement to become primary shareholders of AIFC Exchange.
The AIFC and SSE will establish and develop AIFC Exchange as the regional financial services hub of the Belt and Road.
The Shanghai Stock Exchange said it will own 25.1 percent of the Astana exchange, Xinhua reported.
According to plans, the Astana exchange will be a major platform for securitization of state-owned assets of Kazakhstan. It will also be a Renminbi trade center in Central Asia, and an important financial platform of the Silk Road Economic Belt, providing financing for Belt and Road related projects, the SSE said in a statement.
According to the AIFC Governor Kairat Kelimbetov: “AIFC welcomes partnership with the Shanghai Stock Exchange – a worldwide acknowledged leader of the exchange industry. The broad expertise of SSE in developing and maintaining a highly liquid capital market will benefit AIFC Exchange as a greenfield market place. SSE as a primary shareholder & strategic partner can help AIFC Authority to turn AIFC Exchange into an exchange that is both highly technological and compliant with the best international practice. As a result this will attract and enlarge the local and international investor base, which will help to develop capital market in Kazakhstan and the entire Central Asian region.”
The Chairman of SSE Mr. Wu Qing noted that strategic cooperation between AIFC and SSE will further strengthen the relationship between China and Kazakhstan in financial industry and will open new investment opportunities.
