Cooperation on reducing the carbon footprint in Kazakhstan began on the day of the environmental worker

5 June 2021, Almaty

The «Eurasian Environmental Fund» Non-profit organization, MasterCard, the Eurasian Bank and Almaty City’s Green Economy Department signed a memorandum of cooperation on the implementation of environmental projects in order to reduce the carbon footprint in Almaty in accordance with the principles of sustainable development.

On Saturday, June 5, as the first project, an alley was planted in the recreational area of the Esentai River. Taking into account the quarantine measures, the landing was made by a specialized company. The Eurasian Bank financed the planting of 75 trees with a clod of the earth for better survival and will cover the costs of maintaining the alley within two years from the date of planting.

 “Last year we planted a record 282,000 trees across the city. Previously no more than 30-40 thousand trees per year were planted in the city. Basically, landscaping took place in the annexed territories of Alatau and Nauryzbai districts. In spring we planted 64 thousand seedlings of trees, in whole by the end of the year it is planned to root up 300 thousand young trees. Therefore, we are glad to any assistance of business and society in continuation of initiative of akim of the city to plant 1 million trees”, – said Natalya Livinskaya, head of the Almaty City Green Economy Department.

“We are planning various environmental measures to improve the ecological situation in cities and their environs in cooperation with government agencies, businesses, public organizations and environmental leaders. Our goal is to draw attention to global environmental challenges and take concrete steps to address them. For this purpose, on May 13, 2021, in the jurisdiction of the Astana International Financial Center, the Eurasian Environmental Fund was registered with the support of the AIFC Green Finance Center” said Roza Nurtazina, CEO of the «Eurasian Environmental Fund» Non-profit organization.

The Fund will be engaged in the implementation of green projects in the Republic of Kazakhstan, contributing to the achievement of carbon neutrality and sustainable development of the country.

The established Fund aims to support the implementation of the goals of the Concept of Transition of the Republic of Kazakhstan to a Green Economy, adopted in 2013, and the goals of the Paris Agreement, ratified in 2016.

“President of the Republic of Kazakhstan K. Tokayev set the task to achieve carbon neutrality of Kazakhstan by 2060. One of the tools to achieve this goal is to increase the number of green spaces and the introduction of green technologies. The AIFC is actively involved in the environmental policy of Kazakhstan and creates the necessary infrastructure to motivate business” said Aydar Kazybayev, CEO of the AIFC Green Finance Centre.

Eurasian Bank is launching a new phase of its development using green financial technologies and is developing a special banking product with environmental content. In addition, the bank will install the first NFC posters in Kazakhstan, which will allow one touch of a payment card from any Kazakh bank to transfer funds for tree planting to the Eurasian Environmental Fund.

“Today, banks are not only judged on financial performance and good governance. The bank’s involvement in social and environmental development (ESG)* is very important. Our bank’s efforts will be aimed at supporting green economy projects and creating environmentally friendly banking services. This means that by developing remote service channels and online payments, we will gradually reduce the use of plastic and paper and optimise the use of non-renewable resources. We will continue to plant trees ourselves and together with our clients through the special banking products we are developing,” said Valentin Morozov, Chairman of the Management Board of Eurasian Bank.

Reference Information:

The Astana International Financial Centre 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 Centre’s development strategy until 2025 was approved by the Management council of the AIFC during the council’s meeting on July 2, 2020. 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 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).

Eurasian Bank is a socially important financial institution of Kazakhstan, for 26 years it has been consistently among the ten largest Kazakhstani banks in terms of assets and equity capital. Provides a wide range of services to corporate and SME clients, is one of the top 5 banks in terms of retail business, and is actively developing digital banking.

Mastercard (NYSE: MA) – is a global technology company operating in the payments industry.

Our mission – is to ensure safe, simple, technological and affordable transactions, to develop and strengthen the digital economy that benefits everyone, everywhere. By leveraging secure data and networks, building partnerships and building on what inspires, we deliver innovation and solutions that help people, financial institutions, governments and businesses realize their greatest potential.

Eurasian Environmental fund – Non-profit organization was registered on May 13 of this year in the jurisdiction of the AIFC. The founders of the fund are the AIFC Green Finance Centre, the Kazakhstan Biodiversity Conservation Fund and Green Investment Group LLP.

ESG * – Environmental, social and corporate governance