Astana International Financial Centre signed partnership with the WEF Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution

AIFC Authority

01.07.2019

The Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) signed 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 partner of the Center means AIFC can work alongside governments, policy makers, 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 bring 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.

Reference:

AIFC. In December 2015, the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, signed the Constitutional Law on the establishment of the International Financial Centre “Astana” (AIFC). The purpose of AIFC is the formation of a leading center of financial services on international level. For the first time in the post-Soviet space, the principles of English law will be introduced, the official language of the financial center will be English.
AIFC’s tasks are to assist in attracting investments to the country’s economy by creating an attractive environment for investing in financial services, developing the securities market of the Republic of Kazakhstan, ensuring its integration with international capital markets. www.aifc.kz

The Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution is a hub for global, multistakeholder cooperation to develop policy frameworks and advance collaborations that accelerate the benefits of science and technology.Emerging technologies inevitably have both merits and risks. The extent to which the benefits are maximized and the risks mitigated depends on the quality of governance protocols – policies, norms, standards and incentives that shape the development and deployment of technologies. Governance must be stable, interoperable, predictable and transparent enough to build confidence among investors, companies, scientists and the general public, but also agile enough to remain relevant in the face of rapid advances in technology.