Why AIFC?
World-class regulation
The independent financial regulator of the AIFC, AFSA (Astana Financial Services Authority), aims to ensure a level playing field for all financial market participants. AFSA oversees financial, market, and professional services conducted both within and beyond the AIFC.
AFSA applies leading international regulatory and supervisory standards established by IOSCO, IAIS, BCBS, IFSB, OECD, FATF, and other organizations. Potential AIFC participants can use the eResidence program to register companies online.
Special Tax Regime
Companies operating within the AIFC have access to a special tax regime tailored to their types of activities. This regime, in compliance with BEPS standards, offers significant benefits to authorized companies providing a wide range of financial, professional, and market services.
Moreover, the tax incentives extend not only to legal entities but also to individuals, including foreign professionals and investors. This makes the AIFC an attractive choice for a broad spectrum of financial professionals.
Special Currency Regulation Regime
Participants of the AIFC can take advantage of the special currency regulation regime, which provides enhanced flexibility in conducting foreign exchange transactions.
This currency regime applies exclusively to licensed companies. Key benefits include the ability to carry out transactions in any currency, including US dollars, euros, tenge, and others.
Independent Judicial System The AIFC has its own independent judicial sy
The acts of the AIFC, which form the basis of its legislation, are developed based on the principles, laws, and precedents of English law (England and Wales), as well as the standards of leading global financial centers. The AIFC Court and the International Arbitration Centre are the first independent common law bodies and international arbitration centers in the region for resolving commercial disputes.
The AIFC also has its own eJustice system, which allows parties to file claims online with the AIFC Court and the IAC from anywhere in the world, without the need to be physically present in Astana.
International Stock Exchange
The capital market in the AIFC offers a wide range of services and products through the Astana International Exchange (AIX). AIX provides investors and issuers with all the key capital market instruments, such as initial and secondary public offerings (IPOs), equity trading, sovereign and corporate bonds, depository receipts, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), notes, as well as Islamic financial instruments and yuan-denominated bonds.
The main advantages of AIX include a regulatory environment based on international standards, a developed trading infrastructure with the participation of local and foreign brokers, a variety of capital-raising tools for companies of different sectors and ownership types, as well as innovation.