Digital Assets, Tokenisation and Events based contracts: AIFC Discusses New Financial Products
On 23 October, the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC, centre) hosted AIFC Community: New Financial Products in Action, an event dedicated to emerging financial instruments and market opportunities in Kazakhstan and the AIFC. The event was held in partnership with ITS as part of the AIFC Community initiative, which aims to strengthen connections and foster cooperation among members of the AIFC ecosystem and the wider business community.
The event brought together representatives of Kazakhstan’s financial sector, the AIFC ecosystem and the business community to discuss the development of digital assets, real-world asset (RWA) tokenisation, and implementation of new financial instruments. Particular attention was given to the shift from basic trading activity towards the development of financial infrastructure, new products and their practical application in a regulated environment.
Talgat Amanbayev, Chief Innovation Officer at the AIFC Authority, commented:“The development of financial markets requires not only new products and technologies, but also close cooperation among all market participants. That is why it is important for the AIFC to strengthen connections both within its own ecosystem and beyond. Open dialogue between the regulator, AIFC participants and the professional community through AIFC Community will help foster new financial solutions, support joint projects and build the infrastructure needed to develop innovation. Ultimately, this will help expand opportunities to attract investment and support the further development of Kazakhstan’s financial market.”
During the panel discussion, Real talk: New instruments for market development, participants explored the journey of new financial products from concept to market launch, the prospects for real-world asset tokenisation and the conditions needed to introduce innovative solutions. Particular attention was paid to the legal aspects of tokenisation, the protection of token holders’ rights, and the infrastructure and commercial barriers that arise when launching and scaling new products. The discussion featured Zhanel Bekmukhanbetova, Co-founder and Director, Nevo A; Kirill Greshnikov, Senior Associate, Aequitas Law Firm; Azamat Maibalayev, Co-Founder, Association of FinTech, AI and Crypto Industry of Kazakhstan. The discussion was moderated by Talgat Amanbayev, Chief Innovation Officer, AIFC Authority.
Altay Slyamov, Director of the FinTech Division at the Astana Financial Services Authority (AFSA), presented the regulator’s perspective on financial innovation in a presentation entitled “Regulatory Perspective: From Innovation to a Regulated Market”. In his presentation, Altay Slyamov noted that AFSA regulates financial services within the AIFC and supports innovative projects through the AIFC FinTech Lab regulatory sandbox. The sandbox enables various market participants to test their solutions, including digital asset service providers, tokenised asset trading platforms, stablecoin issuers and other providers of innovative financial services.
He emphasised that the FinTech Lab is open to projects that are not covered by the existing AIFC legal framework. This allows market participants to test new products and business models in a controlled environment, while enabling the regulator to gather the information needed to develop balanced approaches to regulating innovation.
The practical part of the programme featured case studies from companies developing new financial products within the AIFC ecosystem. Sergey Danov, Chief Operating Director of the ITS, presented a case study on the launch of a new financial instrument of the Prediction Market – event-based options: «The launch of Prediction Market marks a significant step for ITS in the development of event-based options, enabling market participants to trade on the outcomes of future events and express their views on the likelihood of those outcomes through market prices. We see this instrument as an opportunity both to broaden our range of exchange-traded products and to support the further development of Kazakhstan’s derivatives market. Operating within the AIFC ecosystem enables ITS to develop innovative financial instruments and contribute to the continued growth of the region’s financial markets».
Anvar Niyetkaliev, Chairman of the Management Board and Co-founder, Commodity Chain Ltd., shared the company’s experience in implementing a grain tokenisation project. In June 2026, AFSA has granted Commodity Chain Ltd. a licence to operate a platform for the trading of tokenised real-world assets (RWAs) within the AIFC’s regulated environment. The licence paves the way for the development and future implementation of solutions for tokenising real-world assets, including agricultural commodities, and enabling their trading on an AIFC-licensed platform using advanced digital technologies and the AIFC’s financial infrastructure. The project’s first application will focus on the tokenisation of agricultural products, including grain stored at modernised grain elevators.
AIFC Community: New Financial Products in Action provided a platform for dialogue between the regulator, financial sector representatives and businesses on the practical application of new financial instruments. Such events facilitate knowledge sharing, strengthen professional connections and foster cooperation across the AIFC ecosystem.
Reference:
The Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) is an independent jurisdiction where investors and businesses meet emerging opportunities of Kazakhstan and Central Asia in a transparent and sustainable environment backed by the principles of English Common Law. www.aifc.kz
AIFC Press Office,
Ainur Issabayeva, press secretary
E-mail: [email protected]
