Fintech Hub AIFC announced the launch of the first fintech accelerator for banks in Kazakhstan in partnership with Mastercard and the Internet Initiatives Development Fund (Russia)
On July 3, 2021, the panel session on corporate innovations was held within the framework of the IV annual conference Astana Finance Days of the Astana International Financial Centre with support of the international payment system Mastercard.
During the online panel session speakers Rafał Trepka – General Director of Mastercard in Central Asia, Maria Gorina – Head of Pilot Projects at VTB Accelerator (Russia), Mikhail Kozlov – Commercial Director and Co-founder at OVision (Russia), Damir Galiev – Chief Innovation Officer at Ak Bars Bank (Russia), and Irina Tarasova – Director of Department of Corporate Programs at Internet Initiatives Development Fund (Russia) shared their experience and examples of successful cooperation between financial corporations and startups.
As part of the development of fintech startups and the corporate innovations ecosystem in Central Asia region, the Fintech Hub AIFC announced the launch of the first fintech accelerator for banks in Kazakhstan.
The Fintech accelerator is implemented with the support of Mastercard and in cooperation with one of the key players in the Russian market of corporate innovation in the fintech industry – the Internet Initiatives Development Fund (IIDF), which has been helping Russian and international corporations to innovate and develop entrepreneurial skills of their employees since 2015.
Main objectives of accelerator include:
- attracting and piloting the best technological solutions of fintech startups in Kazakhstan and the CIS countries in line with the current business requests of the banks;
- training the banks’ innovative teams to conduct their own startup programs in the future;
- development of open innovation practices in the financial sector;
- ensuring the technological leadership of the banks in Kazakhstan.
Rafal Trepka, General Director of Mastercard in Central Asia:
“Kazakhstan is one of the priority markets for Mastercard, and we are consistently introducing innovative solutions which are especially in demand in a dynamically developing market. Based on our international experience, safe and reliable technologies, we support our partners’ further growth. I am confident that this joint project will contribute to the emergence of new products and services, will become a source of innovative business projects, and in general will contribute to the further development of a cashless economy».
Asel Abdrakhmanova, Head of Corporate Innovation Fintech Hub AIFC:
“We are pleased to be launching such a market-relevant project with our long-standing partner Mastercard taking into account their international expertise in the development of payment and financial innovations, as well as with the Internet Initiatives Development Fund (IIDF) and their extensive expertise in implementing accelerator programs and internal innovations for leading Russian and international banks. We believe that the program will give a great impetus to the development of cooperation between the financial sector and external technology teams”.
Irina Tarasova, Director of the Department of Corporate Programs IIDF:
“In this program, we want to apply all the IIDF expertise that we have accumulated in the process of working with leading Russian corporations, including banks from the top-20 in Russia. As part of the first banking accelerator, we will train teams of innovators and business customers, help formulate banks’ requests, find a funnel of relevant start-up solutions and select them for further piloting within banks”.
The banks of Kazakhstan may see the description of the program and apply to the fintech accelerator through the following link: https://fin-accelerator.aifc.kz/
Reference:
Mastercard is a global technology company in the payments industry. Our mission is to connect and power an inclusive, digital economy that benefits everyone, everywhere by making transactions safe, simple, smart and accessible. Using secure data and networks, partnerships and passion, our innovations and solutions help individuals, financial institutions, governments and businesses realize their greatest potential. Our decency quotient, or DQ, drives our culture and everything we do inside and outside of our company. With connections across more than 210 countries and territories, we are building a sustainable world that unlocks priceless possibilities for all.
Mastercard press office in Kazakhstan
Tel: +7 (727) 264 67 37
Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) was created by the initiative of the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev. The constitutional law on the establishment of the AIFC was signed on December 7, 2015. The purpose of AIFC is the formation of a leading centre of financial services on an international level. 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, and ensuring its integration with international capital markets. www.aifc.kz
AIFC Fintech Hub is the meeting point for global startups, entrepreneurs, corporations, investors, experts and specialists in the field of innovation. The development of fintech at the AIFC includes programs for startup support, corporative innovations, the venture capital market, specially developed rules and regulators that allow testing products and solutions in the field of fintech. http://www.fintech.aifc.kz/, http://www.fintechstars.aifc.kz/
IIDF – is a Russian venture fund, one of the most active funds in Europe in terms of the number of transactions. The fund has invested in over 450 companies, several dozen of which operate on the global market. Provides companies with educational and consulting support – 1400+ startups and companies have completed IIDF programs. Participates in the development of methods for the legal regulation of Internet business and the venture capital industry. IIDF is one of the key players in the corporate innovation market. Advises corporations on innovation, helps integrate technology start-up solutions, and develops internal entrepreneurs. The IIDF team trains internal product teams and accelerates the work of internal product teams.
