A high-profile delegation from Kazakhstan’s National Bank and the Agency for Regulation and Development of the Financial Market (ARDFM) traveled to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on March 26-27 to foster collaborations in financial markets, digital assets, and investment partnerships. The trip culminated in several meetings with key UAE financial authorities, including Khaled Mohamed Balama, Governor of the Central Bank of the UAE, Waleed Saeed Abdul Salam Al Awadhi, CEO of the UAE Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA), and Ghannam Butti Al Mazrouei, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX). Discussions also took place with Mubadala Investment Fund, representatives from leading financial centers and fintech companies.
Key outcomes included the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to facilitate collaboration in financial market development, FinTech innovation, cybersecurity, and digital currency regulation. The UAE Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA) focused on stock market cooperation between Kazakhstan’s Stock Exchange (KASE) and the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC), while also engaging with the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) to discuss blockchain technologies and digital asset regulation.
The visit also saw meetings with Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) and Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) to explore regulatory frameworks for financial centers and cross-border transactions. Discussions highlighted the importance of capital market infrastructure and trading liquidity improvement in fostering greater collaboration between Kazakhstan and the UAE.