International activities

The Exchange continues its activities in the international arena to learn international practices and to raise awareness of foreign issuers and investors about Kazakhstan’s stock market.

The Exchange is a member of such international exchange associations as the World Federation of Exchanges (WFE), the Federation of Euro-Asian Stock Exchanges (FEAS) and the International Association of Exchanges of CIS (IAEx of CIS) and takes an active part in the work of these organizations.

The Exchange is a member of WFE’s working groups on financial technologies, small an medium businesses, emerging markets and sustainable development. As part of the working groups, the Exchange has participated in research on attracting foreign investors to emerging markets and on attracting SMEs to stock markets.

The Exchange is a member of a number of working groups on regulatory issues, investor engagement and sustainable development within the framework of FEAS. The chairman of the Exchange’s Management Board has chaired the FEAS’s working committee from 2015 to 2018. The Exchange was actively involved in the development of the new development strategy of FEAS. Active participation in FEAS is accompanied by the study of international practices and helps to strengthen the Exchange’s international relations with foreign exchanges and their members.

In November 2018, the Exchange held the Kazakhstan Exchange Forum “The Role of Stock Exchanges in Sustainable Development of the Economy” within the framework of VIII Congress of Financiers organized by the NBRK jointly with the AFK and the Exchange. Foreign exchanges, chairpersons of exchange associations and representatives of international financial organizations participated in this forum. As part of the event, an extraordinary meeting of members of IAEx of CIS was held, where participants shared information on the projects implemented and discussed common strategic plans.

The memorandum of cooperation was signed with the Toshkent National Stock Exchange (UZSE) aimed at in-depth cooperation between the two exchanges in 2018. Granting of access to the stock markets, exchange of experience, mutual admission to trading of securities on the Exchange and the UZSE are envisaged as part of the cooperation.

The Exchange signed the memorandum of cooperation with the Baku Stock Exchange (BSE) to improve the efficiency and competitiveness of the two parties through the exchange of experience and market data.

The Exchange participated in a roundtable meeting organized by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) on the issues of disclosure, transparency and dissemination of practices for evaluation of environmental, social responsibility and corporate governance criteria (ESG criteria) in respect of companies in emerging markets as part of the Exchange’s accession to the UN Sustainable Stock Exchanges Initiative (SSE Initiative).

The Exchange held working trips, presentations, introductory and explanatory meetings with financial institutions, exchanges and regulators in U.S., Great Britain, China, UAE, Egypt, Greece, the Sultanate of Oman, Russia, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.