“On 9th March, TheCityUK organised the Astana International Financial Centre Forum, hosted by White & Case LLP.
Following Welcome Addresses by Gary Campkin, Director, International Strategy at TheCityUK and by Francis Fitzherbert-Brockholes, Partner, White & Case, introductory remarks were made by The RT Hon Lord Astor of Hever DL PC, HE Dr. Carolyn Browne, HM Ambassador to Kazakhstan and HE Erzhan Kazaykhanov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the United Kingdom.
Following these, Kairat Kelimbetov, Governor of the Astana International Financial Centre (“AIFC”) gave a keynote address about the Centre, it’s ambitions and goals.
Two Discussion Sessions ensued, moderated by Gary Campkin. Stella Cox, Managing Director of DDCAP participated in the discussion entitled “Rule of Law, Corporate Governance and Corporate Finance, Islamic Finance and Human Capital Development”.
Stella and other panelists, including Nurlan Kussainov, CEO of AIFC; Allan Taylor, Partner White & Case; Shah Ali Khan, Director of Regulatory Development ACCA and George Littlejohn, Senior Advisor CISI, discussed core competencies. They reviewed how the AIFC might achieve its objectives, whilst differentiating it’s proposition as a Regional Financial Centre, through success in certain key strategies, including Islamic Finance.
Adoption of international best practice, creation of robust financial infrastructure through implementation of appropriate legislative and regulatory provisions, plus the development of a suitably qualified workforce were all topics of discussion, both in regard to the AIFC’s own architecture and the individual pillars identified as business priorities.