China International Capital Corporation (CICC) attended the official ceremony of the launch of the stock trading at Astana International Exchange (AIX) in Kazakhstan. AIX officially launched and started trading on November 14, 2018. President Nursultan Nazarbayev and Mr. Kairat Kelimbetov, Governor of Astana International Finance Centre (AIFC), attended the ceremony. CICC officially launched its trading business on AIX on the following day as the first international market maker.

AIX is the first international exchange in Central Asia, providing global investor access to this rapidly growing part of the world. AIX has been established within AIFC, an independent jurisdiction based on principles of English Law and brand new international centre of financial services to attract investment into the economy of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The conditional trading of JSC NAC Kazatomprom (Kazatomprom)’s GDR and ordinary share also commenced on AIX on the same day. Kazatomprom is dual-listed on the London Stock Exchange and AIX. CICC, being the only Chinese investment bank in the transaction, participates in the IPO of JSC NAC Kazatomprom as a joint bookrunner.

On October 19, 2018, CICC, through its wholly owned subsidiary China International Capital Corporation Hong Kong Securities limited, obtained the trading membership of AIX and became the first international member of AIX. Through its trading membership, CICC has commenced its trading business in AIX as the first international market maker of Kazatomprom’s GDR listed on AIX, to provide post-IPO liquidity support.

Meanwhile, on November 16, 2018, AIFC Investor Day “New financial hub for Central Eurasia: Investment and financing opportunities” was successfully held in Shanghai, which gathered Chinese banking and financial institutions, regulators and investors to explore the opportunities arising from the newly established regional financial centre in the central hub of Eurasia. CICC and Shanghai Stock Exchange acted as the supporting organizations of the event. In the conference, CICC shared its views on the investment opportunities and insights on the initiative of establishing an offshore RMB centre in support of the Belt and Road projects in the new platform.

Since November 2017 when CICC and Astana International Finance Centre entered into a Memorandum of Understanding for fostering the development of AIFC and AIX and the entire capital markets of the Republic of Kazakhstan, CICC has been AIFC’s strategic partner in its capital market development and proactively engaged in introducing global investor community to the new platform through its AIX trading membership.

In the near future, as a leading investment bank with “China Roots, International Reach”, CICC, through partnerships with AIFC and AIX, will continue to facilitate bilateral investment and financing between China and Kazakhstan and to provide high-quality financial services for governments, institutions and enterprises of Kazakhstan, promoting the concretion of the Belt and Road Initiative.