CICC (3908.HK) attended the Astana Finance Days and the official opening ceremony of Astana International Finance Centre (AIFC) held between July 3 and July 5, 2018 as a Sponsoring Partner. The establishment of AIFC was initiated by President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, with a goal to create a leading international centre of financial services and to attract investment into the economy of Kazakhstan through the establishment of an attractive environment. In the opening ceremony, President of Kazakhstan highlighted that the centre’s creation is a new page in the history of modern independent Kazakhstan and an important step in the development of economy. CICC is a Sponsoring Partner of the Astana Finance Days and co-organized the 2nd Astana International Capital Markets Forum with Astana International Exchange (AIX).

During the 2nd Astana International Capital Markets Forum, the Chief Operating Officer of CICC, Dr. Gang Chu, delivered an opening remark and a keynote speech on the implication of the Belt and Road Initiative and China’s SOE reform to the development of capital markets in Central Asia. “CICC has long been considering the Kazakhstan market as a core market with increasing strategic value, particularly under the Bright Road economic strategy of Kazakhstan and the Belt and Road Initiative of China. We strongly believe there is great cooperation potential between the two countries in various fields, including but not limited to, cross-border trade and infrastructure development partnership. Upon the establishment of AIFC and AIX, we are convinced that Astana will be a major hub in facilitating bilateral investment and financing projects between China and Kazakhstan, across the Central Asia and Belt and Road countries,” Dr. Chu said.

Dr. Chu further went on, AIFC and AIX are well positioned to benefit from Chinese liquidity, thanks to national cooperation with China as well as the determination in building market infrastructure addressing the needs of global investment community.  With the establishment of AIFC and nationwide privatization program of Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan will become a popular investment destination for the global investor community and Chinese enterprises.

This is a further cooperation between CICC and AIFC since the two parties signed a  Memorandum of Understanding for fostering the development of AIFC and AIX and the entire capital markets of Kazakhstan on November 29, 2017 in Shanghai.

As the first joint venture investment bank in China, leveraging its profound knowledge in both domestic and overseas markets and rich experience in cross-border investment and financing as well as its outstanding professionalism, CICC is well-positioned to provide high-quality financial services for governments, institutions and enterprises of Kazakhstan and other countries along the routes, promoting the concretion of the Belt and Road Initiative.