KHANKENDI, Azerbaijan, April 8. The Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) is set to publish a report on the key directions for regional development, Renat Bekturov, the AIFC's managing director, said in an exclusive interview with Trend.
Speaking on the sidelines of the 7th Political Forum of the ADA University in Khankendi, Bekturov highlighted that the AIFC has its academy and is actively developing its research focus.
"We have already released several reports, including one on the real estate market and the potential of REIT (real estate investment trust) development," he said.
Bekturov also noted that, as part of its collaboration with research centers like ADA University, the AIFC conducts joint studies.
"We have signed a memorandum with ADA, and the first report, featuring results from our joint research, will be published soon. We have many common areas of focus for collaboration, such as the development of the Middle Corridor, transport and logistics routes, as well as energy and internet connectivity," he added.
Bekturov emphasized that the Middle Corridor is a crucial topic for Kazakhstan.
"As you know, transportation between our countries has increased. We have already started transporting oil from Aktau to Baku, with a volume of approximately 1.5 million barrels. We plan to increase transportation volumes and diversify our trade relations, as well as expand oil export routes," he said.
In addition, he pointed out that the AIFC continues to grow rapidly.
"In August of the previous year, we had registered 3,000 companies, and now we have 3,800. It took about four and a half years to register the first 1,000 companies, but in the last six months, we've registered 800 new companies," he said.
Bekturov also mentioned that the asset management market is growing actively, with new management companies emerging, and the securities market continues to expand.
"We are also focusing on creative industries because we believe that talent is just as valuable as any other asset and requires investment," he added.
The AIFC has already launched a private fund focused on creative industries, particularly film production.
"Investments will be attracted, films will be made, and the revenues will be shared among the investors," Bekturov clarified.
A special focus at the AIFC is being given to venture capital and the IT sector.
"There are companies working on aerial photography for soil condition analysis, helping farmers manage land. For example, they can determine which crops grow on certain plots of land and plan crop rotation for the next year. They are developing AI-based modules that will assist with fertilizers using data from aerial photography," Bekturov explained.