30/04/2026
𝐇𝐊𝐀𝐁 𝐈𝐧𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐊𝐚𝐳𝐚𝐤𝐡𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐮𝐦 – 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐬𝐢𝐚
In support of the HKSAR Government’s strategic focus on the Central Asian market, the Hong Kong Association of Banks (HKAB) proudly hosted our inaugural Kazakhstan Forum on 22 April at the HKMA. The event received an overwhelming response, bringing together over 190 industry leaders and professionals to explore the boundless opportunities in this high-potential region.
We were honored to have Sun Yu, Chairperson of HKAB, deliver the warm welcome speech. The forum's strategic importance was further amplified by opening remarks from Arthur Yuen, Deputy Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), and Alpha Lau, Director-General of Investment Promotion at InvestHK, setting a strong tone for cross-border collaboration.
The agenda included a compelling featured speech by Zhanbolat Kakishev, Chief Product Officer of the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC), followed by a comprehensive macroeconomic update on the region by Amy Huang, Senior Economist at Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business.
A core highlight of the event was our two dynamic panel discussions featuring a mix of local and overseas experts:
🔹 𝐏𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐥 𝟏: 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐒𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐅𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞: 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲, 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐄𝐒𝐆 𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐬𝐢𝐚. Moderated by Franck Liu (Chairperson of Corridor Business Committee, HKAB), this session featured insights from Diana Aryssova (Deputy Chairman of the Management Board, KazMunayGas), Gulnaz Ibragimova (Deputy Chairman of the Board & Chief Compliance Officer, Bank of China Kazakhstan), and Alice Tsang (Principal Economist, HKTDC).
🔹 𝐏𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐥 𝟐: 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐇𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐊𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐊𝐚𝐳𝐚𝐤𝐡𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧. Led by Raymond Ng (Head of CSD Development and Operations, CMU OmniClear), this panel provided deep insights into cross-border synergies alongside Yedil Medeu (Chairman of the Management Board, Central Securities Depository JSC), Teze Wang (Marketing Director, CCX Green Finance), and Chengdong Zhang (Head of Trading, BOCHK).
The forum concluded on a high note with impactful closing remarks from Nicholas Ho, Commissioner for Belt and Road at the HKSAR Government, who reinforced Hong Kong's unique position as a value-adding super-connector for Central Asia.
Beyond extending our heartfelt gratitude to our esteemed speakers, we want to give a special thanks to all the attendees. Your enthusiastic presence and active participation are what truly transformed this inaugural forum into a vibrant platform for knowledge exchange. Serving as a meaningful prelude to the Chief Executive’s upcoming business delegation, we look forward to unlocking new economic and trade networks in Central Asia together!
https://youtu.be/O-wH8pfZSws
HKAB Kazakhstan Forum on 22 April - Bridging HK & Kazakhstan: Forging New Frontiers in Central Asia
