In February, the China Innovation Finance Institute (Chengdu) held a roadshow working meeting with Freedom Holding Corp. from Kazakhstan in Beijing.
The purpose of Freedom Holding’s visit was to explore cooperation opportunities with the China Innovation Finance Institute (Chengdu) and the western institutional investors served by the institute. They also discussed potential collaborations with Chengdu-based institutional investors and outbound enterprises in the cross-border investment and financing field. The Kazakhstani delegation was led by Kairat Kelimbetov (Chairman of the Board of Freedom Holding, former Deputy Prime Minister, former Governor of the Central Bank, and former Minister of Economy and Trade of Kazakhstan), along with Evgeniy Ler (CFO), Philippe Vogeleer (Independent Director and Head of Telecom Business), and Tulegan Nurgaliyev (Head of China Region). On the Chengdu side, the meeting was led by Fu Chenggang (Chairman of China Innovation Finance Institute (Chengdu)), with members of the Institute’s Project Cooperation Department, Research Department, Operations Department, and Market Cooperation Department also in attendance. During the meeting, Chairman Fu Chenggang also met with Timur Turlov, CEO and Founder of Freedom Holding, for a discussion.
Kairat Kelimbetov provided a detailed introduction to Freedom Holding’s global business layout and its innovations in financial technology. As a comprehensive financial services company headquartered in Kazakhstan and listed on Nasdaq, Freedom Holding operates across Kazakhstan, Central Asia, Europe, and the United States, covering both financial and non-financial services. Evgeniy Ler and Philippe Vogeleer presented the company’s digital ecosystem, including core businesses like Freedom Bank, SuperApp, Tradernet Platform, and Freedom Telecom, showcasing Freedom Holding’s comprehensive layout and innovation capacity in financial and technological services.
Kairat Kelimbetov stated: “We look forward to establishing deep cooperation with Chengdu and China Innovation Finance Institute (Chengdu), jointly promoting innovative cooperation in financial services for technology between China-Kazakhstan, China-Central Asia, and even globally.”
Fu Chenggang, Chairman of China Innovation Finance Institute (Chengdu), gave a comprehensive introduction to the general characteristics of the Chinese market, with a particular focus on the financial development status in Chengdu, high-quality enterprises, and investment cooperation opportunities. He also provided several suggestions for Freedom Holding’s market expansion in China. He emphasized that Chengdu, as an important city in the West and a core financial center in the Chengdu-Chongqing region, possesses strong economic development potential, financial service capabilities, and an innovative industrial base, making it a strategic location for both domestic and foreign financial institutions to expand into the western market.
Fu Chenggang said: “Leveraging Chengdu’s high-quality enterprises, multi-level markets, and large economic volume, China Innovation Finance Institute (Chengdu) is committed to empowering platforms, financial services, cooperation links, investment landing, and knowledge creation, serving Chengdu’s and China’s outbound enterprises while also offering comprehensive support to international financial institutions like Freedom Holding for their market expansion in China and Chengdu.”
The institute specifically invited Freedom Holding to attend the second Chengdu Finance Week and participate in the second phase of the Cross-Border Investment and Financing Digital Platform work, promoting investment from Chengdu institutional investors into Freedom Holding and its global ecosystem, and jointly serving Chengdu enterprises in their outbound investment and financing efforts.
