Today in Astana, within the framework of the Kazakhstan Global Investment Roundtable, the Prime Minister Bakytzhan Sagintayev met with executive vice president of the Shanghai Stock Exchange, Liu Shatong and vice president of NASDAQ Meyer Frucher.

During the meeting, issues of cooperation with the Shanghai Stock Exchange and NASDAQ were discussed within the framework of the development of the capital market of Kazakhstan and the region by improving the stock exchange of the Astana International Financial Center (AIFC).

Through the activities of the AIFC exchange, which should become one of the key financial infrastructures of the center, the securities market of Kazakhstan will receive significant development and ensure its integration with international capital markets.

In the opinion of the meeting participants, the AIFC is also of great importance in the framework of the Silk Road Economic Belt initiative, which is becoming one of the most important and influential multilateral relations platform in the world.

Also, the proposals of NASDAQ on the introduction of advanced technologies in the development of the financial market to provide investors with access to attractive financial instruments were considered.

For reference: The Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE) is the largest trading platform of mainland China, one of the leading Asian exchanges. It was founded in 1990. It is a non-profit organization under the management of the Securities Regulatory Commission of the People's Republic of China.

According to statistics of the WFE (World Federation of Exchanges), in the last few years, the SSE has been in the leading positions among the best exchanges around the world. In 2016, SSE took the 4th place in terms of market capitalization, the 4th place in terms of the value of shares, and the third for capital attracted through shares.

For 27 years of development, the SSE has evolved into a stock exchange with a healthy market structure and four main categories of securities: shares, bonds, funds and derivatives. The Exchange introduced the world's leading exchange system. In addition, a system of self-regulation was created through the regulation of listed companies, members of the SSE and the securities market. By the end of 2016, SSE had 1,182 listed companies with a total market capitalization of $3.5 trillion.

NASDAQ is one of the three major stock exchanges in the US (along with NYSE and AMEX). It is a leading global provider of services in the areas of trade, clearing, exchange technologies, listing, provision of information and public companies. The creator of the world's first electronic stock market, NASDAQ provides more than 89 markets in 50 countries with its technologies. NASDAQ is a listing platform for 3,800 companies with a total market capitalization of $11 trillion.