IslamicFinance.de

According to Mr. Darkhan Nurpeissov, Vice Chairman of the Agency regulating the Regional Financial Center of Almaty (RFCA), Almaty is to be transformed into a global center of Islamic finance by 2015-2020. By 2012-2015 it is planned to put in place infrastructure for the Islamic financial industry to turn Almaty into a full-fledged center of Islamic finance. Legal foundation has already been laid. Almaty is home to the first Islamic bank in Kazakhstan. A second Islamic bank is to enter the market shortly. Besides, an Islamic insurance company and a brokerage, a handful of consultancies and funds have been launched. However, according to Mr. Nurpeissov, the population is not fully aware of Islamic finance. Kazakhstan is going to take over the chairmanship of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) in June.

According to the Development Commission of Almaty Regional Financial Center of Kazakhstan's National Bank, the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) has allocated $25 million for Kazakhstan farmers. In 11 regions of the country, a series of training seminars aiming to teach Islamic financing methods for personnel of branches and representative offices have started. Professor Adalet Dzhabiyev, Director of Badr Finance & Investment, conducts the training.