Agency for Regulation and Development of the Financial Market of the Republic of Kazakhstan highlights ESG-linked efforts to widen women’s access to finance at KASE bell-ringing event

The Agency for Regulation and Development of the Financial Market of the Republic of Kazakhstan took part in the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange (KASE) “Ring the Bell for ALL Women and Girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment” trading-opening ceremony held under the UN Sustainable Stock Exchanges Initiative, using the event to set out messages on gender equality and women’s economic participation. Asel Amirbayeva, Director of the Insurance Market and Actuarial Settlement Department, cited women holding 27% of senior management positions in Kazakhstan’s financial sector and women leading more than 60% of small and medium-sized enterprises in 2024, which she linked to specialised programmes supporting women’s entrepreneurship. The agenda included panel discussions on rights, gender equality and empowerment, as well as the gender gap, pay and women’s investment behaviour. Global partners for the initiative included the International Finance Corporation, the UN Global Compact, UN Women and the World Federation of Exchanges. The Agency signalled it will continue work to expand women’s access to finance through initiatives to implement environmental, social and governance principles in the financial market.