Kazakhstan regulator to ease foreign membership on stock exchanges

October 2, 2026 at 02:32 PM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

Kazakhstan's financial regulator plans to expand foreign companies' access to membership on the country's stock exchanges. The changes also cover the Central Depository, monitoring of suspicious activity, and IT systems of market participants.

Key Facts

The Agency for Regulation and Development of the Financial Market (ARDFM) adopted amendments on September 28, 2026, to expand foreign companies' access to Kazakhstan's stock exchanges.
The new rules allow a license or permit for other professional activities in the securities and/or digital assets market to serve as grounds for foreign membership.
The Central Depository will monthly report investor information to the authorized body by the 10th working day of the month.
The amendments will take effect 10 calendar days after the first official publication.

Foreign Membership Expansion

The Agency for Regulation and Development of the Financial Market (ARDFM) adopted amendments on September 28, 2026, to expand foreign companies' access to Kazakhstan's stock exchanges. Current rules allow foreign legal entities membership based on membership in a WFE exchange, a broker/dealer license with an international agreement between regulators, or a clearing license with an IOSCO MMoU. The new version adds a license or permit for other professional activities in the securities and/or digital assets market as a valid basis.

Central Depository Reporting

The Central Depository will monthly compile investor information as of the first day of the month and transmit it to the authorized body no later than the 10th working day. It will also report assigned unique investor codes, including the basis for assignment, assignment date, and presence or absence of financial instruments on the account. The depository will track client account numbers and their status, active or closed. Access to custodial information will be restricted to employees of the relevant division, not all depository departments.

IT and Disclosure Requirements

The ARDFM updated requirements for software and hardware of market participants, including information systems for recording client operations and assets, storing transaction history, monitoring trades, and processing information from exchange members and issuers. Changes also affect issuer disclosure rules. The amendments will take effect 10 calendar days after the first official publication.