ITS launches Kazakhstan and Central Asia’s first index ETF under AIFC jurisdiction
ITS began trading Kazakhstan and Central Asia’s first index ETF (exchange-traded fund) on the national financial market on November 7, 2024. This milestone launch of the ETF tracking the ITS World Index was facilitated by the regulatory framework established within the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC).
The ETF shares on the ITS World Index (ticker: ITSW) debuted at an initial price of $10.1431 per share.
“ITSW is an investment tool accessible to all investors,” said Chingiz Kanapyanov, CEO of ITS.
“With just $10, investors gain exposure to a diversified portfolio of 50 leading international companies, each a major player in its region and sector, and well-known to Central Asian investors—companies like Kaspi.kz and KazMunayGas. This is an excellent opportunity for beginners to start investing in Kazakhstan’s financial market with minimal investment. Building a similar portfolio independently would require several hundred thousand dollars.”
IPS Capital, licensed by the AIFC to manage retail investment funds, serves as the managing company for ITSW.
Renat Bekturov, Head of the Astana International Financial Centre, highlighted the significance of this launch:
"As the largest financial centre in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, we are especially pleased to see the expansion of investment instruments on our stock market. ITS was the first company to receive a licence from the AIFC Financial Services Regulatory Committee to operate a multilateral trading facility. We are delighted to witness new products becoming available to Kazakhstani investors, offering them opportunities to diversify and invest in the world’s largest companies."
“We believe ITSW can become a fundamental tool in any Kazakhstani investor’s portfolio, including those of experienced investors,” said Alexander Diakovsky, Managing Director of ITS. “It is a well-balanced product suited for both long-term investment strategies and intraday trading. With trading hours from 10:00 to 03:45 Astana time, investors have the flexibility to react to market developments in Kazakhstan as well as across Asian, European and U.S. markets.”
ITSW shares are available to investors through any broker connected to ITS trading. The composition of ITSW, real-time performance, index methodology and other documents are available on the ITS website.
About ITS
ITS is an international liquidity hub. Central to ITS's business model are the principles of best execution and smart order routing technology. These principles enable investors to execute securities transactions at the best prices available on the global financial market, regardless of the transaction volume. This technology ensures that the liquidity for foreign securities on ITS matches that of leading international platforms where these securities are traded.
ITS offers access to over 2,800 international securities, including ETFs, stocks and depositary receipts. The international securities available on ITS are part of major global indexes, including the Dow Jones Industrial Average, Nasdaq-100 and S&P 500, spanning 69 sectors of the global economy.
The ITS trading session lasts for nearly 18 hours, with securities settlements conducted on the next trading day (T+1). The ITS trading calendar is synchronised with those of NASDAQ and NYSE.
ITS's direct clients include professional securities market participants from Kazakhstan and other countries, such as financial intermediaries who are accredited and directly registered at the AIFC. Investors, both private individuals and legal entities, access trading through these financial intermediaries, such as brokers and banks.
ITS Press Service
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