- The AIFC in Astana has its own legal regime drawing on English law, its own court and an International Arbitration Centre.
- Its public register and the AIFC Court's English-language judgments give researchers registration details and dispute records, but rarely ownership or financial information.
- AIFC records are most useful when combined with Kazakhstan's national registers, courts and other lawful sources.
The Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) has become a familiar element in corporate structures with a connection to Kazakhstan. Holding companies, funds and investment vehicles registered there can appear in transactions across the region. For researchers, the AIFC offers English-language records and a court that publishes its judgments. It also has clear limits, and its records make most sense when read alongside the national system.
A separate legal regime
The AIFC was formally launched in 2018. It has a legal framework of its own, which draws on the principles, legislation and precedents of the law of England and Wales and governs matters within the centre's remit. Kazakhstan's national law applies to matters outside it. The centre has its own financial regulator, the Astana Financial Services Authority, its own registration function, a court and an International Arbitration Centre. Proceedings and records are generally in English.
The AIFC Court hears disputes connected with the centre and other cases within its jurisdiction. Its bench has included judges with long experience in common-law jurisdictions. The scope of the court's jurisdiction is set by law and may change, so the current position should be checked at the time of research.
Why businesses use it
International investors and businesses choose the AIFC for several reasons. Contracts and corporate structures can be governed by a familiar common-law framework. Disputes can be heard in English before the AIFC Court or referred to arbitration. The centre has also offered certain tax and regulatory features intended to attract financial services, fund management and holding activities. These features have changed over time and should be checked for the period under review.
For research purposes, the result is that an AIFC entity may sit between foreign investors and operating businesses in Kazakhstan or elsewhere in Central Asia. Identifying that layer, and understanding its purpose, is often a necessary step in mapping a structure.
What researchers can learn
Entities registered in the AIFC appear on its own public register. A search returns basic registration details such as the entity's name, registration number, legal form and status, with further details depending on the entity type. Firms authorised by the regulator may also appear on its public register of authorised firms, which indicates the activities they are permitted to carry on.
The AIFC Court publishes its judgments in English. These can reveal commercial disputes, contractual terms, the identities of parties and counterparties, and the court's assessment of evidence. They are written in a form familiar to readers of common-law judgments, which makes them accessible to international readers without translation.
What it does not show
The public register is a source of registration details. What it shows about ownership varies by entity type and is often limited, and beneficial ownership details and the financial statements of private entities are not usually published. Filings made to the registrar or the regulator are not normally available in full. Arbitration at the International Arbitration Centre is generally confidential. Some awards that are not confidential have been published, but many awards, and sometimes the existence of a dispute, never become public unless a party goes to court, for example to enforce an award.
An AIFC registration confirms that an entity exists, and rarely shows who stands behind it.
Researchers should therefore treat an AIFC entity as a point in a structure that needs to be traced in both directions, upward to its owners and downward to the businesses it holds or deals with.
Combining AIFC and national records
AIFC records are most useful alongside Kazakhstan's national registers, courts and public procurement data. An AIFC company may appear as a participant in a Kazakh limited liability partnership, as a party in a national court case or as a counterparty in public contracts. Searching the national systems for the entity's name and identifiers, in Kazakh, Russian and English, can show what it holds and with whom it deals. Registers and court records in the jurisdictions of its parent companies or investors can complete the chain.
We treat an AIFC registration as one link in that chain. We record what the AIFC sources show, state clearly what they do not and work outward through national and foreign records to establish ownership and control. Records naming individuals are handled under the data protection rules that apply, and because the rules governing the centre continue to develop, we check current requirements at the time of each piece of work.
Published 27 January 2026. Last reviewed October 2026. This note describes public records and general research practice, and it does not discuss any client matter. Laws, registers and access to records change, so check the current position before relying on it. It is general information, not legal, financial or investment advice.
