On 10 October 2025, the Third Professional Meeting of Endowment Funds of Kazakhstan was held in Almaty. It was organized by Kazakh-British Technical University and the Aurora-Ala Corporate Foundation, with the support of the National Center for the Development of Higher Education of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
The meeting focused on the practical steps involved in establishing endowment funds for universities and other social-sector organizations, following the entry into force of the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan "On Target Capital Funds and Endowment Funds."
Participants discussed key issues related to the principles of forming and managing such funds, the procedure for registering them, and trust management.
The key challenges for the sector that significantly affect the pace of its development are, first, a high degree of distrust toward investing; second, barriers to engaging with potential donors; third, the need to professionalize sector personnel; and a number of others.
At the meeting, particular attention was given to investment issues, with the aim of overcoming distrust within the endowment sector, which stems largely from a lack of understanding of how the financial market operates. For this reason, participants showed particular interest in the introductory meeting with representatives of the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange (KASE), which concluded the event. The visit to the exchange gave endowment staff a deeper insight into how Kazakhstan's financial market works and prompted a lively discussion among participants.
We thank the sponsors of the event, the KBTU Endowment Fund and the Standard investment company, as well as our partners and, of course, the representatives of the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange, with whom we plan to continue cooperating on a regular basis.
The meeting focused on the practical steps involved in establishing endowment funds for universities and other social-sector organizations, following the entry into force of the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan "On Target Capital Funds and Endowment Funds."
Participants discussed key issues related to the principles of forming and managing such funds, the procedure for registering them, and trust management.
The key challenges for the sector that significantly affect the pace of its development are, first, a high degree of distrust toward investing; second, barriers to engaging with potential donors; third, the need to professionalize sector personnel; and a number of others.
At the meeting, particular attention was given to investment issues, with the aim of overcoming distrust within the endowment sector, which stems largely from a lack of understanding of how the financial market operates. For this reason, participants showed particular interest in the introductory meeting with representatives of the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange (KASE), which concluded the event. The visit to the exchange gave endowment staff a deeper insight into how Kazakhstan's financial market works and prompted a lively discussion among participants.
We thank the sponsors of the event, the KBTU Endowment Fund and the Standard investment company, as well as our partners and, of course, the representatives of the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange, with whom we plan to continue cooperating on a regular basis.