ASTANA – Kazakh businesses implementing environmental projects will be able to trade carbon units on the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) exchange under a planned agreement with the international carbon standard Verra, AIFC Product Director Zhanbolat Kakishev said at Astana Finance Days (AFD) 2026.
“We will sign an agreement with the Verra standard. This will allow us to trade carbon units. Verra is one of the largest standards in this field. We will introduce it on our exchange, enabling entrepreneurs involved in environmental projects to trade carbon units directly on our exchange platform,” Kakishev said.
The agreement is expected to be signed during the AFD, taking place on Sept. 9-10. The initiative is designed to expand access to the international carbon market for businesses implementing projects that reduce or remove greenhouse gas emissions. Verra is an international nonprofit organization that develops standards for verifying greenhouse gas emission reductions and removals.
Its Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) enables independently verified environmental projects to issue carbon units. One carbon unit generally represents one metric ton of greenhouse gas emissions reduced or removed from the atmosphere, measured in carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e).
Such units can then be traded with companies and other carbon market participants. AFD participants also discussed Kazakhstan’s efforts to develop new asset classes and expand the country’s digital financial infrastructure, reflecting a broader push to modernize its capital markets.
AFD 2026 is held under the theme Delivering Impact. Capital in Action has attracted more than 8,000 registered participants, including representatives of major international investment companies and funds managing nearly $26 trillion in assets.