At Astana Finance Days 2026, Ben Powell, Managing Director and Chief Investment Strategist for the APAC region at the BlackRock Investment Institute, discussed emerging opportunities for global investors, the role of private capital in infrastructure development, and Kazakhstan’s investment outlook. In the interview, he also shared his views on artificial intelligence (AI), asset tokenisation, and the future of investment portfolios.
Kazakhstan and the Attention of Global Investors
“When we look at Kazakhstan, there are two things that matter to us.
The first is the direction of regulation, infrastructure development, pension reform, and other changes that indicate the market is moving in the right direction.
The second factor is much more tangible: market liquidity and breadth. The more liquid the market becomes, the more we can invest. That is a fact.
When Kazakhstan achieves emerging market status, it will be an important milestone. But it will not be the end of the story. We will continue to monitor the market.
From our perspective, things look positive at the moment. Even then, however, we will want greater liquidity, broader market opportunities, and greater scale.
That is how BlackRock operates. We are always a little cautious and a little greedy. Perhaps it is a combination of those two qualities,” Ben Powell said.
Blockchain and the Tokenisation of Capital Markets
“Tokenisation has the potential to transform the way capital markets operate. Over time, investment portfolios may include various types of tokenised assets, ranging from securities to other real-world assets.
To make this possible, we need to build new financial infrastructure and establish clear regulatory frameworks. We are already seeing early examples in Bitcoin and digital currencies. At present, developments in US legislation are particularly interesting to watch, including the GENIUS Act, which was passed last year.
If the regulatory environment becomes more supportive, we will be able to develop a wider range of tokenised products.
I believe that over the next five to ten years, tokenised assets will become a standard component of investment portfolios. However, there is still a great deal of work to be done before we reach that point,” Ben Powell noted.
Read more: https://the-tech.kz/blackrock-nazval-glavnye-vozmozhnosti-dlya-investorov-i-rasskazal-o-perspektivah-kazahstana/