Astana, Kazakhstan, CICA Finance Summit, 8 September 2026
Distinguished Ministers / Representatives,
Delegates,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is a great honour and privilege to welcome you all to Astana for the inaugural meeting of the CICA Finance Summit. This year’s theme, “Strengthening Financial Cooperation for Sustainable Growth in the CICA Region,” accurately reflects both our shared challenges and our collective ambition.
We meet at a pivotal moment in global and regional economic development. Asia continues to serve as a major engine of global economic growth, trade dynamism and technological innovation. At the same time, our region is facing complex structural shifts, including volatile global financial conditions, geoeconomic fragmentation, supply chain realignments and an urgent demand for sustainable transition financing.
Today marks a landmark milestone for CICA Member States and the Secretariat. The initiative to establish the CICA Finance Summit as an advisory body of CICA was first put forward by the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan H.E. Mr. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at the Sixth CICA Summit in 2022. The initiative was inspired by China’s valuable experience in promoting practical financial cooperation within CICA.
Under the Chairmanship of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Ministerial Council formally established the CICA Finance Summit by adopting its Regulations in New York on 25 September 2025. The Regulations define the Summit’s objectives, structure and operational modalities, and mandate it to promote financial stability, sustainable economic development and prosperity across the CICA region.
The CICA Finance Summit was established by Member States as a strategic platform bringing together their governments, central banks, financial institutions and the private sector to strengthen financial resilience, mobilize regional capital and foster financial innovation.
With the Astana International Financial Centre serving as Chair and the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Azerbaijan as Co-Chair, together with eleven financial institutions designated by Member States, the Finance Summit is now ready, with the participation of all Member States, to define its strategic priorities and lay the foundations for its future work.
Distinguished participants,
The CICA Finance Summit builds on the broader and steadily evolving work of CICA in the economic dimension.
Over the years, CICA has developed practical platforms to strengthen trade, investment, business connectivity and sustainable economic cooperation across Asia. The CICA Business Council and Business Forums provide an important bridge between governments and the private sector, creating opportunities for business-to-business contacts, investment and trade partnerships, with particular attention to small and medium-sized enterprises.
Our economic cooperation is also becoming more inclusive and future oriented. The CICA Women’s Council and Youth Council provide new platforms to promote women’s economic empowerment, youth entrepreneurship, innovation and the active engagement of the next generation in regional development.
The CICA Think Tank Forum complements these efforts by bringing together research institutions and experts from Member States, supporting policy-oriented dialogue, analytical exchange and the development of practical recommendations on emerging regional challenges and opportunities.
CICA is also advancing cooperation in areas that are essential for sustainable and balanced economic development, including green transactions, sustainable investment and innovative financial solutions. These efforts are closely connected with the priorities of the Finance Summit and can help mobilize capital for green infrastructure, clean technologies and resilient economic development.
Attention should also be given to the challenges faced by landlocked countries. For many CICA Member States, sustainable growth depends on improved connectivity, efficient logistics, access to international markets and affordable development finance. Strengthening regional cooperation in these areas can help turn geographical challenges into opportunities for greater economic integration and shared prosperity.
Taking together, these initiatives form an increasingly interconnected economic cooperation architecture within CICA. The Finance Summit can provide an important financial pillar of this architecture, connecting our economic priorities with financial institutions, investment opportunities and sources of capital.
Achieving long-term economic stability is inseparable from addressing climate risks and supporting the transition towards green economies.
Through this Summit, CICA is well positioned to promote the development of robust green finance frameworks, expand Environmental, Social and Governance-aligned investment channels, and facilitate capital flows into renewable energy and resilient infrastructure. Aligning financial resources with environmental sustainability will help ensure that today’s economic growth does not come at the expense of future generations.
At the same time, we must harness the transformative power of digital technology. Digital financial infrastructure, cross-border payment interoperability and fintech solutions are no longer optional. They are essential drivers of financial inclusion across Asia.
By creating mechanisms to share best practices, facilitate regulatory innovation and bridge digital divides, we can help small and medium-sized enterprises — the backbone of our economies — gain better access to finance and participate more effectively in regional trade.
Mobilizing long-term investment into sustainable infrastructure is equally vital to unlocking Asia’s full economic potential. Modernizing transport corridors, energy networks and digital logistics links across CICA’s vast geography requires innovative financing structures, including public-private partnerships and blended finance models.
The CICA Finance Summit can provide a dedicated space where development banks, financial institutions and private investors align priorities, address investment risks and help transform strategic connectivity projects into bankable opportunities.
Connectivity, in turn, requires finance. Infrastructure, logistics modernization, digital platforms, green transport and cross-border projects cannot advance without investment, financial innovation and stronger cooperation among financial institutions.
Political dialogue builds trust. Trust creates predictability. And predictability enables investment, trade and long-term cooperation.
This practical link will be especially visible tomorrow, when the CICA Conference of Heads of Ports opens in Baku under the Azerbaijani Chairmanship. The Conference will address port operations, digitalization, multimodal connectivity, as well as the transition towards green transport, green logistics and green ports.
These priorities are closely aligned with the mandate of the Finance Summit: to facilitate investment, promote development financing, disseminate modern financial technologies, deepen cooperation on sustainability and mobilize green finance.
Our objective extends beyond exchanging views. We must identify actionable solutions, forge durable partnerships and establish consultation mechanisms that deliver concrete benefits for businesses, investors and, ultimately, our people.
To ensure continuity, this Summit should also prioritize joint capacity building and knowledge exchange among financial authorities. Through regular dialogue among central banks, financial institutions and regulatory bodies, we can strengthen our collective capacity to absorb macroeconomic shocks, mitigate market volatility and safeguard regional financial stability.
Distinguished participants,
This Finance Summit takes place as CICA continues its historic transformation into a full-fledged international organization. As our mandate evolves, institutional platforms such as this Summit exemplify our shift towards practical, high-impact multilateral cooperation.
The success of CICA has always rested on the principles of voluntarism, consensus and mutual benefit.
The Finance Summit is not intended to duplicate or replace existing multilateral financial institutions. Rather, it is designed to complement them and create additional space for dialogue, coordination and cooperation among CICA Member States.
It can serve as a bridge across sub-regions, connecting Central, South, East, West and Southeast Asia through a coherent framework for financial dialogue and practical cooperation.
I am confident that the CICA Finance Summit will grow into a dynamic driver of regional progress, a platform where dialogue is translated into policy, and ideas into tangible investment and sustainable development.
I wish all participants fruitful discussions and every success in this important endeavour.
Thank you for your attention.
