The work of the IBA Europe-Caucasus-Asia Forum 2018 in Almaty was completed. On behalf of the Host Firms Committee AEQUITAS thanks all delegates for every step they took to make this event a success.
On 5-7 September 2018, AEQUITAS actively participated in the third IBA Europe-Caucasus-Asia Forum as the Chair of the Host Committee. Almaty became the first city in the Central Asian region hosting the IBA conference of such calibre, bringing together 110 leaders of legal profession from 25 jurisdictions and 34 cities from as far as Washington D.C., Paris, Sydney, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, and others.
During the period of preparing to the conference, Valikhan Shaikenov, AEQUITAS Partner and Co-Chair of the ECA Forum, performed a tremendous job involving elaboration of the cutting-edge agenda and regulations for 10 sessions, and gathering high-quality composition of speakers and delegates. Together with other moderators, they identified the range of matters and the thorniest issues typical for the entire region: from impediments to the implementation of cross-border transactions involving parties from the Eurasian Economic Union to flaws in professional regulation and procurement management processes. The two-day conference gathered presentations of 50 speakers, leading professionals in different spheres of law, dedicated to strategies, approaches and instruments applied by both in-house experts and advisors.
A separate session was dedicated to the discussion of the development prospects of the newly established Astana International Financial Center offering new opportunities to investors in the region. The moderator of the discussion was Yelena Pestereva, AEQUITAS Partner. The speakers presented on the key rules of the AIFC, advantages of being the AIFC participant, the AIFC Court that operates to the highest international standards to resolve civil and commercial disputes, and the International Arbitration Center as an independent and expeditious alternative to court litigation. Christopher Campbell-Holt, Registrar & Chief Executive of the AIFC Court and International Arbitration Centre, and Andre Gelinas, Chief Legal Officer of the Astana Financial Services Authority, answered questions regarding AIFC’s practical benefits for investors from the region. Laurence Li, Arbitrator, Hong Kong International Arbitration (HKIAC), shared ideas and experience about the main features that made Hong Kong the recognized Asian international financial center.
In turn, AEQUITAS Team made every reasonable effort to create a comfortable atmosphere for discussions and offer an interesting cultural programme with sightseeing tours of Almaty and opportunity to enjoy the nature of Medeu.
Thanks to delegates and guests, colleagues from Kalikova & Associates and Unicase who actively assisted with the organizational matters as the Host Committee members.
AEQUITAS Team
Key references:
Official page of the conference.
Here is the link to photos from the IBA Europe-Caucasus-Asia Forum.
Here is the link to all the presentations prepared by the speakers.