When a financial company invests billions not only in the market but also in children, science, digital infrastructure, and sports, it is more than simply ESG. It is an influence strategy built on trust, vision, and belief in the potential of its own country. Freedom Holding Corp, a Nasdaq-listed U.S. company headquartered in Kazakhstan, is becoming not only a player in the financial sector but also a force in shaping the human capital of Central Asia.
In March 2025, a new artificial intelligence research center opened at SDU University in Kazakhstan. Built with funds from Freedom Holding’s charitable foundation, Freedom Shapagat, it became not just a building but a hub for the country’s digital future. It houses AI labs, a financial literacy center, and the Freedom Academy for investment education. The new research center will serve as a training platform and also a venue for scientific conferences and seminars on fintech and AI.
“This is an investment in young talent that will change the world tomorrow,” Timur Turlov said at the opening.
Timur Turlov is not being disingenuous: SDU already educates about 9,000 students, and the number of applicants is growing each year. Cooperation with universities is one of the most important elements of Freedom Holding’s strategy for training personnel and developing the digital economy, and education is only one element of the ecosystem approach.
Attention to sports is another important focus. The QJ League, a youth football league supported by Freedom, covers 17 regions of Kazakhstan and has 1,620 players. In 2025, Turlov announced the launch of a full-fledged football league for girls.
“We want to make women’s football spectacular and competitive, including at the international level,” he emphasized at the press conference.
Timur Turlov stresses that the launch of a women’s youth football league is an important step toward equality. “We want to create conditions in which girls feel confident, are physically active, and have the opportunity to develop professionally in sports,” he says.
Freedom Holding Corp. has a deep connection with sports: Freedom has allocated over four billion tenge ($7.7 million) for the development of chess in Kazakhstan alone. The company financed not only competitions but also educational programs – especially for children from vulnerable groups.
Investments and support for the sport of chess have spread beyond the country: in Cyprus, Freedom sponsored the FIDE Women’s Grand Prix and the Open Chess Championship. Timur Turlov believes that chess fosters strategic thinking in children, and Freedom Holding supports children’s chess tournaments and clubs.
“Our goal is to make chess as popular a sport as football, so that children from an early age learn to analyze, calculate the consequences of decisions, and find a way out of difficult situations,” he says.
Investments in sports, according to Turlov, are investments in thinking, strategy, and sustainability. It is no wonder that he was recognized as the “Best Sports Manager” of Kazakhstan by the Metaratings Top Awards.
Education, sports, and technology—all of this fits into a bigger picture. Freedom Holding is actively implementing an ESG strategy: the company created the position of Chief Sustainability Officer, and Turlov himself was elected Chairman of the Advisory Committee of the UN Global Compact in Central Asia. The company invests in the restoration of the Aral Sea, supports digital infrastructure in rural schools, and builds sports facilities in the regions.
Freedom Holding’s history of training analysts deserves special attention: in 2024, a course was launched for which more than 1,300 students applied, 400 of them began training, and the 14 best were hired by Freedom. This is an example of how you can develop talent to meet your own needs, without waiting for the market to “mature.”
In his address to shareholders, Turlov highlighted, “Our goal is not just to make money, but to manage it wisely.” Freedom Holding strives not only to be a large company but to become a key player in the countries where it operates. And it appears to be succeeding.