Final-year university student specializing in Data Engineering, Data Science, and Artificial Intelligence, with hands-on experience gained through dual education programs and industry projects. Her work spans ETL pipeline development, data analytics, and machine learning applications, complemented by participation in research projects and presentations at international workshops and conferences. She has built AI-driven solutions including semantic document retrieval systems, and works across a technical stack that includes Python, SQL, Docker, machine learning, and big data technologies. She is currently deepening her expertise in AI and data engineering with a focus on delivering impactful, data-driven solutions.

Goran Safar currently serves as the Head of Sales for the UAE at Global Ledger since October 2025. Prior experience includes roles at Chainalysis, where Goran held the positions of Regional Manager for the GCC & CIS region and Senior Account Executive for both the GCC region and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from April 2023 to October 2025. Goran's extensive background at IBM spans over a decade from June 2011 to April 2023, where roles included zSoftware Sales Manager for the MEP and various positions focused on software renewals and client management across the SEE territory. Early career experience includes technical pre-sales and support roles at Marmis d.o.o. and Triglif d.o.o. Goran completed education at IBM Global Sales School and Gimnazija Moste.

Vladimir Savov is a financial expert with over two decades of international experience in financial supervision and regulation, investment banking, and equity research. Before joining the AFSA as its Chief Markets Officer in 2024, he held senior leadership roles at institutions such as Bulgaria’s Financial Supervision Commission, where he served as a Deputy Chair for almost 10 years, as well as at global investment banks such as Credit Suisse and UBS. Vladimir has led regulatory reforms, managed large expert teams, and represented national authorities at global forums including ESMA, EIOPA, IOSCO, and IAIS. He holds an MBA from London Business School and an MSs in International Economics from the University of National and World Economy, Sofia.

Alexandr Polorotov is a Kazakhstani data and AI entrepreneur, and Co-founder & Managing Partner of Datanomix — the official authorized training center and analytics partner for Qlik in Kazakhstan and Central Asia, recognized for helping organizations visualize data, build effective dashboards, and apply AI and machine learning in analytics. He holds the title of Qlik Partner Ambassador, reflecting his standing as a leading expert in data and analytics in the region. He is also Co-founder of Redflags.ai, an AI-driven platform specializing in procurement risk identification and fraud detection through advanced analytics. At the CFO Summit 2025 in Almaty, he presented research on AI adoption in Kazakhstan, highlighting the critical role of data quality in the success of AI projects, and has spoken on enterprise AI architecture, including the risks of uncontrolled RAG systems and best practices for AI implementation in banking and fintech. Alexandr is a leading voice on practical, data-driven AI transformation across Central Asia.

Amangeldy Zhumabekov is a Kazakhstani technology leader and entrepreneur at the intersection of AI, blockchain, and digital law. He currently serves as Head of Project Management at Dreamlab Technologies, bringing experience from roles at KAZGUU University, DigitalPax, 1Fit, and Allem LLP. He is pursuing a PhD in IT Law at Maqsut Narikbayev University (2023–2026), building on his work as a Senior Lecturer on IT Law. A recognized voice on crypto regulation in Central Asia, he has spoken on the legal framework for cryptocurrency in Kazakhstan and the broader region's digital asset potential. He has participated in key regional events including the Almaty Innovation Summit, contributing to discussions on the digital assets industry across Central Asia and the Caucasus. As an AI entrepreneur and blockchain analyst, Amangeldy bridges technical expertise with legal insight to advance responsible digital innovation in Kazakhstan.

Alibek Sailanbayev is the Managing Director of Artificial Intelligence at National Information Technologies JSC (NITEC) in Kazakhstan. He spearheads the development of the country's National Artificial Intelligence Platform, building foundational generative text AI and multi-agent infrastructure across government agencies.

Tamara Shadiyeva is Deputy CEO of the Kazakhstan Central Securities Depository (KCSD), one of the country's most critical financial market infrastructure institutions. She has held multiple senior roles at KCSD, including Head of Strategy Development, and has prior experience at JSC Halyk Finance Research Division and the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange, giving her a broad view of Kazakhstan's capital markets ecosystem. KCSD serves as the single center for recording ownership rights to securities in Kazakhstan, settling all on-exchange and over-the-counter transactions and providing local participants with access to international securities settlement systems. The organization's current focus includes IT transformation, expanding the range of financial products, and further development of Kazakhstan's stock market, areas Tamara plays a key leadership role in driving forward.

Mirat Akhmetsadykov is a Kazakhstan-based entrepreneur and venture capital leader, serving as CEO of MOST Finance and Co-Founder of MOST Holding. He has played a key role in building one of Central Asia’s leading startup ecosystems, including MOST Ventures, MOST IT Hub, and the Central Eurasian Venture Forum (CEVF). With over a decade of experience in venture investment and ecosystem development, he focuses on supporting early-stage startups and scaling innovation across emerging markets.

Talgat Amanbayev is the Chief Innovation Officer and Member of the Management Board, with over 12 years of experience in technology, innovation, and public-sector leadership. He previously served as Chairman of the Board of the National Company “Kazakh Tourism,” contributing to national-level tourism strategy and development. He is a member of the Presidential Youth Talent Pool and holds a B.Sc. in Computer Science from Indiana University Bloomington under the Bolashak scholarship. He also holds an IELTS score of 8.0, reflecting strong English proficiency.

Gani Uzbekov is the Founder and CEO of S1lkPay, a Web3 fintech company building next-generation stablecoin-based payment infrastructure for global commerce. He is also a senior financial executive with extensive experience across public institutions and international organizations, including roles at the World Bank, IMF, EBRD, and HSBC. Earlier in his career, he served as Deputy Minister of Finance of Kazakhstan, bringing deep expertise in financial regulation, policy, and capital markets. He holds advanced degrees from Harvard University and the London School of Economics.

Shokan Orazbekov is an IT management and analytics professional at the Financial Monitoring Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan, based in Astana. He has over a decade of experience in public policy, research, and analytical roles within government and policy institutions. His previous positions include Senior Researcher at the Nazarbayev Center and Analyst at the Institute for Public Policy. He specializes in research, data-driven analysis, and financial monitoring within the public sector.

Ali A. Theyab Al-Zuhairi is a blockchain research and data analyst working on peer-to-peer payment systems in fragile and reform stage economies. As Product Owner for the Digital Finance Portfolio and Pilots at UNDP’s Alternative Finance Lab in the Regional Bureau of Europe & Central Asia, he leads the digital payment track of the UNDP SDG Blockchain Accelerator and contributes to the wider Regional Emerging Technology Acceleration Facility Program. Previously, he worked closely with the Central Bank of Iraq as part from his role as a project coordinator for digital transformation and economic reform project in UNDP Iraq. His work concerns the last mile of financial inclusion, where conventional payment rails often do not reach. He has supported field implementations of blockchain and stablecoin based payment systems across several countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Pacific, working with non custodial wallet providers and peer-to-peer payment startups. This experience informs his interest in how decentralized payment systems behave once they meet real users, regulators, and field constraints. Much of his contribution lies in research and development coordination, turning pilot experience into evidence the sector can use. He has worked on implementation reporting and post acceleration investment frameworks, collaborated on co-publishing research drawn from the pilots, and developed a regulatory framework concept grounded in field evidence on the questions facing digital asset payments in reform stage economies. He also supervises applied graduate research on measuring financial performance and investment readiness in blockchain payment pilots. He is completing an MSc in Digital Economies at King’s College London. His work bridges practitioner implementation, policy relevant evidence, and partnership building across the development finance and blockchain communities.

Bogdan Kuznetcov is a Web3 entrepreneur and strategist currently serving as Head of Consulting at Cointelegraph, one of the world's leading blockchain and cryptocurrency media platforms. He is the Consulting Lead at Formula by Cointelegraph, bringing a track record of building high-impact Web3 ventures — including co-founding a quest platform that reached 1 million users, and building Blueshift.fi, a decentralized exchange (DEX) that achieved $200M in Fully Diluted Valuation and raised $4.5M from Shima Capital. Blueshift introduced a novel portfolio-based DEX model featuring optimized swaps with low slippage, single-asset liquidity provisioning, and portfolio-managed pools — pushing the boundaries of DeFi innovation. With deep roots across Kazakhstan and Russia and a base spanning multiple geographies, Bogdan brings a global perspective to blockchain strategy, Web3 consulting, and the future of decentralized finance.