• Kazakh, Turkish Central Securities Depositories ink deal to establish bilateral direct link, enabling settlement, custody of domestic government debt securities

ISTANBUL

The Central Securities Depository of Türkiye (MKK) announced Thursday that it had signed cooperation deals with the Central Securities Depositories of Argentina and Kazakhstan.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Central Securities Depository of Argentina aims to enhance cooperation, information exchange, technology transfer, and knowledge sharing between the two institutions, to increase integration between the Argentine and Turkish capital markets, according to a statement from the MKK.

"We are delighted that our capital markets' robust infrastructure is attracting interest even from South America, one of the most distant geographies from our country," Ekrem Arikan, CEO and Board Member of MKK said.

"As MKK, we are developing various collaborations with many countries and foreign financial institutions. Our products and services are becoming well-known abroad. The most recent example of this is that the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development recently cited our Electronic General Meeting System as one of the world's exemplary applications," he added about the deal with Argentina.

The deal with the Central Securities Depository of Kazakhstan (KCSD) will establish a bilateral direct link between the two CSDs, according to a separate statement from the MKK.

"The connection will enable settlement and custody of domestic government debt securities in both countries via omnibus accounts opened within MKK and KCSD, providing market participants with efficient and secure access to Turkish and Kazakhstani instruments," it said.

The two deals were signed in Almaty, Kazakhstan, as part of the 25th Meeting of the World Forum of Central Securities Depositories. The operational go-live will follow the completion of technical onboarding.

The bilateral structure allows eligible investors to hold and settle government debt securities through omnibus accounts, improving post-trade efficiency, reducing operational frictions, and broadening cross-border participation. Designed to support liquidity formation, the link will further strengthen integration between the two markets, according to the statement.

"This cooperation with MKK creates new opportunities for Kazakhstani investors to directly access Türkiye’s government bond market, while also welcoming Turkish investors to our capital market. It will not only expand cross-border investment opportunities but also enhance post-trade efficiency and foster deeper cooperation between our capital markets," said Yedil Medeu, Chairman of KCSD.