Freedom Holding Corp.'s Timur Turlov: “Cyprus is our European gateway to global markets”

Freedom Holding Corp. is driven by a mission to build bridges between regions and make global markets more accessible — an ambition powered by innovation and modern technologies, including artificial intelligence.

Timur Turlov, founder and CEO of the international financial group, highlighted this vision during his address at the Sixth New York — Eastern Mediterranean Business Summit, held on 15 May.

Organised by The Economist, the event, for which Freedom Holding Corp. was a platinum sponsor, brought together leading political and financial figures from Eastern Mediterranean countries under the theme 'Cyprus — Greece — Israel: Spurring Resilient and Multilateral Collaboration with the Region.' Participants discussed how strengthened cooperation between the US and the region can serve as a catalyst for economic growth and innovation.

Turlov emphasised the strategic role of Cyprus as both a geographic and regulatory bridge, particularly for companies operating between the US and Central Asia. “We came to Cyprus because we were looking for a gateway that could translate between US and Kazakh regulatory languages,” he said. “Cyprus made sense — it follows European regulation and shares a common law foundation similar to the US, making it easier to build trusted relationships and connect with global financial institutions,” he said.

Cyprus is now home to Freedom Holding Corp.’s European subsidiary, Freedom24, serving as a launchpad for investors into US and international markets. The company operates in multiple European countries — including Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Lithuania, Spain, and others. Its digital trading platform offers seamless access to over one million financial instruments worldwide, from major US stock exchanges to emerging market venues.

In Kazakhstan, Freedom Holding Corp. has built a comprehensive financial and e-commerce ecosystem that includes a fully digital bank. The platform has become increasingly popular for handling everyday financial needs, reinforcing the group's commitment to innovation and customer-centric services.

Turlov founded his brokerage firm — now Freedom Holding Corp. — shortly after the 2008 financial crisis, at just over 20 years old. In 2019, the company became the first CIS brokerage to be listed on the Nasdaq. Since then, its market value has soared. As of last week, Freedom Holding’s market capitalisation surpassed $10 billion, with the stock price reaching an all-time high of $169.35 — a 2.4x increase over the past year and nearly 12 times its IPO price of $14.42.

Reflecting on this growth, Turlov said, “At some point, we realised that operating solely as a brokerage wouldn't be enough. To stay competitive, we had to develop a comprehensive financial ecosystem. That’s what we did in Kazakhstan, and now we’re bringing that model to other markets.”

Artificial intelligence is central to this expansion. The company has developed AI-driven compliance tools to streamline regulatory processes and reduce transaction wait times. “In our region, compliance is a complex and time-consuming task. With AI, we’ve significantly improved efficiency — clients no longer have to wait weeks for transaction approvals,” Turlov explained.

Freedom Holding Corp. also uses AI for predictive analytics to better understand customer needs and deliver timely product offerings. “In Cyprus, we’ve built an AI laboratory that analyses data, often using US solutions, to create products tailored for the European and Central Asian markets,” he added.

Turlov concluded his remarks by underscoring the company’s global vision: “We’ve successfully integrated US standards, European expertise, and Kazakh talent. At this intersection — between the Eastern Mediterranean, Central Asia, Europe, and the US — we’ve found true synergy.”