ALMATY, Kazakhstan, June 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Shoqan School, founded by Kenges Rakishev and Aselle Tasmagambetova, has become the first educational organization in Kazakhstan to issue bonds, which in this case will be used to support the institution’s growth.
The Kazakhstan Stock Exchange (KASE) Listing Commission approved the inclusion of Shoqan School’s bonds in the official bond list on the exchange’s alternative trading platform on May 22, 2025.
The bond issue totals one billion tenge, with a par value of one thousand tenge per bond and a maturity of three years. Trading started on May 28, 2025.
The instrument offers investors an annual yield of 21%, payable quarterly.
“Deploying capital-market instruments for education is how we match world-class ambitions with financial discipline,” said Shoqan School co-founder Kenges Rakishev, a Kazakh investor and entrepreneur.
“This bond shows investors that impact, and financial return can coexist in Kazakhstan’s growing education sector,” he stated.
Shoqan School was founded in Almaty in 2020 by Kenges Rakishev and Aselle Tasmagambetova.
Since its creation, the school has been recognized for its innovative approach to education, which emphasizes personalized learning as a key tool towards academic excellence.
Originally named after Shoqan Walikhanov, a nineteenth-century Kazakh scholar, it operates as a non-profit and currently educates over 1,200 pupils.
Co-founder Aselle Tasmagambetova noted that “our model proves that personalized education is the right tool to unlock the potential of future generations.”
On February 12, 2024, Rakishev and Tasmagambetova announced full scholarships for students from Shoqan School who are admitted to top-ten global universities, as ranked by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings.
This year, the school announced that three Shoqan School students were admitted to Harvard University and the University of California, Berkeley, under the school’s Mentoring Program, established by both founders.
Kenges Rakishev (born 1979 in Almaty) is the Chairman of Fincraft Group and the majority shareholder of Fincraft Resources, which is listed on the KASE. He has consistently appeared on Kazakhstan’s Forbes List since 2012.
Teníz Capital Investment Banking acted as the financial advisor on the bond placement.
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4c90c97b-ab71-4918-a93e-d559450b568c