AFSA alerts to Forged Licence used by Individual presenting himself as Nurlan Asilbekov, whose true identity remains unknown
The Astana Financial Services Authority (“AFSA”) issues this alert concerning the alleged fraudulent activities of an individual presenting himself as Nurlan Asilbekov.
It has come to AFSA’s attention that this individual is allegedly promoting financial services via a private Telegram channel using a forged version of a licence (No. AFSA-G-LA-2023-0004) issued to Bybit Limited by AFSA on 07 June 2023 to conduct the following Market Activity: Operator of a Digital Asset Trading Facility.
The forged licence contains the alleged name of the individual, which is NOT present on authentic AFSA Licences. AFSA does NOT grant Licences to natural persons – it only grants Licences to legal entities.
AFSA warns the public to exercise utmost caution in dealing with entities claiming to provide financial services on the basis of an AFSA licence, and encourages the public to check the Public Register which contains business information on companies authorised and/or registered by AFSA. This is a crucial step to verify that a firm is properly authorised before engaging with any of its financial services or products.
Bybit Limited offers the following tool on its website that allows users to check the authenticity of Bybit sources: Bybit Authenticity Check.
Members of the public who deal with unauthorised persons do so at their own risk and may not be protected under the legal and regulatory framework of the Astana International Financial Centre.
Reference:
The Astana Financial Services Authority (AFSA) is the independent regulator of the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC), which is established in accordance with the Constitutional Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan “On the Astana International Financial Centre” for the purposes of regulating financial services and related activities in the AIFC. AFSA administers the AIFC Regulations and Rules and is responsible for the authorisation, registration, recognition and supervision of financial firms and market institutions in the AIFC.
Over 3,800 firms from 85 countries are registered in the AIFC. These firms provide banking, insurance, investment, professional and other services. The range of financial services offered at the AIFC is comparable to the list of services available in long-established financial centers of the world, such as London, Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai and others. www.afsa.kz
The Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) is an independent jurisdiction with a favourable legal and regulatory environment and a developed infrastructure for starting and doing business, attracting investment, creating jobs and developing Kazakhstan’s economy. https://aifc.kz/
Contact information:
Public Relations and Communications Division of AFSA: +7 (717) 264 73 43; +7 7172 61-37-45 email: [email protected]