According to Xinhua Finance, on 31 October, at the Data Industry High-Quality Development and International Cooperation Forum of the 2026 Global Data Vendors Conference in Shanghai, the first international data vendors jointly launched work related to listing data products on the Shanghai Data Exchange and Kazakhstan's Astana Data Exchange. Sarsen Zhanabekov, chief executive officer of the Astana Data Exchange, also gave an on-site interview to 21st Century Business Herald the same day.
What was launched with the joint listing between the Chinese and Kazakh data exchanges?
According to Xinhua Finance, what was launched is work related to listing data products: under a linked cooperation model between the two exchanges, the first international data vendors are exploring new models of cross-border data trading within a compliance framework. The report says this work supports Chinese companies going global to position themselves in the Central Asian market and expand their data business, and calls it an important sign that cooperation between the two exchanges is moving from mechanism building to real implementation. Note that the original wording is "advancing" and "launching related work", not that listing or trading has already been completed.
Which international data vendors are in the first group and which fields do their data services cover?
Xinhua Finance says there are 11 international data vendors, including Dun & Bradstreet, Dow Jones, Accuris, the Economist Intelligence Unit and Kirin Capital, which are moving in an orderly way to list data products on the Astana Data Exchange. Their data services cover business information, financial services, shipping and logistics, academic research, artificial intelligence and other industries. The report names only these five; this article does not add the other six.
What cooperation was there between the two data exchanges before?
According to Xinhua Finance, the Shanghai Data Exchange and the Astana Data Exchange signed a strategic cooperation agreement in September 2025. Since signing, the two exchanges have taken part in China–Central Asia digital construction and have worked on cooperation mechanisms and model innovation around cross-border data flows and joint listing of data products. The report also mentions that the Shanghai Data Exchange is a board member of the World Data Organization (WDO) and will deepen regular exchanges and cooperation with the Astana Data Exchange.
What did the chief executive of the Astana Data Exchange say?
According to 21st Century Business Herald, Zhanabekov said Kazakhstan and China have built a solid partnership, that bilateral trade last year came close to 50 billion US dollars, and that the two countries now aim to double this figure and increase investment between them. He said he hopes the Astana Data Exchange, as a data platform and data exchange platform, will make things easier for companies working with China and enable Chinese companies working in Kazakhstan to make better-informed decisions on the basis of platform data, and that through data integration and cross-border trading the whole process of integrating trade, investment and finance can be faster and more convenient.
Also according to Xinhua Finance, he said the Central Asian region has huge potential for digital economy development, that trusted, compliant data circulation is a key foundation for industrial upgrading, and that the Astana Data Exchange will deepen mutual recognition of rules and joint building of the ecosystem with the Shanghai Data Exchange and use this joint listing to attract more high-quality data vendors. The doubling of trade is a target he put forward, not an established result.
Rules related to this news
Frequently asked questions
### Has the joint listing of the two data exchanges been completed?
No completed result can yet be confirmed. Xinhua Finance says the first international data vendors "jointly launched" work related to listing and that the 11 vendors are "moving forward in an orderly way"; neither report discloses the number of data products already listed or any transaction volume.
### Which international data service providers are involved?
Xinhua Finance names Dun & Bradstreet, Dow Jones, Accuris, the Economist Intelligence Unit and Kirin Capital, and says there are 11 in all. The other vendors are not listed in the two reports.
### What does this mean for Chinese companies doing business in Kazakhstan?
According to Xinhua Finance, the cooperation is positioned to support Chinese companies going global to position themselves in the Central Asian market and expand their data business; according to Zhanabekov, the Astana Data Exchange hopes to let Chinese companies working in Kazakhstan make better-informed decisions based on platform data. The reports give no details on specific products or how they would be used.
### What is the Astana Data Exchange?
According to 21st Century Business Herald, the Astana Data Exchange is a data trading institution established in Kazakhstan that aims to build a leading national-level data trading platform in Central Asia.
Further reading
- More digital and market news: Kazakhstan investment and projects news section
- Digital infrastructure in the same city: Eurasian Development Bank finances the AKASHI data centre in Astana
- Astana financial market: Astana International Exchange turnover up year on year in the first nine months
- Setting up a company entity in Kazakhstan: Kazakhstan company registration services
Sources
- Xinhua Finance (China Financial Information Network), 31 October: https://www.cnfin.com/gs-lb/detail/20261031/4489326_1.html
- 21st Century Business Herald, 31 October: https://www.21jingji.com/article/20261031/herald/32fc4dc56d40843e48b6ab540be94b97.html
The cover image was generated by AI and is not a real photograph.