On February 4, the Astana International Exchange (AIX) held a ceremonial listing of ForteBank’s Eurobonds. The bank successfully placed five-year bonds in the amount of 400 million US dollars with a coupon rate of 7.75% per annum. High demand from the international investors allowed the rate to be reduced from 8.25%. This marks the first Eurobond issuance by a private Kazakhstani bank in 12 years The bonds were placed on the Vienna MTF and AIX, which strengthens ForteBank’s international presence and expands the circle of investors. At the listing ceremony, Chief Executive Officer of the AIX Assel Mukazhanova noted: "We are happy to welcome placement of ForteBank’s Eurobonds. A strong demand from foreign investors confirms confidence in the financial sector of Kazakhstan and the bank's stable position on the market. This listing also provides investors with an excellent opportunity to diversify their portfolios through high-quality assets of emerging markets." Timur Issatayev, Chairman of the Board of Directors of ForteBank, emphasized the importance of this placement for the bank and the entire financial market of Kazakhstan: "First of all, I would like to thank all the participants, lawyers, consultants and, in particular, J.P.Morgan and ForteFinance for their high level of professionalism and excellent work results. I would also like to express special gratitude to the AIX exchange for the support. Today's placement is likely to be a symbol of overcoming the banking crisis that lasted for more than 10 years. The great interest from the international investors in our issue confirms that we have managed to overcome the challenges and enter a new stage of development." According to reports, ForteBank's Eurobond placement order book peaked at $800 million, significantly exceeding initial expectations. Due to strong demand, the bank tightened its pricing by 25 basis points from the initial guidelines. The issue volume was increased from $300 million to $350 million and then to $400 million. The placement was attended by 90 investors, the largest portion of which consisted of the representatives from the USA (34%), Great Britain (30%) and other European countries (25%). The international rating agencies assigned the following ratings to the issue: Fitch (BB) / Moody's (Ba3).