{"id":141278,"title":"Freedom Holding Corp. Deepens Its Focus on Governance, Climate and Social Impact","publisher":"Share Talk","author":"sharetalk","published":"2026-10-02T10:30:05+00:00","modified":"2026-10-02T10:36:17+00:00","canonical_url":"https://www.share-talk.com/freedom-holding-corp-deepens-its-focus-on-governance-climate-and-social-impact/","markdown_url":"https://www.share-talk.com/freedom-holding-corp-deepens-its-focus-on-governance-climate-and-social-impact.md","json_url":"https://www.share-talk.com/freedom-holding-corp-deepens-its-focus-on-governance-climate-and-social-impact.json","category":"Blogs","categories":["Blogs","Business & Support Services","Technology","Technology, Media & Telecoms"],"tags":["BANK","brokerage arm","Fintech","Freedom Broker","Freedom Holding Corp","global markets","Institutional","investors","Kazakhstan","Retail"],"featured_image":"https://i0.wp.com/www.share-talk.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Picture1.png?fit=560%2C293&ssl=1","format":"news","language":"en-GB","content":"Freedom Holding Corp. (FRHC) backed more than [80 social impact projects](https://ir.freedomholdingcorp.com/press-releases/detail/119/freedom-holding-corp-publishes-sustainability-report-for) during the 2026 financial year, covering 11of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The projects ranged from education and healthcare initiatives to environmental restoration and support for local communities.\n\nThose projects are only one part of the company’s broader ESG work. Freedom is also trying to build sustainability into the way the business is run, including its approach to governance, employee development, climate risk and social investment, according to its 2026 Sustainability Report.\n\nThe shift is happening as the company itself becomes larger. Freedom Holding Corp. reported $2.19 billion in revenue for the 2026 financial year, while its assets increased from about $9.9 billion to $13.2 billion. The banking segment’s customer base nearly doubled, surpassing 5.03 million people. By the end of March 2026, the Group employed 11,846 people across 22 countries. The company now operates in 24 countries, and its workforce has grown.\n\n“As the company grows, so does our responsibility. For us, sustainable development is not a separate agenda or simply a matter of reporting. It is part of how we build a strong and resilient company,” said Timur Turlov, Chief Executive Officer of Freedom Holding Corp.\n\nThat philosophy is increasingly reflected in the way Freedom is developing its ESG framework alongside its core business.\n\n## **From Global Goals to Local Projects**\n\nDuring the reporting period, Freedom Holding Corp. supported more than 80 projects aligned with 11 UN Sustainable Development Goals. Its main areas of focus included education, health and well-being, environmental initiatives, and the development of local communities.\n\nOne example is Eco-Aul, a project in Kazakhstan’s Aral District ($131 thousand). The initiative brings together access to clean water, renewable energy, telemedicine, and the internet, while also supporting vegetation restoration and efforts to combat desertification. The project is being developed as a pilot that could eventually be adapted for use in other regions.\n\nFreedom Holding is also investing in social inclusion through sport. With support from the Freedom Shapagat Foundation, the UNI Football League ($62 thousand) provides an adaptive football program for children and teenagers with special educational needs. By spring 2026, the program was operating in nine cities across Kazakhstan and had more than 120 participants. During the 2025/26 season, it received a bronze award at the UEFA Grassroots Awards in the Best Disability Initiative category.\n\nEducation remains another major area of social investment. Freedom supports initiatives including Teach for Qazaqstan, the Freedom Grants program ($454 thousand), and IQanat projects ($88 thousand) aimed at students from rural communities.\n\nFreedom is also supporting work to restore the Aral Sea ecosystem ($66 thousand), including the planting of saxaul and other drought-resistant vegetation across parts of the dried seabed.\n\nThe company has also been a participant in the United Nations Global Compact since 2023. Its principles are used to help guide internal policies and the company’s work with local communities.\n\n![](https://www.share-talk.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Picture2-300x180.png)\n\n## **ESG and Corporate Governance**\n\nFreedom’s ESG work is not limited to social and environmental projects. The company is also making changes to the way these issues are managed internally, with a greater focus on governance, oversight and Group-wide policies.\n\nOne example was the adoption of a unified Group-wide Whistleblowing Policy in May 2025. The policy applies across all jurisdictions in which the Group operates and provides confidential reporting channels available around the clock, including the option to raise concerns anonymously.\n\nAccording to Turlov, this reflects a broader shift in the company’s governance model, from what he described as “fragmented control functions” to a unified, centralized system at the Group level.”\n\nAs Freedom becomes larger and more complex, the aim is to create greater consistency in how governance and oversight are handled across the organization.\n\nThe company is also taking steps to strengthen the credibility of its non-financial reporting. For the third year in a row, selected disclosures in its Sustainability Report were subject to independent external assurance by Deloitte.\n\n## **A Greater Focus on Climate Risk**\n\nFor Freedom Holding Corp., environmental impact goes beyond the energy used in offices or the footprint of day-to-day operations. It also includes the emissions connected to the capital the company lends, invests, or manages on behalf of clients.\n\nIn fiscal year 2026, Freedom broadened its calculation of financed emissions to include its loan portfolio, as well as relevant parts of its investment and insurance portfolios.\n\nAt the same time, the company continued its annual climate risk assessment.\n\nTogether, these steps are giving Freedom a broader picture of the climate impact associated with its financial activities and creating a stronger foundation for future risk management.\n\n![](https://www.share-talk.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Picture3-300x168.png)\n\n## **Investing in Employees**\n\nAs the Group expands, employee development is also taking on a larger role in its sustainability strategy. The average number of training hours per employee increased to roughly 2.4 times the level recorded in the previous financial year.\n\nWomen make up around 48% of the workforce. During the reporting year, Freedom also introduced Freedom Voices: Women, a program focused on supporting women’s leadership development.\n\nFor a fast-growing international group, investment in training and professional development can also help maintain consistent standards as the business expands into new markets and adds new areas of activity.\n\n## **ESG Growing With the Business**\n\nFreedom’s 2026 Sustainability Report presents ESG as an increasingly integrated part of the way the company operates.\n\nAs Freedom continues to expand its customer base, geographic reach, and range of businesses, these areas are becoming more closely tied to its long-term development, reflecting Turlov’s view that greater business scale should also come with greater responsibility."}