Born in 1987, Timur Turlov is an entrepreneur, investor, and the founder and CEO of Freedom Holding Corp. (Nasdaq: FHRC). Showing an interest in the world of finance from a young age, at 16, while attending university, he began his career as a trader of World Capital Investments (WCI). This laid the groundwork for his future success.

After graduating with a degree in economics, Timur Turlov joined the brokerage division of Uniastrum Bank. During his work at the Bank, he played an active role in developing their infrastructure for trading on American stock exchanges. Leveraging this experience, in 2008, at the age of 21, he founded Freedom Finance, an investment company specializing in providing access to American stock exchanges and in 2012, Freedom entered the Kazakhstani market, quickly becoming one of the leading brokerage companies in the country. 

By 2019, Timur Turlov had consolidated various businesses under the single brand of Freedom Holding Corp. and in October of that same year, he took the company public on Nasdaq. This was a significant achievement, making Freedom Holding Corp. the first financial organization in the CIS to be listed on the platform. At the time of the IPO the company’s shares were valued at less than $15. By 2024 they were trading at $90.

Under Turlov’s leadership, Freedom Holding Corp. has grown into an international, diversified financial services group with representative offices in 22 countries and a market capitalization of over $5 billion. Timur Turlov personally controls 69% of the company’s shares which contributed to his inclusion on the 2021 Forbes list as one of the wealthiest people in the world, ranking 1,517th with a net worth of $2.1 billion. In 2024, his wealth was estimated at $4 billion, making him the 825th wealthiest individual in the world, according to Forbes.

Under the Freedom Holding Corp. umbrella, Timur Turlov is focused on developing a robust financial ecosystem in Kazakhstan that owns and operates various businesses that provide a wide range of services including: Freedom Bank Kazakhstan, the company’s retail bank; stock brokerage companies such as Freedom Finance JSC and Freedom Finance Global; a unique stock trading platform called Tradernet; the international e-payment service called Freedom Pay; insurance companies such as Freedom Life and Freedom Insurance; the telecommunications operator Freedom Telecom, as well as lifestyle services such as Arbuz.kz and Aviata which are involved in the food-tech and travel industries.

More than 5 million people in Kazakhstan use the services and products provided by Freedom Holding Corp., and Turlov aims to expand the company’s business into new markets. 

Thanks to his strategic vision, Freedom Holding Corp. has successfully developed its business not only in Kazakhstan but also in international markets. In 2020, the company established its beachhead in America with the acquisition of Prime Executions Inc., an American broker-dealer, which allowed for the creation and licensing of Freedom Capital Markets, the company’s US-based investment banking operation. In 2023 the company expanded its US presence with the purchase of LD Micro, a micro-cap-investor-conference facilitator and data services provider.

Freedom Finance Europe, the company’s European operation, is also actively expanding its business and opening new branch offices. The company currently operates in 12 European countries, serving more than 250,000 customers.

In addition to his business endeavors, Turlov is actively engaged in socially responsible and community-oriented initiatives. In 2023, he became president of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation where he advanced the promotion of chess through the public-school curriculum, and was an original founder of the QJ League, a youth football league, dedicated to providing increased resources and access to youth soccer players and league administrators from across the country.  He also launched Qalam, a multimedia historical and educational project dedicated to stressing the importance and contributions of Kazakh and Central Asian culture and their global relevance. Under his leadership, Freedom Holding Corp. also supports the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea and participates in various ecological initiatives.

Timur Turlov and his wife live in Almaty where they are raising their six children.