From a childhood in Kazakhstan to a career spanning finance, wealth management and technology, Olzhas Zhiyenkul’s journey has been shaped by curiosity, resilience and a desire to build what comes next.

Originally grounded in mathematics and hard sciences, Olzhas once imagined a future in nuclear physics. A mentor eventually encouraged him to explore finance, setting him on a path through professional finance and wealth management before entrepreneurship became a defining part of his career.

Today, his biggest venture is Investbanq, an AI-native wealth operating system designed for financial institutions. For Olzhas, the opportunity lies in using technology to transform a wealth management industry still shaped by legacy systems, processes and ways of thinking.

Asked to describe Investbanq in three words, Olzhas keeps it simple:

“Wealth operating system.”

His longer-term ambition, however, is much broader. Over the next five years, he hopes to establish Investbanq as a market leader in wealth digitisation, transformation and scalability across Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Central Asia — and eventually build it into a global company.

For someone building an AI-native company, artificial intelligence is not simply a trend.

Olzhas sees AI developing at a pace that could significantly disrupt industries and change how people work. While he acknowledges the uncertainty that comes with that transformation, he describes himself as a techno-optimist, believing technology can ultimately help create a better future when developed and governed responsibly.

Despite the demands of entrepreneurship, Olzhas says his family remains the most important part of his life.

Balancing business, family, relationships and personal time is not always perfectly structured. Some weeks lean heavily towards work, while others require more time reconnecting with family and friends. For Olzhas, the reality is less about achieving a perfect balance and more about continuously navigating it.

That philosophy also extends to how he approaches life:

Whether in business or beyond it, his aim is to leave the things he touches better than he found them.

When asked what he would tell his younger self, Olzhas reflected on the uncertainty he felt after graduating from university and entering the working world.

With the benefit of experience, his message would be reassuring:

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