Freedom Holding Corp., a Nasdaq-listed U.S.-based company founded by Timur Turlov, is actively expanding from a traditional brokerage and banking institution into a diverse digital ecosystem.
A key pillar of this transformation is the development of its lifestyle segment — a collection of businesses and services that, at first glance, may not appear directly related to finance.
Yet, these initiatives are playing a crucial role in drawing new clients to the company’s core business segments.
Lifestyle Businesses: Entry Points into the Freedom Brand
The lifestyle businesses are an entry point into the Freedom brand. They create loyalty and build a stable customer base. These are the lifestyle projects that often represent a client’s first interaction with the company.
Among the most notable lifestyle businesses of Freedom Holding Corp are Arbuz Group, an online grocery delivery service; Aviata, an online travel booking platform; Ticketon, an online ticketing platform for events; and Freedom Technologies (Paybox), a payment service provider in Kazakhstan that offers digital payment solutions.
“If you offer two complementary services — a bank and, say, investments — you can build an ecosystem that makes the customer feel at ease. Then you can add lifestyle elements. Because it’s all about trust,” Timur Turlov said.
After a while, however, the new services become touchpoints that build an emotional connection and bring new customers into the core business. People come for cashback or convenient delivery — and stay as bank customers or investors.
According to Timur Turlov, this approach enables scalable growth without relying on expensive advertising. Instead, customers are introduced to useful products, become part of the ecosystem and naturally progress to using banking and investment services. “In some of our services, the share of payments made with our cards has already grown from 1% to 60%,” Timur Turlov said.
Building Trust Through Customer Interactions
The ecosystem is designed to create multiple customer touchpoints — essential for building the trust that is the foundation for success in the financial sector.
“It takes seven interactions to get someone to vote for you in an election. To get someone to apply for a bank card? Many more,” says Timur Turlov. “The ecosystem helps build those interactions in different ways — through product purchases, tickets, insurance, mortgages… and eventually, investments.”
The ecosystem is also expanding through the acquisition and integration of startups. Freedom Holding invests in promising ventures, supports their growth, and incorporates them into its infrastructure — all while preserving their flexibility and innovative spirit.
This approach not only fuels innovation but also enables rapid diversification of services. Startups bring fresh ideas and niche expertise that enrich the overall ecosystem.
By aligning with Freedom’s long-term vision, these partnerships help deliver more personalized and relevant experiences to users.
A strong emphasis is placed on technological innovation. Freedom Holding Corp. actively uses neural networks and its own large language models (LLMs), with customized applications across compliance, risk management, and client analytics.
These tools help reduce costs, speed up decision-making, and allow the company to scale without increasing operating overhead.
“You can acquire a huge number of customers quickly — and lose them just as fast. Everything depends on the quality of their first experience and the relevance of what you offer next,” Timur Turlov notes.
Trust: The Centerpiece of the Ecosystem
For Timur Turlov, an ecosystem is a structure built around a company’s most valuable asset: trust. As a chess enthusiast, he likens it to a chessboard: “The ecosystem is the board, and the king is trust. Every piece on the board works to protect the king.”
That is why the lifestyle segment is seen as a strategic priority, not a side business. It creates a dense web of customer interactions, helping forge long-term emotional connections with the brand.
Lifestyle companies play a central role in acquiring and retaining clients, support the organic growth of financial services, and enable the company to stay agile in a fast-changing market.
A Personal Outlet for Creativity and Motivation
There is also a deeper level to this strategy. Turlov admits that it’s the lifestyle trends that have become a way for him to avoid burnout and maintain his entrepreneurial drive.
“I’ve probably got the most buzz in the last two years by coming up with new things for myself… When you start coming up with new lines of business, it’s like a breath of fresh air,” he says.
Freedom Holding Corp: Building Trust Beyond Finance
In redefining the boundaries of traditional finance, lifestyle businesses are emerging as powerful gateways into broader digital ecosystems. By prioritizing trust, innovation, and seamless customer experiences, companies can attract new users while cultivating long-term loyalty. These everyday services create emotional touchpoints that naturally guide clients toward core financial offerings.
Freedom Holding Corp., under the leadership of Timur Turlov, exemplifies this strategy—proving that the future of finance begins with earning trust in unexpected places.
