Foreign Investment - The Times Of Central Asia

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Foreign Investment

Kazakhstan Expands Technology Agenda, Inviting Investors into Space and Artificial Intelligence

Kazakhstan is stepping up its focus on the digital economy and high technology, expanding its investment agenda beyond the resource sector. At a meeting of the Foreign Investors’ Council on July 2, officials presented several areas they see as potential new growth drivers: artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure, space technology, and the innovation hub of Alatau City. For Astana, the push is part of a broader economic development strategy. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said Kazakhstan’s economy grew by 6.5% in 2025, while GDP has exceeded $300 billion. According to Tokayev, accumulated net foreign direct investment has surpassed $150 billion, making Kazakhstan Central Asia’s largest recipient of foreign investment. Against this backdrop, the government is increasingly focused on the next stage of development: building digital industries that could help shape the region’s economic architecture in the coming years. Artificial intelligence is central to this strategy. Tokayev described AI as one of the key drivers of the global economy and confirmed that 2026 has been declared the Year of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development in Kazakhstan. The country has adopted a new package of sector-specific legislation, including the Digital Code and the Law on Artificial Intelligence, and has created the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development. One of the most prominent projects in this sector is Data Center Valley, an infrastructure cluster intended to host large-scale computing and data-processing facilities. According to the president, the project has already attracted interest from Amazon, G42, and other international technology companies. For Kazakhstan, the development of data centers has strategic importance. As global demand for computing power and AI infrastructure grows, countries with access to energy, favorable logistics, and clear regulation are becoming increasingly attractive destinations for international capital. A separate part of the strategy focuses on the space sector. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development Zhaslan Madiyev invited foreign investors to participate in building a joint space ecosystem. According to Madiyev, Kazakhstan sees the sector as broader than traditional satellite infrastructure, viewing it as a technological platform that can combine spacecraft manufacturing, launches, maintenance, Earth observation, and AI-driven analytics. This approach reflects a wider global trend. The space technology market is entering a new phase of growth, driven by private investment, satellite communications, geo-analytics, and big data services. For Kazakhstan, this creates an opportunity to use its accumulated expertise and infrastructure, including its space-sector legacy at Baikonur, which remains leased to Russia until 2050. Another pillar of the digital strategy is Alatau City, an innovation hub being built near Almaty. The authorities view it as an experimental platform for digital assets, fintech, autonomous transport, and artificial intelligence technologies. According to Madiyev, Alatau City is expected to become one of the first sites in the region for testing autonomous vehicles, drones, and tokenized solutions. Tokayev said the city will be built on a “digital by default” principle, meaning that administrative and public services will be designed in digital form from the outset. The Times of Central Asia previously reported that Astana...

Investor Perception

Foreign Investors Remain Interested in Central Asia Despite Volatility, Survey Finds

International investors continue to view Central Asia and the Caucasus as attractive destinations despite heightened geopolitical tensions and market volatility, according to the third annual Investor Perception Report released by Montfort Eurasia. The survey, conducted among institutional investors in the United Kingdom and the United States, found that interest in the region remains high. Overall, 66.3% of respondents reported either strong or moderate interest in investing in Central Asia and the Caucasus, suggesting that the region is increasingly being considered as part of broader emerging-market strategies rather than as a niche destination. Among UK investors, 67.1% expressed strong or moderate interest, while the figure stood at 65.5% in the U.S. Around one-third of respondents in both countries reported very strong interest in the region, with 32.8% in the UK and 34.6% in the U.S. Recent U.S. commercial engagement in Central Asia has also moved from dialogue toward specific deals. The Montfort Eurasia report suggests that investor attitudes have shifted over the past three years. While early interest was driven largely by curiosity, investors are now approaching the region with more detailed financial analysis and due diligence. “Two years ago, the challenge for Central Asia and the Caucasus was getting noticed. Today it is being understood,” said Eleanor Kramers, managing director of Montfort Eurasia. “Investors have arrived and they have arrived as analysts, reaching for financial data and due diligence ahead of headlines. The region has answered their early interest with proof rather than promise, from international listings to sovereign-rating upgrades. The opportunity now is to meet a more serious, more demanding audience with the depth and consistency of information it expects.” One of the clearest signs of that shift is where investors obtain information. Financial analysis has overtaken international news media as the leading source of intelligence about the region, cited by 68.6% of UK respondents and 56.6% of U.S. respondents. According to the report, investors are increasingly evaluating the region through company performance, financial statements, and sector data rather than through media coverage alone. Although interest remains high, the report found that investors’ knowledge of the region has stopped improving. Respondents rated their understanding at 6.63 out of 10 in the UK and 6.79 out of 10 in the U.S., slightly below last year’s peak. Factual awareness also weakened. Only 29% of UK investors correctly estimated trade volumes between the UK and the region, compared with 39% a year earlier, while roughly one-quarter of respondents in both countries could not identify the region’s most business-friendly country. Political and economic risks also remain key considerations. Investment security ranked as investors’ biggest concern, cited by 72.3% of UK respondents and 64.7% of U.S. respondents. Political stability followed closely behind, with 56.2% of UK investors and 52.9% of U.S. investors identifying it as a major factor. Among British respondents, improved political stability was the most frequently cited condition for increasing investment in the region.

Pax Silica

Kazakhstan’s Pax Silica Accession Bodes Well for Foreign Investment

Kazakhstan’s accession to Pax Silica is more than a diplomatic ribbon-cutting. It is an investment signal. By joining an initiative supported by the United States and built around trusted supply chains for the new artificial intelligence economy, Kazakhstan has placed itself inside one of the most important emerging conversations in global industry about who will supply the minerals, energy, computing infrastructure, data centers, talent and manufacturing capacity behind the AI boom. Kazakhstan’s official readout was explicit about that ambition. Pax Silica, it said, brings partner countries together around artificial intelligence, critical minerals, semiconductors, data centers, energy infrastructure, high-tech manufacturing, research and talent development. Kazakhstan became the first country from its region to join, with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development Zhaslan Madiyev signing the accession declaration and the AI Opportunity Partnership statement in Washington on June 25. “Behind every AI solution are energy, critical minerals, computing capacity, data centers, semiconductors, engineering talent, and secure supply chains,” Madiyev said. Pax Silica is a supply-chain coalition whereby each participant brings a piece of the AI industrial base such as chips, energy, minerals, capital, cloud infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, regulatory alignment or technical talent. Reuters has described the initiative as a U.S.-led effort to secure the supply chains behind artificial intelligence, from energy and critical minerals to high-end manufacturing and AI models. Kazakhstan’s inclusion demonstrates that the country is being viewed as a potentially significant node in the physical infrastructure of the AI economy. Why Kazakhstan Fits the Pax Silica Map Kazakhstan has existing relevance in the AI supply chain as well as the capability to expand that role. That helps explain why Kazakhstan, rather than another regional state, became the first Central Asian node to plug into Pax Silica’s trusted supply-chain architecture. The U.S. International Trade Administration says Kazakhstan has substantial reserves of rare earth elements, copper, lithium, tungsten, tantalum and other materials essential for modern technologies and the energy transition. It also notes that the country’s policy focus is shifting from raw-material exports toward value-added processing and downstream production. With regard to the energy feedstock needed to power AI data centers, Kazakhstan has been the world’s leading uranium producer since 2009 and produced about 40% of global output in 2025. Nuclear energy is returning to the strategic conversation as governments and companies look for firm, low-carbon electricity. Kazakhstan also has a proven record as a resource partner for the U.S. and the West. U.S. energy majors helped build Kazakhstan’s modern oil sector, with Chevron beginning production from a $48 billion expansion of the Tengiz oilfield in 2025. In aerospace, Kazakhstan’s Ust-Kamenogorsk Titanium and Magnesium Plant supplies major global manufacturers, including Boeing and Airbus, and officials say titanium from Kazakhstan accounts for roughly one-fifth of the global aerospace titanium market. A New Layer in U.S.-Kazakhstan Alignment Pax Silica also follows a warming trend in U.S.-Kazakhstan relations under the Trump administration. Tokayev has already framed Kazakhstan as an active participant in several U.S.-backed initiatives, including the Abraham Accords, the...

Investment Project Implementation

Uzbekistan Pushes to Turn $43 Billion in Investment Deals into Economic Growth

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has instructed officials to accelerate the implementation of investment agreements signed during the 5th Tashkent International Investment Forum, stressing that every deal must deliver tangible economic results rather than remain on paper. Speaking at a government meeting on June 25, Mirziyoyev said the forum resulted in 177 agreements worth $43 billion with foreign partners. He added that each agreement should be transformed into concrete projects that create jobs and generate higher added value. “Every agreement must become a project, a workplace, and a source of high added value,” the president said. Officials were ordered to prepare decisions addressing 120 proposals submitted by foreign investors during the forum. Mirziyoyev also called on ministers and regional governors to rethink their approach to investment, placing greater emphasis on quality and efficiency. According to the president, half of all investment attracted to Uzbekistan over the past five years has gone to just four regions, but economic returns differ sharply. In Fergana, he said, every UZS 1 million invested generates an additional UZS 273,000 ($22.78) in gross regional product. In Samarkand, the figure is UZS 262,000. In Bukhara, it is UZS 117,000 ($9.76), roughly half the return in stronger-performing regions. The meeting also focused on the growing demand for construction materials driven by Uzbekistan’s ambitious development plans. Earlier this year, the government adopted a long-term housing program aiming to double the number of new homes built annually to 280,000 by 2040 and increase the number of “New Uzbekistan” residential districts from 61 to 120. In addition, Uzbekistan is commissioning 20 to 25 million square meters of commercial buildings every year, creating annual demand for at least $10 billion worth of construction materials. During the investment forum, the government also presented $27 billion in new infrastructure projects to international investors. These include a nuclear power plant in Jizzakh, a fourth copper processing plant in Tashkent Region, New Tashkent Airport with an annual capacity of 20 million passengers, a 55,000-seat stadium in New Tashkent, and a 282-kilometer highway linking Tashkent and Samarkand. Mirziyoyev said these large-scale projects require construction materials that meet strict international standards and instructed officials to establish a new system linking domestic manufacturers with major investment projects. The president also ordered the government to prepare proposals ensuring equal conditions for imported and locally produced construction materials. While foreign investors have requested value-added tax exemptions for imported materials used in major projects, domestic manufacturers argue that the same incentives should apply to local products, saying they are ready to compete on quality and standards. The meeting also addressed financial difficulties in the construction materials sector. According to officials, 457 companies have accumulated 3.5 trillion soums ($292,101,250) in overdue loans because their products remain too expensive or fail to meet current market demand. To help revive the sector, Mirziyoyev ordered officials to develop recovery plans for each company and allocate $50 million to modernize production facilities, reduce manufacturing costs, and support the production of more competitive goods.

Foreign Investment

Opinion: Why Deals Go Quiet – Contracts, Trust, and Business Development in Central Asia

The meeting had gone well. The counterpart had nodded at the right moments, asked sensible questions, and shaken hands warmly at the door. There had been no objection, no pushback, no obvious red flag. Then nothing happened. No follow-up call. No revised term sheet. No polite email explaining what had changed. Just silence, stretching from weeks into months, until the deal that had seemed close was quietly, undeniably dead. Foreign executives who have spent time in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, or elsewhere in Central Asia may recognize this pattern. It is often filed away as bad luck, an unresponsive partner, or a market that “just isn’t ready.” Sometimes those explanations are partly true. But in many cases, something more basic is at work: the parties are operating with different assumptions about trust, commitment, communication, and timing. There is a way to put this more precisely. In many Western commercial settings, the contract gives the commercial relationship its legal form: it records binding obligations, allocates risk, and defines what each side can enforce. In Kazakhstan, and in many business settings across Central Asia, the broader business relationship often remains the framework within which the contract is negotiated, performed, and sustained. Neither approach is irrational. The trouble begins when either side assumes its own is simply how serious business works everywhere. The issue is not that contracts are meaningless or unenforceable. It is that many deals do not close. They stall because the relationship, the people who actually back the deal, or trust around the transaction was never strong enough to carry it forward. In many Western commercial settings, the contract is treated as the main container of trust. Negotiation builds toward a signature, and the signature defines what each party now owes the other. After that point, performance is supported by process: lawyers, clauses, deadlines, courts, regulators, and dispute mechanisms. The relationship matters, but it is often understood as something that produces the contract. In Kazakhstan and across much of Central Asia, business development can work differently. The relationship often remains the container in which an agreement sits. A memorandum of understanding (MOU), for example, may be seen less as the end of the conversation than as one stage in a longer process of confidence-building. A foreign negotiator may believe the signature closes the matter. A local counterpart may believe it has only moved the relationship into a new phase. Neither approach is irrational. Both are ways of managing uncertainty. The difficulty begins when either side assumes its own approach is simply how serious business works everywhere. This is one of the details foreign investors often miss: failure rarely announces itself. There is no confrontation, no dramatic breakdown, no final meeting in which the deal is formally pronounced dead. It shows up instead as an absence. A phone that stops ringing. A term sheet that does not move. A relationship that goes quiet without explanation. A Western team may read silence as the absence of a problem. No news is good news. In...

Industrialization

Tajikistan Targets Industrial Growth as Share of GDP to Reach 30% by 2030

Tajikistan aims to increase industry’s share of gross domestic product to 30% by 2030 as part of its accelerated industrialization strategy, the State Committee on Investments and State Property Management said. The committee said the country has a strong raw materials base to support industrial development. According to the agency, Tajikistan has 10 of the 12 critical minerals most in demand for projects linked to the global green transition. More than 800 mineral and precious metal deposits have also been identified across the country, it said. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has also described Tajikistan as having more than 600 documented deposits of around 50 minerals, including silver, gold, lead, and zinc. The bank has said the country holds some of the largest antimony reserves in the region, though limited private investment has slowed development of the sector. Authorities say the focus is shifting beyond raw material extraction toward processing industries. Priority sectors include textiles, agricultural processing, construction materials, machine building, chemicals, and electrical equipment manufacturing. According to the committee, the strategy is designed to create investment opportunities across the full production cycle, from resource extraction to finished goods aimed at regional and international markets.