ASTANA — Global certainty is not stopping investment. It is redrawing where capital goes and Kazakhstan can benefit from this shift, said Asian Development Bank Vice President Fatima Yasmin in an interview with The Astana Times. “Global uncertainty is making investors more selective, but it is not stopping investment,” said Yasmin, who visited Kazakhstan last week to attend the Foreign Investors’ Council meeting in Astana.
“In fact, capital is increasingly moving toward countries that can offer reliability, connectivity, and long-term growth opportunities. Investors are looking at new trade routes, energy and food security, critical minerals, digital infrastructure, and regional supply chains.
Central Asia sits at the intersection of many of these priorities,” she explained. In terms of Kazakhstan’s place in this changing map of opportunities, she said the nation is “well positioned to benefit from this shift.” “It has the scale, resource base, and institutional capacity to serve as a regional investment anchor.
In 2024, the country accounted for nearly 70% of accumulated FDI stock in the region. Its geostrategic location is becoming more valuable as companies reassess supply chains and seek alternative trade routes,” said Yasmin. But to fully harness that potential, Kazakhstan has to diversify towards higher value-added production, processing, logistics, and technology-enabled sectors.
“Predictable rules, transparent procurement, bankable projects, and skilled human capital will be critical to strengthening Kazakhstan’s position as a reliable regional platform for investment, trade, and production,” she said. This is where Yasmin sees the greatest potential for further expansion of cooperation between ADB and Kazakhstan – in its efforts to become a “more diversified, competitive, sustainable and inclusive economy.” During his visit to Kazakhstan in March, ADB President Masato Kanda met with Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and announced up to $5.4 billion in indicative financing for Kazakhstan over 2026–2029 to support the country’s development priorities.
Yasmin highlighted the importance of better regional cooperation and integration. “Kazakhstan is well placed to become a stronger trade, transport and logistics hub between Asia and Europe. ADB can further support this by helping strengthen transport and logistics links, especially the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route and CAREC corridors, while also improving border management and multimodal connectivity,” said Yasmin.
The nation should also expand efforts to boost private sector development. This, she noted, could be done through stronger public-private partnerships, direct financing to private sector companies, local currency financing, SME and microfinance support, and enhanced capital markets.