Dr. Gulnur Nurkeyeva, Managing Partner and Head of the China Office at GRATA International, Spoke at Central Asia Non-Woven & Hygiene Development Forum 2026 on Investment Opportunities and Risks in Kazakhstan

Dr. Gulnur Nurkeyeva, Managing Partner and Head of the China Office at GRATA International, Spoke at Central Asia Non-Woven & Hygiene Development Forum 2026 on Investment Opportunities and Risks in Kazakhstan

On 28 July 2026, Dr. Gulnur Nurkeyeva, Managing Partner and Head of the China Office at GRATA International, delivered a presentation entitled "Investment Opportunities and Risks in Kazakhstan" at the Institute of Geological Sciences named after K.I. Satpayev in Almaty, as part of the Central Asia Non-Woven & Hygiene Development Forum 2026.

Held on 27–28 July 2026, the Forum brought together more than 200 executives and industry professionals from China, Kazakhstan, and the countries of Central and Southeast Asia. The event was organised with the participation of the China–Central Asia Entrepreneurs Alliance (CAEA) and supported by the G-Global International Secretariat and the Institute of Geological Sciences named after K.I. Satpayev. The programme focused on industrial cooperation, market entry strategies for foreign companies, e-commerce, and the tax and legal aspects of business localisation.

During her presentation, Dr. Gulnur Nurkeyeva provided a comprehensive overview of Kazakhstan's investment landscape and the practical legal and commercial risks faced by foreign investors, covering the following key areas:

• Macroeconomic fundamentals. Kazakhstan is the world's ninth-largest country by land area, with a population of approximately 20 million people, international reserves of around USD 94 billion, and double taxation avoidance agreements with 55 countries.
• Foreign investment inflows. Since gaining independence, Kazakhstan has attracted more than USD 480 billion in foreign direct investment, accounting for approximately half of all FDI inflows into Central Asia. More than 49,000 companies with foreign participation currently operate in the country.
• Transit potential. Kazakhstan has eight international transport corridors, 21,000 km of railways, 95,000 km of highways, the seaports of Aktau and Kuryk, and the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (Middle Corridor), providing an alternative route between China and Europe.
• Investment incentives. The country offers 17 special economic zones providing exemptions from corporate income tax, property tax, and land tax, as well as VAT and customs duties on imported equipment and raw materials. In addition, Kazakhstan has established 55 industrial zones with ready-made infrastructure and simplified procedures for land allocation.
• Investor protection. Kazakhstan has concluded 47 bilateral and one multilateral investment protection agreements. The presentation also highlighted the institution of the Investment Prosecutor, the National Digital Investment Platform for project support, and the Committee for the Protection of Investors' Rights under the General Prosecutor's Office.
• Risk management. A separate part of the presentation focused on practical legal considerations, including the choice of governing law and dispute resolution mechanisms, localisation requirements, foreign exchange control regulations, enforcement of arbitral awards, and the opportunities offered by the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) jurisdiction for transaction structuring.

"Today, Kazakhstan is not only a market of 20 million people but also a gateway to a region with a population exceeding 180 million. However, long-term success depends not merely on entering the market, but on establishing the right legal architecture for the project from the outset — including an appropriate ownership structure, contractual framework, dispute resolution mechanism, and a thorough understanding of the regulatory environment," noted Dr. Gulnur Nurkeyeva.

The presentation attracted considerable interest from representatives of Chinese manufacturing and trading companies exploring Kazakhstan as a destination for production localisation and a regional export hub.