02.07.2020
The Kazakh gas market continues to be organized on the basis of central command and control, and quasi-monopolistic principles, with KazMunayGas (KMG) as the state owned and vertically integrated oil and gas company dominating gas production, supply and transportation through its direct and indirect subsidiaries.
Expected changes in Kazakh legislation related to the implementation of the blockchain technology
The Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan is currently considering a draft law of the Republic of Kazakhstan 'On the Introduction of Amendments to Some Legislative Acts of the Republic of Kazakhstan on the Regulation of Digital Technologies' (hereinafter - the 'Draft Law'). The Draft Law provides for changes to a number of regulatory legal acts regarding legal support for the implementation and application of digital technologies in Kazakhstan.
Alert on draft of amendments concerning special economic zones activity
At present two drafts of the amendments concerning activity of special economic zones (hereinafter – ‘SEZ’) are under consideration. One of these drafts suggests to expand the list of priority types of activities of SEZ Ontustik, while the other one suggests to create a new SEZ ‘Shymkent City’ on the territory of Shymkent.
Kazakhstan: First steps to becoming a regional hub for Islamic finance
Despite the attempts of the government of Kazakhstan to make its Islamic finance market more attractive, Islamic products are still rarely used in Kazakhstan. Currently, according to the National Bank of Kazakhstan, the share of Islamic banking assets in Kazakhstan represents an insignificant part of the total assets of the banking sector: 0.21% (a year earlier the share was 0.16%). According to the Astana International Financial Center (AIFC), the target to achieve by 2025 is 5–7%
06.05.2020
In 2020, Kazakhstan faces a hurricane in the form of the impact consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and the plunge in the price of oil to a 20-year low, including, among others, decreased economic activities, devaluation of the local currency (tenge), reduced foreign direct investments in risky markets and shrinking state budgets.
29.04.2020
The brochure provides you with the comprehensive information about the main forms of doing business in Kazakhstan, including a detailed comparison table of such forms, information on the tax structure, bankruptcy, PPP and frequently asked questions for starting and doing business in Kazakhstan.
ALERT of the amendments to the Regulatory ruling of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Kazakhstan on tax legislation
The Supreme Court of the Republic of Kazakhstan drafted the amendments to the Regulatory ruling ‘On judicial practice on application of tax legislation’ dated 29 June 2017 No. 4[1]. The amendments affected the provisions on recognition of transactions as invalid on the basis of the claims from the state revenue authorities.
Kazakhstan: Corporate M&A 2020
M&A market in Kazakhstan remained strong in 2019, as it was in 2018. Activity was largely driven by ongoing consolidation of Kazakh banks because of the increased capitalisation requirements of the financial regulator, consolidation in the telecommunications sector and acquisitions in the IT sector.
Additional Measures to Support Taxpayers in a view of Imposing the State of Emergency in Kazakhstan
On 20 April 2020 the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan adopted the Resolution introducing additional measures to support taxpayers
Draft amendments to procurement rules for petroleum companies
The Procurement Rules play an important role in the day-to-day activities of the petroleum companies operating in Kazakhstan, considering that requests to clarify procurement issues constitute 55% of all requests for clarification of subsoil use issues sent to the Minister of Energy’s blog in 2019. This article reviews how the Procurement Rules are applied and the proposed amendments that will change or facilitate the procurement process.