How Kazakhstan's digital transformation fuels GDP leap

Kazakhstan is building an economy that blends traditional strengths with a focus on technology, underpinned by its growing role as a Central Asian trade and logistics hub. Already the region’s largest economy, the country recorded GDP growth of 6.5 per cent in 2025, driven by expansion in industrial production, transportation and construction. In the international arena, 2025 marked ten years of WTO membership for Kazakhstan, a period which has seen foreign trade grow from $76 billion to $142 billion – demonstrating a broader shift towards a more outward-facing economy.

The UAE is a key partner in this evolution. Close bilateral ties have continued to deepen in recent years, marked by high-level engagements and strategic partnerships across key spheres.

During a state visit to Kazakhstan in 2025, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, oversaw the signing of agreements worth more than $5 billion in energy, infrastructure and technology. “We see immense potential to expand cooperation across multiple sectors,” said Tokayev. “We are committed to providing a favourable environment for Emirati business partners.”

UAE investment in Kazakhstan exceeds $1.3 billion over the past decade, with inflows doubling year-on-year in the first half of 2025. Major Emirati companies including Masdar, Presight AI, AIQ and AD Ports Group are already active in Kazakhstan’s economy, with technology at the heart of an agenda that goes beyond simple economic exchanges. “Today we are discussing how our countries can jointly build the digital architecture of the future – from artificial intelligence to space, energy and scientific research,” said Zhaslan Madiyev, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development.

Central to this is Kazakhstan’s ambition to become a fully digital nation within three years. President Tokayev has made AI-powered digital transformation a national priority, designating 2026 the Year of Digitalisation and Artificial Intelligence. Kazakhstan’s role as host of GITEX AI Central Asia & Caucasus signifies its growing global prominence in the sector, while its institutional infrastructure underlines intent.

Established in 2025, the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development is leading policy delivery, while Astana Hub has become Central Asia’s largest technology and innovation ecosystem, supporting startups and international companies while expanding its footprint overseas. The Astana International Financial Centre complements this, offering an English common law framework designed to facilitate cross-border investment.

This digital ambition is mirrored in physical infrastructure investment, part of Kazakhstan’s push to become a major trade and logistics hub between Asia and Europe. Large-scale connectivity projects include the development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, or Middle Corridor, as a key artery for east-west trade – a milestone undertaking that highlights how the convergence of national strategy, global engagement and international partnerships is defining Kazakhstan’s next chapter.