Foreign companies are no longer arriving in Kazakhstan merely to assess opportunities — they are moving directly into specific assets and projects, a shift that marks a qualitative change in the country’s standing as an investment destination, the organiser of the MINEX Kazakhstan 2026 forum has said.
Artur Polyakov, managing director of Advantix and chairman of the MINEX Forum, told Kazinform that investor behaviour had transformed in recent years. “If before it was more of a declaration that Kazakhstan is open for business — primarily to attract investment in geological exploration — now we see this transforming into real projects. Companies are coming not just to study the market, but to look at specific assets and enter them,” he said.
Polyakov emphasised that geological exploration remains the riskiest but strategically most critical phase of the mining cycle, as all subsequent industrial development depends on the quality of what exploration uncovers. The shift toward concrete project commitments, he suggested, reflects growing confidence in Kazakhstan’s reformed regulatory environment and the availability of genuinely compelling assets.
The trend is visible at the corporate level too. Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov confirmed on 15 April that KazMunayGaz and Turkish Petroleum Corporation are in discussions on cooperation in geological exploration and extraction — a development that illustrates how the practical dimension of foreign engagement is extending beyond junior mining companies to encompass major energy sector partnerships.
