MINEX Forum

Tag: Artur Polyakov

  • Foreign Investors Moving From Market Study to Active Asset Acquisition in Kazakhstan, MINEX Forum Chair Says

    Foreign Investors Moving From Market Study to Active Asset Acquisition in Kazakhstan, MINEX Forum Chair Says

    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.

  • Deep Processing Emerges as Kazakhstan’s Core Economic Strategy at MINEX as Industry Calls for Systemic Transformation

    Deep Processing Emerges as Kazakhstan’s Core Economic Strategy at MINEX as Industry Calls for Systemic Transformation

    The transition from raw material extraction to deep mineral processing dominated discussions at the MINEX Kazakhstan forum in Astana, where business representatives and industry experts argued that the shift requires not isolated investment projects but a fundamental restructuring of the economy.

    Priority sectors identified by participants include the processing of copper, polymetallic, rare and rare earth metals — materials whose strategic value is rising rapidly in global markets. But forum speakers were clear that the ambition goes far beyond building individual facilities.

    “When processing emerges, the entire structure of the economy changes — new industries appear, supply chains form, jobs are created and the technological level rises,” said Artur Polyakov, managing director of Advantix and chairman of the MINEX Forum. He argued that creating the right conditions for investors is as important as the physical infrastructure itself. “It is not simply a matter of building plants — you need to create conditions where an investor understands how they will work, how their investments are protected, what the project economics will be. This is a comprehensive task — from legislation to technology,” he said.

    The forum has previously noted growing interest from foreign investors in Kazakhstan, a trend Polyakov attributed in part to the country’s reform momentum and the global scramble to secure critical mineral supply chains outside China. Participants concluded that the processing question has become not merely a sectoral concern but a strategic national priority on which Kazakhstan’s long-term economic resilience and competitiveness depend.