MINEX Forum

Tag: strategic investor

  • Kazakhstan Rewrites the Rules for Mining Investors With Royalty Switch and Processing Incentives at Heart of New Strategy

    Kazakhstan Rewrites the Rules for Mining Investors With Royalty Switch and Processing Incentives at Heart of New Strategy

    Kazakhstan is overhauling the terms on which it engages with the mining industry, replacing a decades-old extraction tax with a royalty system and creating a new class of privileged investor for companies prepared to process minerals inside the country — a package of changes that vice minister of industry and construction Iran Sharkhan says marks a decisive break with the country’s raw material past.

    The reforms, introduced through 2025 amendments to the Subsoil and Subsoil Use Code, are designed to do two things simultaneously: make Kazakhstan more competitive against other mineral-rich jurisdictions in the global race for investment, and ensure that the country captures more of the economic benefit from its own resources rather than simply shipping them abroad. The royalty system replaces the mineral extraction tax with a mechanism officials say is more transparent and better aligned with international investment norms. The strategic investor status adds a direct incentive for downstream commitment — companies that agree to process raw materials domestically receive preferential treatment unavailable to those focused solely on extraction.

    Sharkhan told the MINEX Kazakhstan 2026 forum in Astana that the country’s geological endowment gives it an unusually strong hand to play in the current global environment. Ten thousand deposits are registered on the state books, seventeen of them added for the first time in 2025 — among them Kok-Zhon, Altyn-Shoko and Samombet. Geological survey coverage has reached 2.038 million square kilometres against a 2026 target of 2.2 million square kilometres, with a move to more detailed mapping scales in progress to sharpen identification of high-potential areas.

    To translate geological potential into investment activity, fifty deposits will go to auction this year for exploration and extraction rights. And to strengthen the scientific infrastructure underpinning the entire system, a modern laboratory complex is being built in Astana on the basis of the National Geological Survey, due for commissioning in 2028.

    The MINEX forum, running from 14 to 16 April, brought together more than 500 participants and over 1,000 visitors from 33 countries, with processing development and investment climate reform at the top of its agenda.

  • Kazakhstan Opens 50 Mining Deposits to Auction and Builds New National Geology Lab in Push to Attract Processing-Focused Investors

    Kazakhstan Opens 50 Mining Deposits to Auction and Builds New National Geology Lab in Push to Attract Processing-Focused Investors

    Kazakhstan is expanding access to its subsoil resources and modernising the infrastructure underpinning its geological research sector, as the government advances a strategy to draw in a new class of investor — one committed not just to extraction but to building processing capacity inside the country.

    Speaking at the MINEX Kazakhstan 2026 forum in Astana, vice minister of industry and construction Iran Sharkhan confirmed that auctions for exploration and production rights across 50 deposits of solid minerals are planned for 2026, significantly broadening the pool of opportunities available to both domestic and international investors. The auctions will be conducted through Kazakhstan’s newly launched Unified Subsoil Use Platform, which has digitalised 22 state services and allows investors to browse available areas and submit applications without intermediaries.

    To support the science underpinning exploration, a modern laboratory complex is under construction in Astana on the basis of the National Geological Survey, with commissioning targeted for 2028. The facility is expected to raise the quality and speed of geological research, providing a stronger data foundation for the exploration decisions of both state bodies and private investors. Geological survey coverage has now reached 2.038 million square kilometres against a 2026 target of 2.2 million square kilometres, with a shift to more detailed mapping scales prioritised to sharpen the identification of prospective areas. Seventeen new deposits — including Kok-Zhon, Altyn-Shoko and Samombet — were added to the state register in 2025, bringing the total to approximately 10,000.

    Sharkhan reaffirmed that the legislative framework is being redesigned to reward investors who commit to value-added activity. A royalty system is set to replace the existing mineral extraction tax, and a strategic investor status will provide preferential conditions to companies that take on domestic processing obligations. Amendments to the Subsoil and Subsoil Use Code introduced in 2025 have also targeted the digitalisation of regulatory procedures and the simplification of licensing processes. “Kazakhstan is moving from a raw materials model to a value-added economy,” Sharkhan said. “The priority is deep processing of raw materials within the country, technology development and attracting strategic investors oriented toward long-term impact.”

  • Kazakhstan Vice Minister Outlines Royalty Reform and 50 New Auction Sites at MINEX 2026 as Country Targets Value-Added Mining Model

    Kazakhstan Vice Minister Outlines Royalty Reform and 50 New Auction Sites at MINEX 2026 as Country Targets Value-Added Mining Model

    Kazakhstan’s vice minister of industry and construction has set out the government’s priorities for the mining and subsoil use sector at the MINEX Kazakhstan 2026 forum in Astana, anchoring the country’s strategy around a shift from raw material exports to domestic deep processing, legislative modernisation and the attraction of long-term strategic investors.

    Speaking at the forum, Iran Sharkhan said Kazakhstan was moving decisively from a resource-based economic model toward value-added production. “The priority is deep processing of raw materials within the country, technology development and attracting strategic investors oriented toward long-term impact,” he said. He added that improving the investment climate remained a core government objective, pointing to amendments introduced in 2025 to the Subsoil and Subsoil Use Code aimed at refining sector regulation, stimulating investment and digitalising licensing procedures.

    Two legislative changes stand out. The first is a transition from a mineral extraction tax to a royalty-based system, which officials say will improve transparency and make the sector more attractive for sustained investment, particularly in processing. The second is the formal establishment of a strategic investor status, granting preferential conditions to investors who commit to processing raw materials domestically — directly incentivising value chain development over simple extraction and export.

    Kazakhstan’s mineral resource base encompasses approximately 10,000 registered deposits. In 2025, seventeen deposits were placed on the state register for the first time, including Kok-Zhon, Altyn-Shoko and Samombet. Geological survey coverage has now reached 2.038 million square kilometres against a 2026 target of 2.2 million square kilometres, with a transition to more detailed mapping scales planned to improve the identification of prospective areas. In 2026, auctions for subsoil use rights across 50 deposits are planned for exploration and hard mineral extraction. A modern laboratory complex is also under development in Astana on the basis of the National Geological Survey, with commissioning scheduled for 2028.

    MINEX Kazakhstan 2026, running from 14 to 16 April, has brought together more than 500 participants, over 100 speakers, 40 exhibitors and more than 1,000 visitors from 33 countries, with sector reform, processing development and investment attractiveness as its central themes.

  • Kazakhstan Pivots From Raw Materials to Value-Added Economy With Royalty Reform and Strategic Investor Status at MINEX 2026

    Kazakhstan Pivots From Raw Materials to Value-Added Economy With Royalty Reform and Strategic Investor Status at MINEX 2026

    Kazakhstan is accelerating its transition from a raw materials export model toward a higher value-added economy, with deep in-country processing, legislative reform and the attraction of long-term strategic investors now at the centre of its mining sector strategy, according to the country’s vice minister of industry and construction.

    Speaking at the MINEX Kazakhstan 2026 forum in Astana, Iran Sharkhan outlined the government’s core priorities for the subsoil use sector. “Kazakhstan is moving from a raw materials model to a value-added economy,” he said. “The priority is deep processing of raw materials within the country, technology development and attracting strategic investors oriented toward long-term impact.”

    Central to the reform agenda are two significant legislative changes introduced through 2025 amendments to the Subsoil and Subsoil Use Code. The first is a shift from a mineral extraction tax to a royalty-based system, which the ministry says will improve sector transparency and make Kazakhstan more attractive for long-term investment, particularly in the deep processing segment. The second is the formal introduction of a “strategic investor” status, granting preferential conditions to investors who commit to processing raw materials domestically — creating a direct incentive for value-added industrial development over simple extraction and export.

    On the geological front, Kazakhstan’s mineral resource base encompasses approximately 10,000 registered deposits. In 2025, seventeen deposits were placed on the state register for the first time, including Kok-Zhon, Altyn-Shoko and Samombet. Survey coverage has now reached 2.038 million square kilometres against a target of 2.2 million square kilometres by 2026, with a transition to more detailed geological mapping scales planned to improve the identification of prospective areas. In 2026, auctions for subsoil use rights across 50 deposits are planned for both exploration and hard mineral extraction. A modern laboratory complex is also under development in Astana on the basis of the National Geological Survey, with commissioning scheduled for 2028.

    MINEX Kazakhstan 2026, running from 14 to 16 April in Astana, has brought together more than 500 participants, over 100 speakers, 40 exhibitors and more than 1,000 visitors from 33 countries, with industry reform, processing development and investment attractiveness as its central themes.