This third edition of Doing Business with Kazakhstan provides invaluable, authoritative and practical advice on the business and investment environment in Kazakhstan. The country has vast natural resources and one of the worldâs largest oil, gas and mineral deposits. Astana has embarked upon an industrial policy designed to diversify the economy away from over-dependence on the oil sector by developing light industry. The guide offers a unique opportunity to survey many of the countryâs vibrant sectors and provides a strong introduction to its enormous potential, including an examination of banking, finance, tax and legal issues.

Kazakhstan is the 9th largest country in the world, (the largest land-locked) and is located in central Asia, it is also one of the most sparsely populated with an estimated population of around 17.6 million. The country has a dramatically-variable continental climate. In the cold and lengthy winter, temperatures as low as -40°C are not uncommon, as opposed to 40°C sweltering heat in the summer. Kazakhstan is a republic, with the government and many large state companies based in the country's capital city Astana, which has a fast-growing population. The city of Almaty, the previous capital, is still a commercial hub, with a much larger population than the capital. Other principal cities include Aktau, Atyrau, Karaganda, Shymkent and Pavlodar. Kazakhstan gained independence from the Soviet Union on the 16th December 1991, following its collapse. A relatively young country in some respects, Kazakhstan is ambitiously western, although it still carries a somewhat soviet legacy, principally in the overly-bureaucratic administration of business and property. The UK is one of the top 5 largest investors in Kazakhstan. In 2014, bilateral trade between the UK and Kazakhstan equated to USD $1.2 billion. The main UK exports are oil and gas, education, financial and business services, healthcare and medical equipment, architecture and design services, as well as mining.

Kazakhstan: Doing Business and Investing in ... Guide Volume 1 Strategic, Practical Information, Regulations, Contacts

Sixteenth in a series of annual reports comparing business regulation in 190 economies, Doing Business 2019 measures aspects of regulation affecting 10 areas of everyday business activity: • Starting a business • Dealing with construction permits • Getting electricity • Registering property • Getting credit • Protecting minority investors • Paying taxes • Trading across borders • Enforcing contracts • Resolving insolvency These areas are included in the distance to frontier score and ease of doing business ranking. Doing Business also measures features of labor market regulation, which is not included in these two measures. This edition also presents the findings of the pilot indicator entitled 'Contracting with the Government,' which aims at benchmarking the efficiency, quality and transparency of public procurement systems worldwide. The report updates all indicators as of May 1, 2018, ranks economies on their overall 'ease of doing business', and analyzes reforms to business regulation -- identifying which economies are strengthening their business environment the most. Doing Business illustrates how reforms in business regulations are being used to analyze economic outcomes for domestic entrepreneurs and for the wider economy. It is a flagship product produced in partnership by the World Bank Group that garners worldwide attention on regulatory barriers to entrepreneurship. Almost 140 economies have used the Doing Business indicators to shape reform agendas and monitor improvements on the ground.

In this paper the authors use a computable general equilibrium model of the Kazakhstan economy to assess the impact of accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), which encompasses (1) improved market access; (2) Kazakhstan tariff reduction; (3) reduction of barriers against entry by multinational service providers; and (4) reform of local content and value-added tax policies confronting multinational firms in the oil sector. They assume that foreign direct investment in business services is necessary for multinationals to compete well with Kazakhstan business services providers, but cross-border service provision is also present. The model incorporates productivity effects in both goods and services markets endogenously, through a Dixit-Stiglitz framework. The authors estimated the ad valorem equivalent of barriers to foreign direct investment based on detailed questionnaires completed by specialized research institutes in Kazakhstan. They estimate that Kazakhstan will gain about 6.7 percent of the value of Kazakhstan consumption in the medium run from WTO accession and up to 17.5 percent in the long run. They estimate that the largest gains to Kazakhstan will derive from liberalization of barriers against multinational service providers, but the other three elements of WTO accession that the authors model all contribute positively to the estimated gains. Piecemeal sensitivity analysis shows that qualitatively the results are robust, but there are four parameters in the model that significantly affect the estimated magnitude of the gains from WTO accession.

Kazakhstan has the potential to become an economic leader in Central Asia. Relying on oil and gas alone, however, will not produce the long-run level of growth needed to meet this potential. Reforms geared to improve the business climate, enhance competitiveness, and increase private sector participation are essential. This book examines reforms to accelerate economic diversification in the country. This involves not only modernizing and using public resources in agriculture more efficiently to increase productivity, but also transitioning of manufacturing toward high-potential exports to help the country’s industrial development and create employment opportunities. Upgrading innovation of oilfield services and improving transport and logistics are important to increase participation in the global value chains.

Seventeen in a series of annual reports comparing business regulation in 190 economies, Doing Business 2020 measures aspects of regulation affecting 10 areas of everyday business activity.

Kazakhstan represents a new market with large oil reserves and an enormous resource base producing every element in the periodic table. This text provides a source of practical guidance on identifying and developing business opportunities in Kazakhstan