End of “regional disparity“. Investors promised uniform protection standards in Kazakhstan

An Expert Council for the Protection of Investors' Rights began its work at the agency today. This new permanent platform brings together government bodies, major domestic and foreign businesses, lawyers, and the country's leading economists.

"Competition for trust, not just resources"

Prosecutor General Berik Asylov presented an end-to-end business protection system to the participants. It provides for prosecutorial supervision at all stages of investor interaction with the state.

Photo: Press service of the Prosecutor General's Office of the Republic of Kazakhstan

"Today, global competition is not for resources, but for trust. We must turn the law into Kazakhstan's competitive advantage. This requires more than just cosmetic changes; it demands a consistent improvement in the relationship between the state and business," Asylov said.

According to the Prosecutor General's Office, 3,300 investment projects with a total volume of 112 trillion tenge are currently under prosecutorial support. Furthermore, the rights of more than 3,000 investors have been protected, and the implementation of over 270 investment projects—set to create 30,000 new jobs—has been ensured.

Pressure on business reduced

Asylov also noted a systemic reduction in administrative pressure. The number of legal disputes between entrepreneurs and government agencies has decreased by nearly 40 percent, while cases of administrative liability for businesses fell by 16 percent. The downward trend in the criminal prosecution of entrepreneurs also continues. Since the beginning of the year, the Prosecutor's Office has blocked more than 800 government decisions that could have violated investor rights.

Uniform rules for all

The meeting focused particularly on recent legislative changes that have strengthened state guarantees for business protection.

Prosecutorial supervision acts concerning investor protection, issued as binding orders, are now mandatory for state and quasi-state organizations. Additionally, the Prosecutor General has been granted the authority to establish a unified procedure for prosecutorial support of investment projects nationwide.

As noted by the Prosecutor General's Office, this will eliminate "regional variances" and ensure strict, uniform investor protection standards across every part of Kazakhstan.

Following the meeting, solutions were developed to further improve the construction industry, where administrative barriers have traditionally hindered business initiatives.

As a reminder, the 38th plenary session of the Foreign Investors Council under the President of Kazakhstan was recently held in Astana. During the event, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev identified political stability as Kazakhstan's primary advantage. The Head of State noted that the country's new Constitution has come into force, with updated norms ensuring the highest possible level of protection for investors' rights.