According to the Committee of Eastern European Economic Relations, around 480 German companies were active in Kazakhstan at the beginning of 2022 with an investment sum of around 1.3 billion Euros. First and foremost, German companies supply machinery and equipment to the resource-rich country in Central Asia, as it is one of Germany’s most important suppliers of crude oil. It also has rare earths and other important metals for technology prodution. The country’s geography – it is very large, with large stretches of unpopulated land, ideal for wind farms, solar panels and hydroelectric power plants – makes it a beacon of hope for Germany’s energy transition.

But the country’s geography is not the only thing that attracts German companies to Kazakhstan. COMbridge is one of the first German IT companies to be supported by the Central Asian Chamber of Commerce Abroad in setting up business in Kazakhstan. The prerequisites for Kazakhstan to become a popular IT partner country for European companies in the near future are excellent. Digitization is very advanced, as Kazakhstan has digitalized more than 90 percent of public services and in many cases the universities rely on education in English and on projects with international companies.

In 2018, the country launched its Digital Kazakhstan program and created local tech centers to support tech companies. The Kazakh IT sector is a steadily growing ecosystem with specializations in govtech, smart city tech and fintech. The government is providing enormous financial and non-financial support to the IT industry. The largest projects are carried out here for the needs of the state.