ASTANA – By 2025, Kazakhstan has emerged as a regional frontrunner in digital transformation – not only in fintech and IT exports, but also in the delivery of public services, AI development, and broadband connectivity. Now ranking among the global top 10 for online government services, the country is rapidly becoming a model of digital modernization in Eurasia, reported The World Financial Review on July 8.
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From resources to digital readiness
Once viewed primarily as a resource-rich post-Soviet economy, Kazakhstan is now at the forefront of digital modernization across Central Asia. The country’s strategy has shifted beyond fostering a fintech boom – it now includes systemic digitization of government services, inclusive broadband expansion, a national AI ecosystem, and international startup cooperation.
Kazakhstan’s inclusion in the world’s top 10 for the Online Services Index (OSI), alongside South Korea, Estonia, and Denmark, marks a pivotal achievement. According to the 2024 UN E-Government Development Index, the country rose four positions to rank 24th globally, outperforming major economies such as Germany, China, and Australia. Among CIS countries, Kazakhstan leads the digital governance race.
Today, over 92% of government services are available online. Citizens can access more than 1,200 e-government services via the national portal eGov.kz and the eGov Mobile app, which saw its user base grow by 1.1 million this year alone, reaching 11 million active users. In total, more than 23 million digital services were delivered in the first half of 2025, with nearly 45% accessed via smartphones – a testament to Kazakhstan’s mobile-first digital strategy.
Digitization is not limited to access – it extends into how services are delivered and how data is managed. Kazakhstan’s eGov ecosystem has become central to everyday life: from registering businesses to accessing healthcare, renewing documents, or filing legal petitions.
The eGov Mobile platform is also being continuously upgraded with biometric verification, push-based notifications, and integration with other superapps, including Kaspi.kz, thus blurring the line between state and private digital ecosystems.
As of mid-2025, eGov.kz has more than 14.7 million registered users, with 215,000 new accounts added in the past year – strong indicators of growing digital trust and adoption.
Kazakhstan’s ecosystem: a strategic leap forward
In 2024, Kazakhstan approved its National AI Development Concept, a legal and strategic framework running through 2029. The document lays the foundation for ethical AI deployment, national standards, and regulatory mechanisms. Now, work is underway to upgrade it into a National AI Strategy, aimed at integrating AI into healthcare, education, energy, governance, and science.
The centerpiece of this effort is the launch of Central Asia’s most powerful supercomputer in July. Housed in a Tier III-certified data center under the Ministry of Digital Development, the AI supercluster will be integrated into a national AI platform. It will be accessible to universities, startups, and private companies, ensuring open, secure, and localized access to computational power.
To support this initiative, a draft AI Law is being developed jointly by the government and Parliament. The law will govern relationships between public authorities, individuals, and businesses involved in the development or application of AI technologies.
Moreover, Kazakhstan is establishing an International AI Advisory Council under the President to shape national policy and foster global cooperation. The council will include leading global experts, researchers, and entrepreneurs.
Startup ecosystem and workforce: creating new market
Kazakhstan’s technological momentum is mirrored in its startup scene. In 2024, local startups attracted over $250 million in venture capital, more than triple the previous year’s figure. The country’s flagship accelerator, Astana Hub, now hosts more than 1,300 startups from 28 countries, generating total revenues of 1.2 trillion tenge (US$2.3 billion) and export earnings exceeding 140 billion tenge (US$270.9 million).
Startups benefit from tax exemptions, streamlined visa procedures, and access to national and international capital. Notably, major global tech firms are taking notice: Telegram officially became a resident of Astana Hub in 2025, marking a new era of cooperation between Kazakhstan and global BigTech players.
Kazakhstan has already produced a growing list of successful startups making their mark on global markets – including the U.S., UAE, the Netherlands, the UK, Germany, and beyond. Among them are Alaqan, Codiplay, CITIX, CEREBRA, OGames, Parqour, and ApartX. One standout example is Codiplay, an EdTech company focused on improving digital literacy among schoolchildren through cutting-edge learning tools. Now valued at $100 million, Codiplay has been implemented in over 450 schools worldwide, including in the U.K., South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, and Azerbaijan – and has recently begun its rollout across Kazakhstan as well.
To expand this momentum, Kazakhstan is launching international tech hubs in Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and the U.S., creating additional bridges for IT export and cooperation.
Kazakhstan’s startup ecosystem is thriving, thanks to strong government backing alongside the efforts of private venture capital firms and angel investors. This year, the country launched the Qazaqstan Venture Group, a $1 billion venture capital fund aimed specifically at supporting AI-driven startups. This initiative complements the earlier establishment of Astana Hub Ventures, a fund designed to back startups not only from Kazakhstan and Central Asia, but also from international markets. These bold investments are expected to catalyze innovation, fuel a new wave of venture-backed technologies, and strengthen the country’s broader tech ecosystem – laying the foundation for sustained economic growth.
The digital revolution is also reshaping Kazakhstan’s labor market. As of 2024, the country had over 18,000 IT companies, employing 187,000 people – a 12% annual increase in employment. The Tech Orda program, launched by the government, aims to train 20,000 new IT specialists by 2029, focusing on grant-based education at private tech schools.
The focus is not just on training coders, but on nurturing a full spectrum of digital professions – from AI engineers to data analysts, product managers, and cybersecurity experts. Regional IT hubs, now numbering 18 across the country, play a vital role in talent discovery and incubation.
Challenges ahead, but momentum grows
Despite impressive gains, Kazakhstan still faces structural challenges: market concentration in fintech, gaps in rural connectivity, and early-stage AI readiness. However, the government’s aggressive digital roadmap, institutional alignment, and private-sector engagement suggest a sustained trajectory.
With broadband connectivity approaching full saturation, AI infrastructure scaling, and a startup ecosystem going global, Kazakhstan is no longer just transforming – it is shaping the digital frontier of Eurasia.
