ASTANA – Kazakhstan reinforced its position as the regional leader in Eurasia for inward mutual direct investment stock, with a share of 27.2% in June compared to 26.6% in 2021, the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) reported in a Dec. 19 Monitoring of Mutual Investments publication.
Photo credit: Reuters.
According to the report, other key players in the region include Uzbekistan (19.8%), Belarus (12.0%), Russia (9.8%), and Azerbaijan (8.7%).
EDB analysts observe that mutual foreign direct investment (FDI) stock in Eurasian countries reached $48.8 billion by mid-2023, following a 5.4% increase in 2022, with ongoing growth in 2023.
Mutual direct investments among Central Asian countries have been consistently growing at an average rate of 9.2% per year over the past seven years.
EDB researchers highlight that the FDI stock within Central Asia increased by 1.8-fold from 2016 to $1.1 billion by the end of the first half of 2023.
The primary sectors attracting mutual capital investments involve extractive industries, manufacturing, and financial services, with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan as leading domestic investors in the region.
