Nine agreements worth a combined $1.3 billion were signed in London following a presentation of Alatau City. The UK capital hosted an investment roundtable, marking the launch of a European roadshow aimed at attracting international investment to develop a new technology hub for Kazakhstan and Central Asia. The projects include urban infrastructure development and the establishment of educational centres in partnership with the University of Exeter, Brighton College and Repton Group. Meanwhile, cooperation with AstraZeneca and Crescent Meditours is expected to support the development of the healthcare sector.
«The signed agreements cover a wide range of areas, from pharmaceutical production to financing infrastructure development in the city. There are plenty of ideas, and the UK has extensive experience in these fields. We also discussed an important issue: the development of an education and research cluster. We plan to open several British universities and schools in Alatau City,» said Kanat Bozumbayev, Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister.
More than 70 international companies, banks and financial institutions attended the presentation. They were introduced to Alatau City’s vision, its infrastructure projects and the conditions for doing business there. The city is expected to become a major hub for technology, finance and logistics. Particular attention is being paid to protecting investors’ rights. The city will operate under a special legal regime incorporating principles of English law. Alatau City currently has 67 projects in its portfolio, with a combined value of approximately $7 billion.
«I think the amount of work which is going into this now is remarkable, and the commitment of the Republic of Kazakhstan’s government, and particularly the involvement of the Deputy Prime Minister, I think would give people a lot of confidence. It’s a great vision and a huge amount of work is being put in to ensure that there is a legal structure, taxation structure, currency exchange, and customs regulation, which will give people the opportunity to make safe investments on a successful basis,» said Robert Mair, a British engineer.
«It makes it a place, a place that is, a place to land, a gateway for Kazakhstan, a gateway for the region. And that’s the importance of an urban project and how that really tangible place to start, built around a special economic zone that really brings confidence for the investor and built around the ideas of opportunity and access,» said Harry Dobbs, a member of the Alatau City Development Council.
Discussions were also held with representatives of the London Stock Exchange, J.P. Morgan, Société Générale and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. The talks focused on financing key energy and transport projects in Alatau City. The London event marked the start of a European roadshow to promote Kazakhstan’s new digital city, with the next round of presentations scheduled to take place in Germany.
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