You didn't know Kazakhstan was (at) the Centre of the World, Did You?

By Kenges Rakishev, President of the Fincraft Group.

There is in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, the same dynamic mood spreading in some large modern-day Asian capitals: A sense the long-awaited time has come for sustained and rapid development.?

And I say this with a certain degree of bias: Kazakhstan is indeed my country, I was born here and, I have been observing its growth and unbelievable development since I was a teenager. Now, I can say with some sense of pride that Kazakhstan is a strong, trusting player of the international community and a great business partner.

The Kazakhstan story may be even more compelling due to the nation’s incredible bounty of natural resources, from much sought-after EV metals to fossil fuels to uranium and strategic and rare metals. Almost 100 out of 118 chemical elements in the periodic table are present in Kazakhstan's territories.?

This underground treasure is well-situated, for Kazakhstan stands astride the center of Eurasia, the pan-intercontinental crossroads, making the abundant resources reachable for huge swaths of the global population and commercial centers.

For many years, we looked at the West to be our trusted business and investment partner.

Initially, the UK was, for many years, Kazakhstan's obvious European counterpart. London was amongst the first to help us grow as a nation after our 1990 independence, and in exchange, we invested in the UK and listed our own companies in the Square Mile. It was a fair deal.

The City, more than any other destination, was our port of call. It was familiar ground for us. Petropavlovsk—where I held a controlling stake for a while—was listed in LSE, as did another venture where I had a large position, Central Asia Metals.?

Air Astana, our national airline, recently went public there, Halyk Bank, one of our largest financial institutions, trades there, and many other Kazakh companies, private and quoted, are present in England.

However, three decades later, that needle is slowly moving to the benefit of the European Union.

The EU announced a €50 billion push to our green hydrogen industry and the European Investment Bank made public its intention to give another €500 million to finance Kazakhstan's infrastructure development.

Last year, 85% of the goods transported from China to Europe passed through the country. The Silk Route is a reality once more, 1000 years later.

Look at the map on your wall and observe Kazakhstan: Russia to the North, China to the East, India to the South, and Europe to the West. There, where continents meet, where civilizations come together, Kazakhstan is just at the centre. At the centre of the world.?

It seems that, finally, European powers at large have understood that Kazakhstan is Central Asia's ascendant regional power, one that is vital for the Old Continent's energy and mineral security—and an eager, reliable business associate.?

Astana's commitment to sustainability initiatives and economic growth makes enterprise-friendly Kazakhstan not just a lucrative investment destination but also an intelligent partner when it comes to the profitable allocation of capital.

Kazakhstan was somewhat overlooked in the post-Cold War era, which overturned the rules of the global commercial game. The lifting of the Iron Curtain opened views to Budapest, Warsaw, Moscow, and, at most, Vilnius, but not as far as Almaty, our old capital and our largest city.

So, while Eastern Europe was under heavy post-Cold Ward stress, our nation proceeded peacefully, laying the groundwork and developing infrastructure to exploit its incredible natural resources. Indeed, the nation has practically the entire periodic table under its feet.

Not just minerals. In terms of proven oil reserves—and Kazakhstan has not been heavily explored—the nation ranks 12th in the world, and in terms of natural gas reserves, it stands 15th.

I told you, almost 100 out of 118 chemical elements in the periodic table are present in our soil.

Kazakhs are the world's largest uranium producers. The national own 30% of the world's uranium reserves, much needed by what likely will be a renascent global nuclear power industry.

A future of electric cars? Kazakhstan is a top 20 nickel and cobalt producer. Gold? Kazakhstan is the world's seventh-largest producer.

Moreover, we are a significant producer of chromium, zinc, silver, manganese, iron, coal, and more.?

There is in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, the same dynamic mood spreading in some large modern-day Asian capitals: A sense the long-awaited time has come for sustained and rapid development.?

Even with such valuable resources, the nation has withstood geopolitical turmoils. "Kazakhstan's economy has so far proved to be resilient to the fallout from the war in Ukraine," says the Economist Intelligence Unit.

Some experts say Kazakhstan will be the next Dubai. If not Dubai, then the Grand Central Station of commerce. Yes, 85% of the goods transported from China to Europe...

Kazakhstan is now - and must be considered as - the gateway linking the Far East to the Old Continent, the bridge everyone must cross.?

Look at the map on your wall and observe Kazakhstan: Russia to the North, China to the East, India to the South, and Europe to the West. There, where continents meet, where civilizations come together, Kazakhstan is just at the centre. At the centre of the world.?

The prominent American scholar and geopolitics thinker Robert D. Kaplan advised in his book?The Revenge of Geography a few years ago?that "Kazakhstan is truly becoming an independent power in its own right."

He wrote that "Kazakhstan is Mackinder's Heartland," echoing British geographer Halford Mackinder's theory that control over the Heartland means control over the world.

Well, we were born in that heartland; we own its resources, and we decide to explore them, share them for the greater good, co-invest, and work as a responsible economic partner for our European allies and friends.?

Investing in Kazakhstan, and investing?with?Kazakhstan, will likely answer the tenacious energy needs of the West and developing world, the safety net that will help 21st-century societies continue to progress.

Our shared wealth and our common view of a safe, secure, and sustainable world are at stake here. UK and European investors should take Kazakhstan as seriously as we do about them. Working together, we have a lot to win.?

I am telling you. Maps do not lie. And in yours, as well as in mine, Kazakhstan is at the centre of the world.