"Almaty Invest-2017" has gathered more than 500 participants from 28 countries of the world

"Almaty Invest-2017" has gathered more than 500 participants from 28 countries of the world

Opening the forum, the Almaty’s governor Bauyrzhan Baibek noted that today the city participates in global competition entering the 600 leading mega-cities of the world which form 60% of the world's gross product.

"Thanks to the support of the Head of State for 25 years of independence, the economy of Almaty has grown 100 times, the housing stock - 2 times, the number of small and medium-sized enterprises - 120 times. Trade, financial and other services account for 88%. In the Worldwide Cost of Living ranking in 2016, Almaty is named one of the inexpensive and attractive megacities for life. We give priority to improving the quality of life and a favorable investment climate. These are the main priorities of the Almaty 2020 Program," said Bauyrzhan Baibek.

The governor of the megapolis noted that due to large-scale institutional reforms of President Nursultan Nazarbayev in Kazakhstan, administrative barriers have been drastically reduced. Investors are escorted by the City Service Center and the representative office of the national company Kazakh Invest. Openness of decisions is ensured by the wide participation of business and the National Chamber of Entrepreneurs in the work of key commissions, incl. on privatization and PPP, expert and business councils of Almaty. About a thousand projects are realized through the city's programs of concessional lending to small and medium-sized businesses. Priority branches provide for on-site grants, subsidies and preferences. The business no longer needs to go to the executive committee to study projects. On the principle of a single window in "Open Almaty" you can get advice on the spot or file an appeal on the site and by phone. Access to the data necessary for business is opened. The portal of Almaty GenPlan published diagrams of red lines and capacity of engineering networks. The plans of the executive committee on repair of roads, heating networks, yard areas, public spaces are published.

"Systemic work is carried out to reduce the shadow economy and improve tax administration. Last year, on behalf of the President, property and assets were legalized. In Almaty alone, 14 billions dollars were involved in the economy, which gave an additional $ 300 million in annual taxes. Non-cash settlements are introduced everywhere. So the introduction of transport cards in passenger transportation ensured the growth of "transparent revenues" by 60%. Automation of street parking increased taxes by 5.5 times," said B. Baibek

Almaty is a large financial and tourist magnet with a service economy, which forms more than 50% of wholesale and almost 30% of retail trade, and issues 2/3 of the country's loans. Over the past two years, private investment has grown by 25%, including foreign investment - by 20%. For every tenge of state investments there are 3 tenge of private investments.

Large international organizations and transnational companies are based in Almaty, 90% of the head offices of banks and insurance companies of the country. By the autumn of next year, the opening of the UN Regional Hub is planned. The unique location of Almaty and comfortable conditions for life and work stimulate the opening of head offices in the region here. 43% of all joint ventures operate in the city.

A modern medical cluster is being formed. Together with the Swedish specialists, the Reproductive Health Center was opened, with the Turkish - a multi-disciplinary clinic. Transplantation and cardiosurgery are conducted with Japanese, Korean, German and Russian colleagues. Next year, the construction of the US hospital Almaty Mount Sinai will begin. An agreement was reached on the opening of the Japanese diagnostic center Medical Excellence.

The governor of Almaty noted that special attention is paid to the comfort of the city environment and ecology. By European standards, one-third of the historical center has been improved, and the coverage of iconic places will be expanded annually. Energy-efficient projects are actively implemented. In 2018, the plant for the production of German electric buses of the third generation will be opened, as well as a waste sorting complex based on Italian technology with a processing capacity of 550,000 tons of household waste and the release of 60,000 tons of recyclables. In addition, the airport management decided to build a second terminal. The hall of international flights and the transit zone will be expanded. The participation of international companies will improve the catering service. Thanks to this, a high level of comfort will be provided immediately upon arrival in the city.

During the speech, the governor of the megapolis focused on the prospects and opportunities created for investors in the Industrial Zone and the special economic zone "Park of Innovative Technologies".

The plenary discussions of the forum are attended by the ex-Minister of Foreign Investment of the Republic of Macedonia Gligor Tashkovich, the chairman of Sethia Group Nirmal Kumar Setiay, the founder of Selma Group Michael Bona, the chairman of the Haileybury Board of Trustees in Kazakhstan Ian Hunt are taking part in the plenary discussions of the forum. The program of the event includes four sections on the theme of logistics, education, food industry and film production. Investor Aidan Karibzhanov and economist Rakhim Oshakbayev will find out the best world experience in attracting foreign investment by megacities. Within the framework of the forum signing of agreements on various investment projects will take place. Recall, according to the results of the previous forum, five projects have already been realized for 7.7 billions tenge, with the creation of more than 1,200 jobs.