Vice Minister of Finance of the Republic of Kazakhstan Dauren Kengbeil participated in the Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, held in Bangkok, Kingdom of Thailand, from 14 to 16 October 2026. As part of the working programme, business meetings were held with the leadership of international financial institutions, representatives of leading global rating agencies, and major investment organisations. The discussions focused primarily on Kazakhstan's economic development, investment cooperation, and engagement with international financial markets. During a meeting with Odile Renaud-Basso, President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Dauren Kengbeil highlighted the EBRD's important role in supporting economic reforms, enhancing the competitiveness of the national economy, and promoting the country's sustainable economic development. The parties reaffirmed the importance of strengthening bilateral cooperation, including through the provision of technical assistance to Kazakhstan. At a meeting with Antonella Bassani, World Bank Vice President for Europe and Central Asia, the parties discussed the Government of Kazakhstan's priorities for the next five years under the new Country Partnership Framework for 2026–2030, the implementation of prospective joint projects, and the development of cooperation in knowledge and experience sharing. Issues related to deepening financial cooperation, including the integration of Kazakhstan's financial instruments into the international market infrastructure and the clearing of government securities, were discussed with the leadership of Euroclear. As part of Citi's Investment Roundtable, the economic situation in Kazakhstan was discussed with representatives of major international investment funds and financial institutions. Following the meetings, Kazakhstan reaffirmed its readiness to further strengthen constructive engagement with international financial institutions and investors. Efforts to enhance investment cooperation and advance the country's economic priorities will continue.
A meeting with representatives of the professional audit community was held at the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Kazakhstan, chaired by Vice Minister of Finance Aset Tursysov. Ekaterina Smyshlyaeva, deputy of the Kurultai of the Republic of Kazakhstan, took part in the discussion.
The participants considered issues related to the preparation of audit reports in the information system “Financial Reporting Depository,” which is owned by the Ministry of Finance.
On July 12, 2026, amendments to the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan “On Auditing,” introduced by Law No. 256-VIII of January 9, 2026, came into force, requiring the submission of electronic audit reports to the Financial Reporting Depository. The report, prepared in writing, must be registered with the repository within three business days of the date of its preparation.
When generating the report directly in the Financial Reporting Depository, there is no need to prepare a paper copy for subsequent scanning or to register the electronic report separately. This reduces the number of operations involved in preparing and submitting the document. The possibility of preparing the report in written form remains.
Digitization aims to ensure the accuracy and timeliness of audit reports, systematize data, and reduce the risk of providing inaccurate information, including in the context of government procurement.
During the meeting, participants discussed practical issues related to the operation of the Financial Reporting Repository and ensuring confidentiality of information. The parties exchanged proposals and identified issues requiring further consideration.
The Ministry of Finance will continue to work with the professional community to improve the regulation and digitization of auditing activities.
The Minister of Finance of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Madi Takiyev, presented at the plenary session of the Kurultai the draft Law “On the Republican Budget for 2027–2029”. The document was prepared based on the forecast of socio economic development up to 2030, considering budgetary and macroeconomic risks. “The main goal is to maintain a balance between stimulating economic growth, maintaining financial discipline, and unconditionally fulfilling all the state’s social obligations to its citizens. The central element of this budget is investment in people and for people,” Madi Takiyev emphasized. In 2027, revenues of the republican budget are projected at 25.4 trillion tenge, and expenditures at 30.2 trillion tenge. The deficit will amount to 4.6 trillion tenge, or 2.3% of GDP. It is planned to increase own revenues to 23.4 trillion tenge by 2029. In 2027, 10.5 trillion tenge, or 35% of the total budget, are allocated for human capital. Of this amount, 6.9 trillion tenge will be allocated for social assistance and support, and 2.5 trillion tenge for healthcare. The funding covers the guaranteed volume of free medical care, drug provision, and health insurance. In the field of education and science, measures are envisaged to provide health improvement and rehabilitation for 18,000 children, to improve the qualifications of 76,000 teachers, to enhance educational methodology in 217 “Keleshek Mektepterі” schools, and to provide approximately 25,000 dormitory places for students, master’s and doctoral candidates. 60.4 billion tenge has been allocated for a new pool of scientific projects. The total amount of expenditure aimed at stimulating economic development will amount to 7.5 trillion tenge. Over a three year period, it is planned to implement 347 strategic projects in the areas of transport and logistics, social infrastructure, energy, and water resources, using funds from the National Fund. Their implementation will create about 31,000 jobs and ensure access to infrastructure benefits for approximately 13 million people. The draft law continues to be discussed at meetings of working groups and committees of the Kurultai.
The Appeals Department of the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the State Revenue Committee held a joint meeting on the quality of tax audits. Territorial departments of state revenue took part in the discussion in an online format. The meeting was held at the State Revenue Committee under the chairmanship of the Committee’s deputy chairpersons, Nurzhanov Zh. M. and. Akhmetov S. A., Aisin S. U., Director of the Appeals Department of the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Kazakhstan, presented an analysis of violations during tax audits related to the refund of excess VAT.
Special attention was paid to the quality of checks of mutual settlements with unreliable suppliers. The participants discussed the reasons for the cancellation of the results of tax audits following the consideration of complaints by the Appeal Commission. These include shortcomings in the “Pyramid” reports, errors in calculating the VAT amounts to be refunded, untimely submission of requests for counter audits, and failure to account for documents confirming export operations. Shortcomings in the analysis of product traceability chains and in assessing the possibility of performing work or providing services were also noted.
The results of the work of the Appeal Commission for the consideration of tax and customs disputes for the nine months of 2026 were also presented. Of the 323 complaints received from taxpayers and participants in foreign economic activity, 194 were considered. Based on the results of the consideration of complaints, the results of 57 inspections were fully or partially overturned in favor of businesses. The quality of tax and customs inspections is under constant monitoring by the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Based on the results of the first nine months of 2026, state budget revenues, excluding transfers, amounted to 20.2 trillion tenge, or 98.5% of the plan. Compared to the same period last year, revenues increased by 16.3%, or by 2.8 trillion tenge. This was announced by Minister of Finance Madi Takiyev at a government meeting on October 13. “During the reporting period, funding for the state’s social obligations has been secured. The revenues of the republican budget are close to the planned figures,” Madi Takiyev noted. The revenues of the republican budget increased by 2.7 trillion tenge, or by almost 26%. The growth in revenues is due to global prices for export goods, an increase in trade turnover, and changes in tax rates.
By the end of the year, the focus will be on expanding the tax base and improving the quality of administration. State budget expenditures have been completed at 98%, with the funding amounting to 26.2 trillion tenge. Expenditures of the republican budget reached 19.6 trillion tenge, with an execution rate of 99.6%. 5.3 trillion tenge was allocated for pensions and benefits, 4.4 trillion tenge for regional support, and 2 trillion tenge for support of the real sector. Local budget revenues amounted to 6.9 trillion tenge, or 96.1% of the plan.
The shortfall amounted to 278.3 billion tenge. The plan has not been met in nine regions, with the largest deviations recorded in the Atyrau, Pavlodar, and Mangystau regions. Local budget expenditures have been met at 96.3%, with non compliance amounting to 458.4 billion tenge. The minister emphasized the need to take measures to ensure timely and high quality budget execution by the end of the year. During the reporting period, 811.5 billion tenge in VAT was refunded to businesses.
Customs payments amounted to 1.9 trillion tenge, an increase of 706 billion tenge. Work continues on developing border infrastructure and simplifying customs clearance. A special state fund ensures the implementation of 501 projects with a total value of 617.7 billion tenge; 351 facilities have been completed. Funding has been allocated from the Infrastructure Development Fund for 262 projects with a total value of 1.5 trillion tenge, including in the areas of healthcare, water supply, and transport.
The minister noted the need to complete construction and prepare the facilities for operation. The digitalization of the social sector makes it possible to prevent unjustified payments. Thanks to monitoring and anti fraud control at the Social Health Insurance Fund, financial losses amounting to 22.4 billion tenge were prevented over nine months. The Qalqan platform has implemented functionality for paying for 57 types of medical services. 634 schools have been transferred to the digital education financing system. The reconciliation of the student population to identify duplicates and overstatements resulted in savings of 34 billion tenge.
After the Social Health Insurance Fund was transferred to the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Finance, the primary task became to prevent financial losses and ensure the targeted use of funds.
Based on the results of 9 months of work, channels for funding leakage have been identified and blocked, and financial losses amounting to 22.4 billion tenge have been prevented. As part of the initiated criminal cases, more than 7.9 billion tenge in illegally paid funds are being returned to suppliers.
The funds saved and returned are used to pay for medical care. It is crucial for the Ministry of Finance that the results of the monitoring be reflected in concrete changes in the operation of clinics and the accessibility of treatment.
Overall, the tasks of the first stage set by the Head of State have been completed. Control over the expenditure of funds has been strengthened, identified leaks have been halted, and the released financing has been directed to its intended purpose. Work on preventing violations and recovering funds continues.
The next stage involves changing the approaches to financing. The task of the Ministry of Finance in the next stage is to establish a link between the needs of the patient, insurance obligations, and their financial provision.
The Internal State Audit Committee of the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Kazakhstan, at an expanded meeting, summarized its work for the first nine months of 2026 and identified priority tasks for strengthening financial discipline.
The meeting was chaired by Vice Minister of Finance Dauren Kenbeil and Chairman of the Committee Erzhan Mynzhasarov, with the participation of heads of structural units and territorial departments.
During the reporting period, 829 audit activities were carried out Based on their results, financial irregularities were identified amounting to 612.9 billion tenge; 466.2 billion tenge was recovered and restored.
During the meeting, the results of the work of the territorial departments and issues related to improving the efficiency of budget funds were reviewed
At an expanded meeting of the Government, President Kassym‑Jomart Tokayev emphasized the need to maintain strict financial discipline and conduct an audit of budget programs to reduce inefficient government spending.[R1.1]
During the Committee meeting, Dauren Kenbeil instructed to strengthen control over the use of budget funds, improve the quality of audit activities, and ensure timely response to identified risks.
The Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Kazakhstan is introducing digital tools to simplify business operations, increase budget transparency, and prevent financial violations. Vice Minister of Finance Aset Turysov spoke about the results of digitalization at a briefing at the Central Communications Service on October 9, 2026.
The Integrated Tax Administration System (ITSA) has replaced seven previous systems and has been adapted to the new Tax Code. Pre‑filled declarations have been introduced, and VAT turnover calculations have been automated. Since the beginning of the year, 7.9 million tax reports have been accepted, and 75 integrations with government agencies and banks have been implemented. Smart Data Finance combines data from 80 sources. Based on the results of desk audit, 322 billion tenge in taxes were charged. AI helps identify risks before inspections are carried out. Their display in digital services will allow entrepreneurs to address violations in advance.
The National Product Catalogue contains approximately 33.5 million product items. The price database created on its basis is used in budget planning. According to estimates based on data from 2024, the projected savings could amount to 200 billion tenge per year.
The KEDEN system provides electronic customs declaration and document submission on a “single window” basis. A single entrepreneur’s personal account combines access to the Ministry of Finance’s services, notifications, and technical support.
To monitor the targeted use of funds, the digital tenge is being introduced. Approximately 339 billion digital tenge have been issued into circulation, and more than 20 pilot projects have been implemented.
Through the Digital Qazyna portal, more than 56,000 objects with a value exceeding 433 billion tenge were transferred between government organizations. This makes it possible to meet the needs of government bodies using the available property.
To prevent violations, the SMART AUDIT QAZAQSTAN platform is being created. By the end of 2026, it is planned to create its core and launch the risk management system. This year, the coverage of online monitoring of budgetary salary payments has been increased by 140%.
“This is a transition to data‑based management of public finances, preventive control, reduction of administrative burden, and increased return on every tenge of the budget,” Aset Turyssov emphasized.
The Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Kazakhstan continues the digital transformation of the public finance system, integrating into a single digital framework the processes of revenue generation, budget planning, public procurement, and treasury execution.
Digitalization is already delivering significant economic benefits. Additional budget revenues amounted to 410 billion tenge, and the use of fiscal data in budget planning allows for savings of up to 200 billion tenge annually. In the formation of the budget for 2027–2029, expenditures of 1.5 trillion tenge have been prevented.
The development of platform employment continues. A special tax regime has been connected to 38 digital platforms, and the number of self-employed individuals has reached 804.8 thousand, with over 600 thousand citizens involved in the official economic turnover.
At the same time, the principle of "Tax as a Service" is being implemented, which provides for the automation of tax reporting and calculations. The ultimate goal is to transition to a "one-click" reporting format.
Particular attention is paid to the application of artificial intelligence. An additional 672 risks have been identified, which will enhance the accuracy of controls and reduce the administrative burden on compliant businesses.
By 2029, it is planned to ensure the pre-filling of at least 80% of SMEs' tax obligations using AI and to reduce inspections of compliant taxpayers by 50%.
The digital transformation aims to increase transparency and efficiency in the management of public finances, reduce the administrative burden, and create convenient services for businesses and citizens.
The government policy is consistently aimed at creating favorable conditions for entrepreneurship, reducing administrative burdens, and establishing clear rules for doing business.
One of the steps in this direction has been the improvement of tax legislation. Since January of the current year, the new Tax Code has come into force, within which special tax regimes have been optimized.
One of the most sought-after is the special tax regime based on the simplified declaration. The initial results of its implementation show a positive trend in the main performance indicators of entrepreneurs.
According to the results of the first half of the current year, the income of businesses using this regime amounted to 9.4 trillion tenge. Compared to the same period last year, it has increased by 18.9% — from 7.9 trillion tenge.
Positive dynamics are also observed in the employment indicators of entrepreneurs applying this regime. The number of hired workers increased by 14.2% — from 445,000 to 509,000 people. The wage fund grew by 7.2%.
At the same time, the number of business entities without hired employees decreased by 30.5%. The number of entrepreneurs reporting income from zero to 5 million tenge also decreased by nearly a third.
This data was obtained from the results of the first reporting period under the updated regime. In August, entrepreneurs submitted declarations for the first half of the current year for the first time.
The special tax regime based on a simplified declaration can be applied by individual entrepreneurs and legal entities that meet the requirements established by the Tax Code, with an annual income of up to 600,000 MCI.
The rate of individual or corporate income tax is 4%. Local representative bodies have the right to reduce or increase this rate within the limits established by law. The tax and reporting period is half a year.
Entrepreneurs using this regime are also not subject to social tax and VAT, except for VAT on imported goods and VAT for non-residents. Initial results show an increase in declared business income and employment. At the same time, the number of entrepreneurs without hired employees and entities declaring minimal income is decreasing.
The data obtained allows for the assertion of the first positive results from changes to special tax regimes. Their further impact will be assessed as data accumulates in subsequent reporting periods.