Implementation of President’s instructions on supporting SMEs: every fifth Kazakhstani works in business sector
EL.KZ Информационно-познавательный портал
The implementation of the President’s instructions on supporting small and medium-sized businesses is one of the priorities of the Government’s activities,El.kz cites primeminister.kz.
Thanks to the measures taken in recent years, Kazakhstan has seen steady growth in the contribution of SMEs to the country’s economy. The editorial team of the Primeminister.kz website continues its series of publications on Kazakhstan’s development in 2025.
In the annual Address to the People of Kazakhstan, the Head of State identified small and medium-sized entrepreneurship as one of the main drivers of economic growth. Data from the Bureau of National Statistics confirm that today every fifth Kazakhstani works in the business sector, and the share of gross value added of small and medium-sized entrepreneurship in the economy is already approaching 40% (39.8%).
As of the end of the second quarter of 2025, the share of gross value added of medium-sized enterprises in GDP amounted to 7.9%, which is higher than last year’s level. This means that the medium-sized business sector is strengthening and increasing its contribution to value creation.
Throughout 2022–2024, the gross value added of medium-sized businesses remained stable at the level of 6.7–6.9%, while the number of enterprises exceeded 3,000, which indicates the maturity and sustainability of the medium segment.
Today, 99.9% of all business entities are micro and small companies. It is they who form the “living fabric” of the economy and provide employment for more than 4.4 million people, which is 3.9% more than a year ago. That is, tens of thousands of new jobs have appeared in the sector over the year. SMEs account for almost half of the country’s economically active population — 45.5%, which underscores the importance of the sector for the growth of citizens’ welfare and the stability of the labor market.
On the instruction of the President, the Government is consistently expanding measures to support business. A Register has been created, including 117 instruments that enable entrepreneurs to develop production, improve technologies, enter export markets, and attract financing. The baqylauda.qoldau.kz service has become a universal access point to support measures, which have already been used by about 222 thousand people — this confirms the demand for and accessibility of the instruments.
Since 2024, the country has been implementing a comprehensive policy aimed at leveling the conditions for doing business, stimulating company growth, and strengthening the role of medium-sized businesses. The goal is to create a predictable and fair environment for entrepreneurs.
In addition, a Register of mandatory requirements has been created, which has digitized and systematized all requirements imposed on businesses. This ensures transparency and makes it easier for entrepreneurs to comply with mandatory norms. As a result, SME support in Kazakhstan is becoming systemic and understandable for the business community.
In particular:
- qualification requirements are being revised and permitting procedures optimized, which reduces barriers to starting and running a business;
- large enterprises are required to conclude long-term contracts with SMEs, which opens guaranteed sales markets for small and medium-sized businesses and creates new growth opportunities;
- in the new Tax Code, the number of special tax regimes has been reduced from 7 to 3. This approach limits fragmentation schemes and stimulates companies to develop and scale up.
In order to strengthen and scale up medium-sized businesses, the Ministry of National Economy, together with the EBRD, is working on specific enterprise development plans aimed at increasing production volumes by 2–3 times. This means a transition to a qualitatively new level of scaling and an increase in the share of high-productivity companies in the economy.
Thus, medium-sized business is gradually becoming one of the key drivers of economic growth, capable of ensuring sustainable development of regions and the country as a whole.
As part of the implementation of the Nationwide Action Plan for the execution of the Address of the Head of State to the People, “Kazakhstan in the Era of Artificial Intelligence: Current Challenges and Their Solutions through Digital Transformation,” the Government, together with the EBRD, is conducting in-depth diagnostics of companies, assessing their investment potential, and developing individual growth plans. Work has already begun with 20 enterprises, and by 2030 the number of program participants will reach at least 70, forming a strong layer of companies ready for growth.
The country is undergoing a reboot of business regulation. Based on the principle of “regulation from a clean slate,” requirements are being reviewed, outdated norms are being removed, and the system of state control is being updated. As a result, conditions for doing business in Kazakhstan are being significantly simplified.
This year, the preferential financing program “Örleu” was launched. More than 1,700 projects have been financed in the amount of 482 billion tenge, which confirms the high demand for and effectiveness of this instrument. Two guarantee funds have been established on the basis of the Damu Fund, expanding entrepreneurs’ access to financing:
- Guarantee Fund – 1 issues guarantees using a portfolio method; lending is carried out through second-tier banks for projects with financing amounts of up to 7 billion tenge. To date, the fund has supported 2,384 projects totaling 417.7 billion tenge, providing guarantees in the amount of 229.9 billion tenge;
- Guarantee Fund – 2 is focused on large investment and infrastructure projects. Under GF-2, the first major project worth 7.1 billion tenge has already been implemented, providing a guarantee of 2.8 billion tenge. Another project is at the signing stage.
In the future, it is planned to transition to more targeted and precise support, taking into account sectoral and regional characteristics, which will allow for more effective unlocking of the potential of different business segments.
Thus, support for entrepreneurship is developing continuously and covers all stages — from the emergence of an idea to scaling up. The “Orleu” program and other measures form a solid foundation for increasing production volumes. In turn, business activity confirms that Kazakhstan’s entrepreneurial environment is becoming more mature, resilient, and dynamic.
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