Behind the stories and videos produced by Kazakhstani bloggers lies a market that over the past year has ceased to operate in the “grey” economy and has begun to be reflected in government agencies’ reports.
How much money is circulating in the industry
Brand investment in influencer marketing in Kazakhstan was estimated at approximately $37 mln in 2025. This amount is generated not by a single major client, but through dozens of transactions between brands, agencies, and content creators of varying scale, from high-reach influencers with mln of followers to niche bloggers serving highly targeted audiences.
This segment is growing against the backdrop of an overall expansion of the advertising market. In the first half of 2025, advertising expenditure in Kazakhstan increased by 17 % year-on-year, with the majority of this growth attributable to digital advertising.
The share of digital advertising in brands’ total advertising expenditure is already approaching half of the market. At the same time, e-commerce is also expanding: its turnover reached KZT 1.7 trln in the first half of 2025, while brands are increasingly relying on bloggers to explain to consumers why they should purchase particular products online.
What does the blogger actually earn?
Rates across the market vary significantly. A repost in a Reels format by a mid-range content creator costs a brand approximately KZT 546,000, while a native advertising integration consisting of two to three Stories by a larger influencer may cost as much as KZT 2.18 mln.
Streamers generate revenue through different channels, primarily donations and partnerships with technology brands. A creator with a regular audience of 200–300 viewers per livestream earns an average of KZT 400,000 to KZT 1.2 mln per month.
A blogger working with several mainstream brands without million-level reach earns considerably less. According to market participants, two advertising integrations per month can generate approximately KZT 300,000–400,000 for such a creator. This figure represents gross income before taxes and agency commissions.
Where does the rest of the money go?
A significant share of the revenue is retained not by the blogger, but by intermediaries between the creator and the brand. Agencies build the sales funnel, negotiate commercial terms, and charge a commission for reducing risks for advertisers.
Platforms also capture a share of the value generated through their algorithmic mechanisms. In Kazakhstan, unlike the Philippines, South Korea, or the United States, TikTok does not yet offer a direct in-video sales function. As a result, brands pay bloggers for reach and views rather than for a percentage of actual sales. This changes the underlying logic of cooperation: creators have a greater incentive to maximise performance metrics than to focus on conversion into sales.
The difference is also evident at the level of individual creators. Bloggers whose followers include a significant share of international, particularly US-based, audiences can earn several times more from the same level of engagement than when working exclusively with Kazakhstani brands.
How does the state become part of this value chain?
For a long time, blogging operated largely outside the tax system, creating a discrepancy between creators’ actual income and the amounts reported in tax declarations. The State Revenue Committee recorded that, during a single reporting period, bloggers declared slightly more than KZT 1.2 bln in income from online activities. This represents only the officially reported portion of the market.
The situation is changing with the new Tax Code, which comes into force in 2026. Income derived from monetisation and advertising is subject to individual income tax at a rate of 10 percent, while platforms such as YouTube and TikTok are required to provide tax authorities with information on payments made to Kazakhstani creators.
The formal threshold for registering as an entrepreneur remains relatively low. If a blogger’s annual income exceeds KZT 1.02 mln, they are required to register as an individual entrepreneur and subsequently operate under either the standard or simplified taxation regime. Under the simplified regime, a 3 % tax rate applies to turnover of up to KZT 94.5 mln per six-month period.
Who ultimately benefits?
The answer to the question posed in the headline rarely comes down to a single participant. A portion of the revenue is captured by the platform through its algorithmic mechanisms, another portion by the agency through transaction commissions, and another by the blogger through advertising fees. The state is also becoming an increasingly visible participant in this value chain through taxation and mandatory business registration.
A market that until recently was largely based on informal agreements conducted through direct messages is gradually evolving into an industry with clearer rules and defined obligations for each participant.
