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On August 20, President Tokayev chaired a Security Council meeting on critical materials, including rare and rare-earth metals, and told the government to improve regulation and develop exploration and processing (unconfirmed). Kazakhstan has no national list or legal definition of critical minerals; the key document is the 2024–2028 rare and rare-earth metals plan (Decree No. 1221). On October 12, the industry ministry said a rare-earth research centre's lab complex will be built from 2027 and fully operate by end-2028 (unconfirmed); 15 tonnes a year of gallium is planned.

Kazatomprom kept its 2026 uranium production guidance at 27,500–29,000 tU on a 100% basis (unconfirmed) but raised attributable C1 cash cost guidance to US$25.50–27.00/lb from US$23.50–25.00 (unconfirmed), citing a higher mineral extraction tax rate (unconfirmed), costlier sulphuric acid and a stronger tenge. After a contractor found potential paleontological specimens at the TQZ sulphuric acid plant site, work in the affected zone was suspended and commissioning moved from Q1 2027 to between Q3 2027 and Q1 2028.

China Nonferrous Metal Mining (Group) Co., Ltd. chairman Wen Gang visited Kazakhmys headquarters on October 19 for talks with board chairman Oleg Novachuk (unconfirmed). China Nonferrous Metal Mining (Group) Co., Ltd. says the trip follows up on understandings the two sides reached in Beijing in September. The same day he toured the Kazakhstan subsidiary of China Nonferrous Metal Industry's Foreign Engineering and Construction Co., Ltd., the listed engineering arm of China Nonferrous Metal Mining (Group) Co., Ltd.

In the village of Sharavka near Ridder in East Kazakhstan, Central Asia Kaisheng Minerals & Energy International Group Ltd. levelled a site and removed topsoil on agricultural land. The city administration says the company holds a permit to explore for precious metals but has no right to mine, and that it went beyond the agreed works. Regional police have opened a pre-trial investigation under Part 3 of Article 334 of the Criminal Code (unconfirmed); the ecology department has imposed fines and ordered land restoration. Work has stopped.

Kazakhstan Kincaid Tianshan Electronic Information Technology Co., Ltd. received solid minerals exploration licence No. 4973-EL on October 19 (unconfirmed), according to the national subsoil use platform. The licence runs until October 19, 2032 (unconfirmed); the registry lists 59 block numbers on map sheet M-44 (counted by number) (unconfirmed).

Kazakhstan's e-Qazyna register, run by the Ministry of Industry and Construction, shows 13 exploration licences for solid minerals issued between October 15 and 19, including 11 on October 19 alone (Nos. 4969-EL to 4979-EL), each valid for six years. Holders include Sararka Metals LLP, whose sole beneficiary is a Chinese national, and Anglo REM CA Exploration Mining Ltd, which has a UK founder. Two geological study licences covering 6,550 and 7,300 blocks were issued the same day. The licence cards list block numbers and counts, but not the target mineral or the area. (unconfirmed)

Ulba Metallurgical Plant (UMP), part of Kazatomprom, is working to broaden its feedstock base for beryllium, tantalum and niobium. According to Qazba.kz, citing an exploration plan, the plant intends to explore for the three metals at the Vostochny-1 site in Karaganda region's Shet district in 2027–2029 (unconfirmed). Ulba's tantalum operation remains on the Responsible Minerals Initiative's list of RMAP-conformant tantalum smelters. The Verkhne-Lobaksai tantalum-beryllium site in East Kazakhstan was sold at a 17 June auction.

An institute for rare and critical minerals is being set up in Ust-Kamenogorsk on the basis of laboratories at the D. Serikbayev East Kazakhstan Technical University. Working with Belgian scientists, it will refine technologies for extracting rare and rare-earth metals, lithium in particular, from mined ore and tailings. Kazakhstan has more than 120 rare and rare-earth metal deposits, no more than 40 of them explored.

KAZ Minerals and NFC, part of China's CNMC, signed an exploration MoU in Almaty on October 19 covering remote sensing, geophysics, geochemistry, AI and 3D modelling to re-examine historical data, pick drill targets and assess resources. A working group and roadmap are planned; no amounts or dates were given. NFC was lead contractor at Bozshakol and Aktogay, paid $70m for 19.39% of KAZ Minerals Koksay B.V. in 2019, and in 2024 signed the deal for the 300,000-tonne, $1.5bn Aktogay copper smelter.

According to Kazakhstan's State Revenue Committee, Pinduoduo paid KZT 6.8 billion ($15.1 million) following tax administration, while Claude developer Anthropic paid KZT 1.2 billion ($2.6 million) for prior periods after camera audit notices. The UK-registered operator of Farfetch did not comply with a notice, and access to the platform in Kazakhstan has been restricted. The Tax Code allows such blocks for foreign online platforms that ignore tax notices.

KTZ Freight Transportation approved new coefficients by order No. 131-ГП of September 21, following a regulator opinion. From December 1, locomotive traction tariffs for domestic and export-import rail traffic change, as do additional-service fees and wagon and container charges. Against the coefficients in force since June 2025, crude oil, metals, coal, grain and ores go up 23.5%, while liquefied gas and socially important food are unchanged. The network tariff already rose 24% on September 21, with no increase in 2027 and 3% a year in 2028-2030. The notice does not mention transit.

PowerChina Chengdu Engineering said on October 15 it plans to buy 20 GWH182-7.5 turbines of 7.5 MW, plus towers and transformers, directly from Beijing Goldwind New Energy Trading for the 150 MW Zhuzimdik wind farm in Turkestan region, delivered via Khorgos between March and October 2027. The plant was originally due online in Q2 2026. The Development Bank of Kazakhstan has approved up to CNY 860.5m for New Clean Energy LLP over up to 15 years from 2027: the yuan tranche is indicatively priced at 5Y LPR + 2.16% (about 5.66%), the tenge tranche at a fixed 19.24%.

Phoenix Industrial Group has redesigned its copper project in the Aktobe SEZ. A letter from its general director, released by the zone operator on October 7, says copper melting and scrap processing are dropped and the plant will make wire and cable from finished copper rod. Investment falls from about $100 million to about $35 million and jobs from 250 to around 100; no new launch date is given. In May the plan was 25,000 tons of refined copper a year from scrap, starting in 2027. The company expects Category III status, which must still be set under the Environmental Code.

FlyArystan flies Astana–Yining from October 26 on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays: departing Astana at 07:55 and landing at 13:20 Beijing time, returning at 15:20 Beijing time to reach Astana at 14:50. In August the airline had announced an October 28 start and two flights a week. Seats are on sale through March 27, 2027. Its China network now covers Urumqi, Yining, Xi’an and Chongqing. A same-day round trip is not possible on this timetable.

On October 19 Kazakhstan’s AI ministry said all 215MW of Data Center Valley’s first phase in Ekibastuz is reserved, the first 50MW data center is due in Q2 2027, and power starts at 2.5 US cents per kWh. It put total investment at about $5 billion, half the $10 billion cited in June when deals with Firebird and NVIDIA were signed, without explaining the gap. Customers and contract values were not disclosed. The 215MW matches the site’s operating substation and exceeds the 186MW planned for commissioning in 2027.

Universal Energy opened its Mars Wind and Jupiter Wind farms in Kostanay on October 14: 100MW from 16 Chinese-made 6.25MW turbines, 38.6 billion tenge invested and up to 380 million kWh a year by the government’s figure. A state settlement center buys the output under a 20-year term; formal commissioning papers are due in November–December. The region uses about 0.45GW but generates about 0.12GW. The 1,000MW Turan wind project with 300MW of storage, which Universal Energy says it won, was approved by the government on October 1: about 380 billion tenge, online by end-2029.

Annual inflation in Kazakhstan fell to 9.3% in September from 9.8% in August, with prices up 0.6% on the month, the Bureau of National Statistics says. Food rose 8.5% year on year, non-food goods 11% and paid services 8.9%. The National Bank announces its next base rate decision on October 23; the rate stands at 16.25%. In an AFK survey, 85% of market professionals expect a cut to 15.75–16%, most of them by 25 bp. In September the regulator said room for easing was limited and raised its 2027 inflation forecast to 6.5–8.5%.

Deputy Agriculture Minister Azat Sultanov told the government on October 13 that Kazakhstan has threshed 23 million tonnes of grain, with 96% of 15.6 million hectares of grain and pulses harvested at an average 15.2 centners per hectare. Oilseeds reached 3.7 million tonnes, 2.5 times last year's 1.4 million at the same date, and a record above 5 million tonnes is expected. Over 72.4% of wheat delivered to elevators is class 3, and new-crop grain exports rose 13% in September. For crushers, millers and traders shipping to China, the raw-material picture is shifting.

Samruk-Kazyna has set up a USD 1.5 billion MTN program; the memorandum dated September 30 was published on HKEX on October 2 and on AIX on October 14. It is a framework: size, currency and coupon are set per issue. Arrangers are Citigroup, Guotai Junan Securities (Hong Kong) and Standard Chartered; listings on the LSE ISM, HKEX, KASE and AIX, under English law. Renminbi notes start at CNY 1 million. For each foreign issue at least 30% must be offered via KASE/AIX and 20% placed there, with exceptions from October 21. Income on AIX-listed notes is tax-exempt until 2066.

On October 13 Deputy PM Serik Zhumangarin said Kazakhstan will keep the Tax Code’s regime split, with B2B on the general regime and B2C on special regimes, and will not lift the ban on deducting costs paid to simplified-declaration suppliers (Article 286, subparagraph 16); the code needs at least another 18 months. Nine-month tax receipts reached KZT 19.3 trillion, up 18.2%, with VAT up 37.3%. He said the reform has yielded KZT 3 trillion, expects at least KZT 3.6 trillion for the year, and said about 37,000 more companies are now VAT-registered. Atameken’s 8% B2B rate idea is on hold.