The Astana Hub is a young, dynamically developing national technopark which was opened in 2018. The park is fully focused on the development and investment of start-ups in Kazakhstan and is open to local investors as well as foreign investors. It is a Special Economic Zone or SEZ approved and supported by the Kazakhstani government.
There are several advantages for companies working within Astana Hub, especially from the perspective of foreign investors.
- “English law” – companies can choose to utilize foreign law in dispute resolution;
- Exemption from the payment of some taxes, such as Corporate Income Tax and Personal Income Tax for foreign employees;
- Simplified obtaining of a work visa for foreigners;
- Cooperation with IT universities of the country;
- Utilizing the park´s infrastructure which can act as an accelerator and a startup incubator. The Astana Hub also offers modern physical working spaces with special amenities.
The following requirements are in place for member companies:
- The member must not be a registered user of subsoil resources;
- The state, national holdings, or subsidiaries of national holdings must not hold a controlling stake in the company;
- The company must not be involved in strategic investment projects or be related to companies that have implemented an investment project in accordance with Article 284 of the Entrepreneurial Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan dated October 29, 2015;
- The company must not be a payer of excisable goods;
- The company’s business activities must conform to what is set out in the list of priority activities for the Kazakhstan´s digital development;
- The company can´t have branches at the moment of its registration
Currently there are over 500 companies working within the framework of Astana Hub. Such initiatives have shown great results in other countries in the CIS region. For example, the High-Tech Park or HTP in Belarus has been able to attract significant IT investments and talent. In Ukraine, Diia.City has just been launched, and will be providing similar kinds of benefits to companies in the IT sector.
At the moment, companies wishing to become members of Astana Hub are not required to be physically located within the park´s territory in the country´s capital Astana. However it is expected that this requirement will come into force starting 1st of January 2024.
