Kazakhstan Pushes Into U.S. Market at SelectUSA Summit; First Central Asian Roundtable Marks Shift

Kazakhstan used this year’s SelectUSA Investment Summit in National Harbor as a stage to broaden commercial ties with the United States, hosting the first Central Asian roundtable at the federal event and bringing a 30-company delegation to seek partnerships and market access. SelectUSA, run by the Commerce Department, estimates it has helped spur more than one-quarter trillion dollars in U.S. investment projects and roughly 125,000 jobs — a backdrop that underscored why Astana’s business and government leaders chose the forum to promote cross-border deals.

Magzhan Ilyassov, Kazakhstan’s ambassador in Washington, described the move as part of a deliberate strategy to make the U.S. a priority destination for Kazakh capital and technology collaboration. “We want our firms to compete in America and to link up with U.S. companies on long-term projects,” he told reporters at the summit, adding that diplomats and trade officials have been preparing firms for the legal and commercial realities of entering the U.S. market.

Private firms, not just ministries, drove much of the conversation. Timur Turlov, founder and chief executive of Freedom Holding Corp., said Kazakh startups and established businesses are increasingly meeting international benchmarks and seeking scale abroad. “You can already find our companies in U.S. fintech and construction projects,” Turlov said in an interview at the summit. “As corporate governance and product standards improve at home, expansion into the United States becomes a natural next step.”

Delegates presented opportunities across manufacturing, agricultural technology, health care products, food processing and digital services, while also flagging familiar obstacles: differing regulatory regimes, the cost and complexity of localization, and stiff U.S. competition. Representatives from the U.S. Commercial Service and SelectUSA offered guidance on market-entry rules, visa and tax questions, and links to local economic development offices that can help with pilot projects and site selection.

Economic trends at home are influencing the push outward. A firmer tenge, rising corporate savings and a growing base of small and midsize enterprises are giving Kazakh investors more capacity to look overseas, analysts said. “This is less about a short-term surge and more about companies maturing and deciding to allocate capital abroad,” said an independent trade analyst who follows Central Asia. Ramazan Slamkhanov, head of Central Asia Strategic Advisory, said the level of engagement at SelectUSA shows that Kazakhstan is now active on two fronts — attracting inbound capital and exporting investment know-how.

For U.S. cities and firms, the development could mean new sources of capital, partnerships in fast-growing sectors and expanded links to Central Asia’s largest economy. But officials cautioned that turning introductions into deals will require follow-through on compliance, joint due diligence and patient relationship-building. Still, the presence of a sizable Kazakh delegation at a major U.S. investment summit signaled a practical shift: more Kazakhstan-based capital and companies are aiming to be players in American markets.