Foreign companies are showing interest in developing Kazakhstan’s mineral resources and plan to invest at least 40 billion tenge in geological exploration. This was announced at the Geoscience & Exploration Central Asia international forum. In 2026, the country aims to expand areas under geological exploration from 1.5 to 2.2 million square kilometers. Legislative amendments made between 2022 and 2025 support this goal. Last year, 17 new deposits were officially registered, among the country’s largest.
«For potential investors, the unified subsoil use portal features an interactive map where they can view prospective deposits, existing fields, and areas open for investment in both geological exploration and production sites across Kazakhstan. All data layers currently maintained by the relevant authorities, such as the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation and the Ministry of Ecology, have been integrated into a single system,» said Kazakh Vice Minister of Industry and Construction Iran Sharkhan.
Today, Kazakhstan has around 10,000 mineral deposits. A significant share of its resource base consists of rare earth metals, including cerium, neodymium, yttrium, and other elements. Overall, funding for geological exploration has increased tenfold and is expected to reach around $500 million over the next three years.
«An important step was the launch of the unified subsoil use portal,
which provides transparent access to services. Based on leading international
practice, the «first come, first served» principle has significantly simplified
the process for granting subsoil use rights. Over the past three years, this
has helped attract around 280 billion tenge in private investment for
geological exploration. International standards for resource reporting have
also been implemented,» noted Kazakh Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov.
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