Kazakhstan sees 34.2% growth in direct investments from Switzerland this year

The delegations discussed the development of trade and economic relations under the agreements reached following talks with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev held earlier today.

Attention was given to expanding investment ties and cooperation in industry, agriculture, energy, digital technologies, transport and logistics, water management, and other areas.

Switzerland is a stable economic partner of Kazakhstan and is among the top 15 countries in terms of bilateral trade volume. In the first nine months of this year, this figure reached nearly 1.1 billion US dollars. Last year, mutual trade turnover grew by 26.2%, exceeding 1.7 billion US dollars. Exports of Kazakhstani products were up by 30.6%.

The meeting highlighted promising areas for developing investment cooperation. In the first half of 2025, the volume of direct investments from Switzerland into Kazakhstan increased by 34.2%, reaching 568 million US dollars.

In the transport and logistics sector, the potential for cooperation in developing international routes, seaports, logistics centers, and export-logistics facilities was discussed. The Stadler Kazakhstan project for the production of passenger railcars was mentioned as a successful example. Within Kazakhstan’s efforts to develop aviation hubs, opportunities in the aviation sector were also noted.

Industrial cooperation remains a key priority. The pool of joint projects includes several major initiatives worth 1.6 billion US dollars, expected to create around 3,300 jobs. Technology transfer in industrial sectors holds significant potential.

Given Kazakhstan’s digital agenda, mutual interests in IT technologies were identified. Potential areas of collaboration include integrating AI solutions into healthcare, industry, and the digital infrastructure of smart cities, among others.

In agriculture, prospects were noted for joint ventures using advanced Swiss technologies in the processing of dairy products for the production of premium cheeses and other dairy goods.

Partnership opportunities in water resource management were discussed, with a focus on their rational use and the introduction of advanced engineering solutions.

Proposals for expanding cooperation in finance, social policy, energy, and support for SMEs were presented by President of the Swiss Business Association Economiesuisse Christoph Mäder, SWISSMEM CEO Stefan Brupbacher, Chair of the Board of the Swiss Export Risk Insurance Agency SERV Barbara Hayoz, Deputy Director at Switzerland Global Enterprise Anja Fiedler, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Stadler Rail AG Peter Spuhler, President of the Joint Chamber of Commerce (JCC) Marcel Pawlicek, member of the National Council for the Swiss People's Party and member of the Kazakhstan-Switzerland parliamentary friendship group Roland Rino Büchel, and adviser of the Bilateral Economic Relations Europe/Central Asia department of the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) Jochen Janssen. 

From the Kazakh side, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development Zhaslan Madiyev, Minister of Transport Nurlan Sauranbayev, Minister of Industry and Construction Yersaiyn Nagaspaev, and Chairman of the Presidium of the National Chamber of Entrepreneurs Atameken Raimbek Batalov delivered their remarks.

Following the meeting, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to expanding practical cooperation and further deepening bilateral relations.

Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on Friday held talks with visiting Swiss Vice President Guy Parmelin.