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The creation of a financial centre in Almaty will cost $20 million and will yield the first results in less than a year
"The creation of a financial centre in Almaty will cost $20 million and will yield the first results in less than a year" - some experts surmised in an interview on the TV channel "Astana". Let me remind you that this year, at the 16th Congress of "Nur Otan", the Head of State once again focused attention on the need to create a financial centre in Almaty. The process, according to the President, was delayed and should be given impetus. It is well-known that once Almaty obtains its special status, legislation will be brought into operation that is independent of national legislation. In many respects, this is what will attract global investors to the metropolis. My colleague Karim Kuralov discussed this topic with experts and businessmen. Almaty's status as financial centre was predicted a decade ago. Today, such centres with special legislation are in operation across the globe. Among them are: London, Dubai, Singapore, and the offshore zones. Why has the idea still not found practical realization with regard to Almaty? "Partly due to the fact that at the time the focus was on creating IT infrastructure," - suspects economist Aidarkhan Kusainov. Put the conditions in place: build good hotels, infrastructure, sports and leisure facilities, no traffic jams, good ecology- which are problems now in Almaty; create an area ten by ten kilometres square, which is better than in Singapore, and all this will be another world . Most importantly, let everything begin with the airport. The airport representatives cannot speak English, with business class and other paid services the choice is very limited, and there are long queues at passport control. At the same time, according to Bisekeev, the moment could not have been chosen better. Precisely now is an opportune time to begin work on developing a financial centre in Almaty. Serikbay Bisekeev, businessman: Right now the CIS is faced with a situation where the international world does not wish to have any issues with America or other countries that might have an economic impact on their own country. Kazakhstan now has a good international position, say, that allows it to be equidistant from all parties and thus attract money from the CIS. According to experts, the creation of a special zone will cost the treasury no more than 20 million US dollars. The results will be accomplished in less than a year. Experts also say that it isn't necessary to reinvent the wheel. It'll be enough to adopt the successful experience of similar-level centres that are already in existence in other countries. The source is here
