A major breakthrough: what Alatau City achieved in 2025

Dec 31, 2025

The Alatau City project, first presented to the President in the fall of 2022, entered a qualitatively new phase of development at the end of 2025.

In a relatively short period of time, a large amount of work was done, much of which remained out of the public eye, but it was this work that laid the foundation for the further growth of the new city.

From idea to institutional formalization

2023 was a preparatory stage, during which the legal and economic basis for the Alatau Special Economic Zone was formed, management mechanisms were developed, and models for attracting investment were worked out.

In 2024, the project was made public: on January 9, the city of Alatau was officially established by decree of the Head of State, and in May, the Alatau City concept was presented to the leadership and business circles of Singapore, one of the world's benchmarks in urban development.

However, 2025 was a turning point. The city took a systematic step towards obtaining special legal status, which effectively marked the transition from concept to a sustainable implementation model.

Why Alatau City is appearing now

The idea of forming new cities around Almaty has been discussed for almost two decades. But today it is being implemented in a fundamentally different format. Alatau City is conceived not as a satellite city or an extension of existing development, but as an independent center of attraction for talent, capital, and technologies.

One of the key factors was Kazakhstan's geopolitical position. Balanced and constructive relations with all global centers of power make the country attractive for long-term investment. This has been repeatedly confirmed in practice throughout 2025 through international meetings, agreements, and growing interest in major infrastructure initiatives. Alatau City is largely the result of accumulating the best global experience and adapting it to the realities of Kazakhstan.

The second factor is the development of Almaty and the Almaty agglomeration. Almaty remains one of the key cities in Central Asia with a high quality of life. It is a center of finance, business, trade, IT, creative industries, higher education, and tourism, a powerful magnet for high-quality human capital.

At the same time, the engineering and transport infrastructure of the Almaty metropolis is operating at full capacity, which objectively requires the formation of new growth points.

Alatau City is located near the intersection of international transport corridors connecting Europe and Asia. Rail and road routes complement each other here, and a developed network of branches provides logistics flexibility, access to seaports and border crossings. That is why logistics has been identified as one of the key areas of development for the new city.