The “Investing in Central Asia: Opportunities and Partnerships” session dedicated to attracting capital from the Gulf countries and China was held on the second day of the Eurasian Development Bank’s (EDB) Annual Meeting and Business Forum in Almaty last week.
Ruslan Dalenov, Deputy Chairman of the EDB Management Board, noted that the Bank envisages five new trends in attracting investment to the region: investors are seeking capital to launch projects in new sectors, whereas previously they attracted financing for the expansion of existing production; interest in energy is growing beyond renewable energy projects; transport projects are becoming larger and more complex, while interest in port infrastructure is on the increase; instruments for raising capital in yuan and dirhams are emerging, and demand for Islamic finance is increasing; demand for syndicated financing that supports large projects in the region, is growing.
Capital needs are also high: according to EDB analysts, investments in energy could reach US $150-180 billion by 2030; US $50-60 billion could be invested in transport projects, US $12-14 billion in water resources, and US $7 billion in logistics.
