Kazakhstan's Ministry of National Economy, at a working meeting with entrepreneurs in the Tolebi district of Turkistan Region, cited as a showcase example an investment project by a company owned by former Transport Minister Marat Karabayev, according to infohub.kz.
Speaking to local business representatives, Deputy Minister of National Economy Yerlan Sagnayev highlighted the construction of an aluminum coil plant by QazCoilPro LLP. Total investment in the industrial facility is estimated at 115 billion tenge. The plant will occupy 24 hectares in the Kiyelitas rural district, where 120 new jobs are planned.
According to the counterparty verification service Adata, QazCoilPro LLP is co-founded by Marat Karabayev and Rustam Sukhov. The former head of the Ministry of Transport officially took over as head of the company in August 2025 — two months after leaving public service. Alongside the ex-official's project, ministry representatives also noted the work of the KazPlast garment factory (1.5 billion tenge in investment), the Fish House fishery, and the ABZAL GROUP poultry slaughtering facility.
During the dialogue with entrepreneurs, current financial incentive tools were discussed. As of August 31, industry restrictions for social entrepreneurs to participate in the preferential Isker Aimaq program were fully lifted.
Businesses can now subsidize up to 50% of the nominal interest rate on loans of up to 200 million tenge (with repayment terms of up to three years). The program also provides grants of up to 5 million tenge, preferential premises, and non-financial support. To simplify regulatory procedures, the ministry has also introduced a Register of Mandatory Requirements based on artificial intelligence, allowing entrepreneurs to quickly find all relevant legislative restrictions in one place.
Marat Karabayev served as Kazakhstan's Minister of Transport from September 2023 and was reappointed to the post in February 2024. During his time in government, Karabayev faced criticism from the country's leadership and received an official reprimand from President Qasym-Jomart Toqaev for shortcomings in his work. On June 8, 2025, he left public service.
In April 2026, the former minister's move into the large-scale manufacturing sector was widely discussed in the media. It was emphasized that the former official, who had previously received a public reprimand from the head of state, had begun building a 115 billion tenge plant in southern Kazakhstan.