Astana, 10 November. Finance Minister Mady Takiyev and Energy Minister Yerlan Akkenzhenov met separately with Amina Laresh, head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission to Kazakhstan, and discussed the budget, oil, power grids and tariffs, the press services of the Finance Ministry and the Energy Ministry said.
At the Finance Ministry the mission head was accompanied by the fund's senior economist Dina Heng and other experts. Takiyev thanked the fund for its regular missions under Article IV of the IMF's Articles of Agreement, the name for the annual review of a member country's economic policy, as well as for targeted consultations and technical assistance. The sides discussed the execution of the 2026 budget, planning for 2027 and reforms of fiscal policy. Particular attention went to digital solutions in public finance and to the analytical tools on which management decisions are based. The meeting ended with an agreement to keep working on government finance statistics in line with international standards.
Akkenzhenov spoke with the mission head about energy security, the modernisation of infrastructure, attracting investment, and the oil and gas and power sectors. According to the ministry's list, they also covered prospects for oil and gas production, the development of large fields, the stable operation of refineries, the diversification of export routes, the electricity market and tariff policy, and wider use of renewable energy. The ministry says the fund gave a positive assessment of its work and noted its efforts to strengthen energy infrastructure and the reliability of supply. The release does not quote the fund itself.
Neither release gives the dates of this year's mission or of its concluding statement. For comparison, last year's mission, led by Ali Al-Eyd, worked in Almaty and Astana from 6 to 19 November 2025, the fund published its concluding statement on 21 November, and the report on the consultation came out on 27 January 2026, after review by the Executive Board. That mission put Kazakhstan's 2025 GDP growth at above 6% and noted signs of overheating in the economy.
The President also referred to the fund's forecast: at the awards ceremony for athletes on 9 November Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said that Kazakhstan's GDP would approach $398 billion by the end of the year, the highest figure in the region, Akorda reported. Akorda did not give the fund's own figures.
What it means: The meetings with the ministers are part of the annual review of economic policy, not talks on a loan: both releases speak of the budget, statistics and energy, and none mentions credit. What the mission advises on the 2027 budget and on tariffs will become clear from its concluding statement.
Background: The International Monetary Fund monitors the economic and exchange-rate policies of its member countries and gives them recommendations; Kazakhstan joined it in 1992. By the fund's own description, it holds Article IV consultations with each member, as a rule once a year: a team of specialists visits the country, collects economic and financial data and discusses it with officials, after which the Executive Board reviews the results.
We have also reported on how Kazakhstan's economic growth over ten months accelerated to 4.5%.
