14-16 April 2026 Astana, Kazakhstan

Geopolitics in the Ground: Kazakhstan’s Role in the Global Mineral Race

Format: Presentations

Mining has moved to the centre of geopolitical competition, as critical minerals underpin clean energy, defence and digital technologies. Kazakhstan sits at a strategic crossroads in this new landscape: a major uranium and copper producer with emerging rare earths potential, positioned between Russia, China and Western markets. This session examines how control over resources, refining and midstream processing is reshaping alliances, trade routes and sanctions. Where Kazakhstan fits in evolving supply chains, how partners seek to diversify away from single suppliers, and what this means for the country’s foreign policy and development path.

Moderator
Michael Zlobin
Head of Equity for Natural Resources
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)
Presentations:
09:10 - New Trends in the Geopolitics of Critical Minerals: Implications for Central Asia

David Lewis
Senior Political Counsellor
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
09:20 - Critical Minerals, Great Powers, and Kazakhstan’s Multi-Vector Reality

Eldaniz Gusseinov
Co-Founder and Head of Research
Nightingale Int.
09:30 - Regulation of the Mining Industry in Central Asia: Investment Lessons from Mongolia, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan for Kazakhstan

Almat Daumov
Partner
GRATA International