Kazakhstan for IT business: Astana Hub and AIFC — what’s the difference

Recently, our expert Levan Pogosov published an article on the industry portal IT World, dedicated to choosing a jurisdiction for IT business in Kazakhstan.

The article analyzes two key instruments — Astana Hub and AIFC, which are often perceived as interchangeable, although in practice they solve different tasks.

You can read the full version here:

https://www.it-world.ru/it-news/sm7ntnc7vmswcg4804k0k840w8gg8wc.html

Why IT companies consider Kazakhstan

In recent years, Kazakhstan has become a noticeable point of attraction for IT business.

On the one hand, it offers relatively simple registration and clear infrastructure. On the other hand, there are special regimes that allow for tax optimization and building an international structure.

However, the key difficulty is that there are several instruments within the country at once, and the choice between them is not obvious.

Astana Hub and AIFC — two different approaches

The publication explains in detail that Astana Hub and AIFC are not competing, but fundamentally different models.

Astana Hub is focused on IT companies and startups that value tax incentives and development support.

AIFC, in turn, is more suitable for business structuring, working with international partners, and building a legal model within the framework of English law.

It is precisely because of this difference that mistakes often arise: companies choose a tool that does not match their objectives.

Where mistakes are most often made

One of the key ideas of the article is that the choice of jurisdiction is often made based on «where taxes are lower», rather than «what fits the business».
As a result:

• IT companies choose AIFC without necessity
• or, conversely, go to Astana Hub when they need a different structure
• the requirements for activities are not taken into account
• long-term consequences are ignored

Such mistakes lead to the need to restructure the setup after some time.

Why the right choice at the start matters

Kazakhstan can be a strong solution for IT business, but only with the right choice of instrument.

The difference between Astana Hub and AIFC affects not only taxes, but also:

1. the legal model
2. work with investors
3. scaling opportunities
4. the international structure

That is why it is important to consider these instruments not in isolation, but in the context of the overall business strategy.

Expert commentary

In his article, Levan Pogosov specifically emphasizes that there is no universal solution.

Each of the instruments operates within its own logic, and the choice should be based on the needs of the business, not on formal advantages.

What does this mean for business? This case clearly shows how important it is to choose the right jurisdiction and company structure. The same logic applies not only in Kazakhstan, but also in other countries — Georgia, Serbia, Armenia, and the EU.

A wrong choice at the start almost always leads to additional costs and loss of time.

The full analysis is available on the IT World website:

https://www.it-world.ru/it-news/sm7ntnc7vmswcg4804k0k840w8gg8wc.html

How we work with such cases

We consider the choice of jurisdiction as part of the overall strategy — taking into account taxes, business structure, and long-term goals. This makes it possible to avoid typical mistakes and build a working model from the start.