Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Trade and Integration held the year’s final meeting of its Public Council on Trade and Integration. Participants discussed e-commerce, a unified regional market for digital services and transparent pricing for domestic air travel.
The meeting was chaired by Arman Shakkaliyev and Public Council Chair Ruslan Shaekin. Representatives of government agencies, industry associations and businesses also attended.
One key topic was ensuring equal competition conditions for Kazakhstani and foreign marketplaces. According to the Bureau of National Statistics, retail e-commerce reached 3.77 trillion tenge in 2025, up 19.4%. Participants considered proposals to improve taxation and customs control and protect consumers making cross-border purchases.
The meeting also addressed a proposed unified digital market for Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan. Proposals included simplifying cross-border payments, recognizing electronic documents mutually and creating favourable conditions for IT companies.
Public Council member Marlen Smailov raised the issue of transparency in setting fares for domestic flights. The council recommended that the Trade Ministry’s Consumer Rights Protection Committee, together with the Ministry of Transport and the Agency for Protection and Development of Competition, monitor ticket prices and examine how fares are formed.
Participants also proposed considering a fare calendar and notifications about changes in ticket prices. Relevant government agencies will work through the initiatives and recommendations, while the Public Council will monitor their implementation.
