ECA Increases Support in Q1 2025
The Export Credit Agency of Kazakhstan (ECA) has submitted the Performance Report for the first quarter of 2025. Between January and March, the Agency provided KZT 82.9 billion in support to domestic exporters – an increase of KZT 2.4 billion compared to the same period last year. Pre-export and export trade financing during the reporting period totaled KZT 2 billion.
In the first quarter alone, ECA supported 18 exporters, with SMEs accounting for 56% of the beneficiaries. Overall, the Agency backed 73 export contracts.
An industry breakdown of the Agency’s support reveals the following key sectors:
- Metallurgy: 67.9%
- Food Industry: 29.5%
- Chemical Industry: 1.4%
- Mechanical Engineering: 0.8%
- Other sectors, including works and services: 0.3%
Among the top export goods were confectioneries, rolled metal, pasta, stock steel, copper cathodes, cattle ear tags, hosiery, cucumbers, corn starch, sunflower oil, and more.
Karaganda Region led among exporting regions, receiving 60.8% of total ECA support equivalent to KZT 50.4 billion. It was followed by Abay Region (KZT 12.1 billion) and the city of Almaty (KZT 8.3 billion).
Top export destinations during the quarter included Russia, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan.
“We are seeing steady growth in insured export transactions. ECA is now focused on ambitious expansion of export support, the development of digital services, and the implementation of innovative products. Our key objective is to provide comprehensive support to Kazakhstani exporters,” said Yelena Abilova, Director of the ECA Insurance and Guarantee Department.
Since the beginning of the year, ECA has issued several guarantees as part of its export support activities. These include a performance bond under a contract to supply plastic cattle ear tags to Uzbekistan and another for a project involving the construction of sewer systems and new pumping stations in the same country.
To support Kazakh businesses abroad, ECA operates a network of international representative offices in Tashkent (Uzbekistan), Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan), Dushanbe (Tajikistan), and several Russian cities including Moscow, Yekaterinburg, and Kazan.
