Central Asian Postal Summit in Astana Delving into Booming Online Commerce
The Central Asian region is experiencing a boom in electronic commerce, with postal operators, marketplaces, and logistics companies scrambling to keep up with the rapid growth. A recent Central Asian Postal Summit held in Astana on April 10 brought together industry executives and representatives to discuss the future of e-commerce and logistics in the region.
Organized by QazPost, Kazakhstan’s national post operator, the summit marked the first of its kind for Central Asia. Azamat Keskinbayev, the chief financial officer of QazPost, highlighted the significant increase in e-commerce volumes, especially in cross-border trade. With over 20 million parcels handled in the past year, QazPost is expanding its operations to meet the growing demand for online shopping.
One key strategic partnership for QazPost is with Yto, China’s leading express delivery company. Together, they have established a joint venture focused on providing logistics services from Chinese marketplaces to consumers in Kazakhstan. The aim is to build a major logistics operator serving the entire Central Asian market, with plans to expand to Europe via transit corridors.
Central Asia is positioned as one of the most dynamic regions for e-commerce growth, with the market valued at around $9 billion. Damir Meirambekov, managing director for e-commerce at QazPost, highlighted the rise of marketplaces, mobile commerce, and end-to-end logistics as key trends shaping the industry in the region.
Local leaders like Kaspi and Wildberries play a significant role in the e-commerce market in Kazakhstan, with QazPost serving as a key logistics player in the region. The company is investing in advanced technology and infrastructure to support the growing demand for online shopping.
International players like Wildberries and AliExpress are also seeing rapid growth in e-commerce in Kazakhstan. The merging of e-commerce and fintech is identified as a key trend, with a focus on improving delivery speed and logistics capabilities to meet consumer demand.
However, concerns exist regarding policies that aim to protect local producers from competition in cross-border e-commerce. Some countries are introducing restrictions and taxes on cross-border parcel deliveries, which could impact national postal operators like QazPost. Finding a balanced approach to regulating cross-border e-commerce is essential to support the growth of the industry while safeguarding the interests of domestic producers and postal operators.
