Belgium is interested in assisting Kazakhstan with its digital transformation goals, targeting political, economic, and parliamentary collaborations.
According to a report, Kazakhstan’s ambassador to Belgium, Roman Vassilenko, sat with Birgit Stevens, director general for Bilateral Relations at the Belgian Federal Public Service for Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, to share ideas. Both parties disclosed that the meeting will serve as the foundation of future bilateral relations between the two countries.
Vassilenko shared Kazakhstan’s blueprint for digitization with his Belgian counterpart, highlighting the Central Asian country’s artificial intelligence (AI) roadmap. He referred to the key provisions of Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s annual State of the Nation Address as proof of the leap to digitization.
Vassilenko highlighted the establishment of a dedicated Ministry for AI and plans to launch CryptoCity, a pilot zone for digital assets. He noted that the end goal of Kazakhstan’s digital transformation is to become the regional leader for emerging technologies in Central Asia and compete on the global stage.
Stevens disclosed that Belgium is interested in Kazakhstan’s goals, hinting at a collaboration between both countries. Stevens added that Belgium will keep communication lines open with Kazakhstan for knowledge sharing and technical support associated with emerging technologies.
The Belgian diplomat noted that the European nation will back the expansion of processing critical and rare earth materials outside of emerging technologies. Stevens hinted at incoming support in the form of satellite monitoring to assess natural potential, with both sides alluding to Belgium’s experience in the space sector.
Kazakhstan’s plans for water resource management and developing the Middle Corridor for improved cross-border transport across Central Asia piqued Stevens’s interest.
Bilateral trade between Belgium and Kazakhstan reached $299 million and is on course to surpass the $500 million mark before the end of the year. Since 2005, the direct investment from Belgium into Kazakhstan has exceeded $13 billion, with parties eyeing an increase in the figures.
Looking inward for digitization
Besides pursuing international collaboration, Kazakhstan is looking inwards toward its digitization goals. Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has disclosed plans for a digital asset fund while backing the integration of digital asset payments for the country’s smart city.
“Given the demands of the modern era, it is necessary to focus on cryptoassets,” said Tokayev. “It is advisable to create a State Fund of Digital Assets on the basis of the National Bank’s Investment Corporation.”
The country has signaled plans to pursue its central bank digital currency (CBDC) for financial inclusion while backing the use of stablecoins for regulatory fees. Over the last year, the volume of digital payments in Kazakhstan has spiked as the country inches its way toward a cashless economy.
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Sri Lankan regulator raises alarm over a foreign system integrator for Sri Lanka’s digital ID
Meanwhile, plans for a unique digital identity project in Sri Lanka have raised concerns among regulators and key ecosystem players over the legal validity and risk associated with using a foreign-based firm to build the system.
The Department for Registration of Persons (DRP) in Sri Lanka has raised a range of concerns about the plan in a letter to the Minister of Digital Economy. The issues, numbering 22, stem from the legal validity of using a foreign-based firm as master system integrator (MSI).
Sri Lanka is proceeding with SL-UDI, its digital ID project with the Indian National Institute for Smart Government (NISG) leading the charge. Keen to mirror India’s Aadhaar system, the NISG is seeking bids from Indian companies to operate as MSI for its SL-UDI initiative.
With over 40 Indian companies submitting applications to collect biometric data from Sri Lankans, the DRP is poking holes in the entire process. A senior DRP official disclosed that the issuance of digital ID should be aligned with the 1968 Number 32 Persons Registration Act.
He noted that Sri Lankan laws do not allow foreign firms to collect and manage citizens’ demographic and biometric data. Furthermore, the move for a foreign MSI undermines the DRP’s traditional role of managing biometric data, potentially undermining established oversight and security protocols.
“At this point, we need the roles and responsibilities of the DRP to be clearly outlined,” said the DRP official. “There are concerns about data migration and setting up data centers, etc, which need more clarity.”
Furthermore, the official questioned the arbitration process submitted by the raft of bid documents, specifying that adjudication will take place in New Delhi, India’s capital. The DRP noted that the move side-steps the Sri Lankan judicial system while highlighting that intellectual property rights from the data may remain with the foreign-based MSI.
Notably, the DRP pointed out the limitation of the liability clause in the document that caps the MSI’s liability to only 10% of the contract’s value in the event of a data breach. If approved, the DRP official disclosed that the Sri Lankan government will shoulder 90% of the liability, a prerequisite for substantial financial losses.
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Steaming forward to a nationwide rollout
Sri Lanka is eyeing a 2026 launch for its digital ID system after inking a landmark deal with India for technology modernization. The country has funded digital transformation with $10 million after making significant headway with a central bank digital currency (CBDC) exploration over the last year.
Amid the concerns raised by the DRP, the Sri Lankan Supreme Court will consider a petition disputing a bilateral agreement between Sri Lanka and India linked to digital ID collaboration. To proceed with the agreement, parliament must review existing rules to support iris scans and other novel biometric data collection methods.
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Watch: Digital identity is a core part of Web3—here’s why
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Source: https://coingeek.com/belgium-shows-interest-in-kazakhstan-digital-transformation/
