카자흐스탄의 경제가 발달하고 비즈니스가 성장하면서 경제적 부를 고도로 축적한 비즈니스 엘리트들이 2000년대 중반 이후 등장하였다. 이들 엘리트들은 크게 두 부류로 나누어 볼 수 있는데 하나는 순수 민간인 기업가로 볼 수 있는 집단이며 다른 하나는 국영기업의 임원들이 경제 관료집단이다. 순수 민간인 기업가 집단은 금융-산업자본가들이라고 할 수 있는데 오일, 가스, 금속광물을 토대로 사업에 성공한 사람들이며 세계적인 금융저널인 <포브스>에 등재되는 재벌들이다. 지금까지 카자흐스탄 억만장자는 모두 9명인데 그 중에서 가장 큰 부호는 블라디미르 김이다. 그러나 이들 부호들의 성장에는 대통령의 지원없이는 불가능한 면이 많았기 때문에 이들의 비즈니스 활동에 정치권력이 연관되지 않을 수 없었다. 관료 비즈니스 엘리트라고 볼 수 있는 기관은 바로 삼룩-카지나 임원들이다. 카자흐스탄 총리가 이사회 의장을 맡고 있는 '삼룩-카지나'의 핵심인물은 바로 티무르 쿨리바예프이다. 쿨리바예프는 <포브스> 억만장자에 속하는 민간인 기업가로서 분류되는 동시에 '삼룩-카지나'의 핵심멤버로서 카자흐스탄 재계의 실질적인 최고 실력가로 간주된다. '삼룩-카지나' 임원들은 장관급 5명을 포함하여 경제계 관료들인데 이들은 모두 대통령에 의하여 임명되었기 때문에 대통령 측근들에 속한다. 따라서 현재 카자흐스탄에서 비즈니스 엘리트라고 할 수 있는 억만장자와 '삼룩-카지나' 임원들은 대통령과 밀접한 연관을 가지고 있으며 대통령에 우호적인 인물들이다. 이 뜻은 카자흐스탄에서 큰 비즈니스를 하려면 대통령과 가까운 사람이 아니면 불가능하다는 뜻이고 동시에 대통령과 가까운 사람들만이 비즈니스 엘리트에 속한다고 볼 수 있다.

Kazakhstan's economy growth and business development produced business elite groups since the mid-2000s. These elites can be largely divided into two groups: one that can be viewed as purely civilian group of entrepreneurs and the other that are executives of nationalized companies – bureaucratic business elites in this paper. A group of purely civilian entrepreneurs, in other words financial-industrial group, accumulated big wealth based on the business of oil, gas, metals, minerals and banks and some of them are announced by the journal <Forbes> as world billionaire. Until this year 9 business elites are recorded as world billionaires in Kazakhstan, among them Vladimir Kim of "Kazakhmys" Corporation is the wealthiest. Analyzing these billionaires more minutely, we can find the interrelationship between these wealthy men and the political power – the President. The other business elite group in this paper is leading members of the National Welfare Fund "Samruk-Kazyna". The chairman of the board of directors is Prime Minister of Kazakhstan but the key person is the very Timur Kulibaev who is also <Forbes> billionaire. He occupies the post of Deputy CEO of "Samruk-Kazyna" and gets confidence from the President. All the leading members of the National Fund including 5 ministers concerning economic ministries are appointed by the President, they belong to a friendly group with Nursultan Nazarbaev. In conclusion all the business elites in Kazakhstan today are very close to the President and are associated with political power. Thinking this fact reversely, no one can obtain success in doing business without the aids of the President as far as big business like oil, gas, mineral resources and even financial sectors are concerned.

Kazakhstan's economy growth and business development produced business elite groups since the mid-2000s. These elites can be largely divided into two groups: one that can be viewed as purely civilian group of entrepreneurs and the other that are executives of nationalized companies – bureaucratic business elites in this paper. A group of purely civilian entrepreneurs, in other words financial-industrial group, accumulated big wealth based on the business of oil, gas, metals, minerals and banks and some of them are announced by the journal <Forbes> as world billionaire. Until this year 9 business elites are recorded as world billionaires in Kazakhstan, among them Vladimir Kim of "Kazakhmys" Corporation is the wealthiest. Analyzing these billionaires more minutely, we can find the interrelationship between these wealthy men and the political power – the President. The other business elite group in this paper is leading members of the National Welfare Fund "Samruk-Kazyna". The chairman of the board of directors is Prime Minister of Kazakhstan but the key person is the very Timur Kulibaev who is also <Forbes> billionaire. He occupies the post of Deputy CEO of "Samruk-Kazyna" and gets confidence from the President. All the leading members of the National Fund including 5 ministers concerning economic ministries are appointed by the President, they belong to a friendly group with Nursultan Nazarbaev. In conclusion all the business elites in Kazakhstan today are very close to the President and are associated with political power. Thinking this fact reversely, no one can obtain success in doing business without the aids of the President as far as big business like oil, gas, mineral resources and even financial sectors are concerned.

Kazakhstan, Business Elite, Financial-Industrial Group, Samruk-Kazyna, Kazakhmys