Digital Transformation and Sustainable Development: Challenges, Risks and New Models of Economic Growth

Aliyeva Baglan Muratovna (Candidate of Economic Sciences, Senior Lecturer, Department of Finance and Accounting, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University)
Sariya Baimukhanovna (Doctor of Economic Sciences, Associate Professor, Department of Finance and Accounting, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University)
Gulnissa Zhunussova (Senior Lecturer, Department of Finance and Accounting, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University)
Israilov Mukash Israilovich (Doctor of Economic Sciences, Professor, Department of Accounting, Analysis and Audit, Honoured Economist of the Kyrgyz Republic)

Journal of Critical Realism in Socio-Economics
Vol. 4 No. 03 (2026): BRIDGING THE MORAL-MATERIAL GAP IN SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY

This research aims to identify key economic growth models shaped by digital transformation, assess associated risks, and determine the conditions for their compatibility with sustainable development principles, using Kazakhstan as a case study. A comparative-analytical and structural-functional approach is applied. The empirical base comprises data from the Agency for Strategic Planning of Kazakhstan, the National Bank of Kazakhstan, public reports of Kaspi.kz and Halyk Bank, and World Economic Forum Network Readiness Index (NRI) data for 2019–2024. The findings indicate that Digital transformation in Kazakhstan is developing asynchronously: the financial sector leads while industry and agriculture lag critically. The super-app business model generates sustainable growth but creates data monopolisation risks. ESG integration remains declarative without measurable KPIs. The digital tenge pilot opens prospects for enhanced fiscal transparency. The originality of this research for the first time, a comprehensive analysis of Kazakhstan's digital transformation is conducted through three interrelated dimensions economic growth, ESG integration, and external economic risks using scenario forecasting and case analysis of leading fintech players.