Jim Beam, owned by Japanese Suntory Global Spirits, will stop production at its main Kentucky distillery for all of next year due to planned upgrades of the site, as reported by the BBC. The company said the decision was made after reviewing production needs based on expected demand for 2026.…
Singapore-based holding company Food Empire has invested 6.7 billion tenge (about $13 million) in the construction of a tea and coffee production facility in Khorgos, a key gateway city linking Kazakhstan and China. The plant will produce instant coffee under the popular MacCoffee brand. Khorgos emerges as manufacturing hub Speaking…
BAE Systems, the U.K.’s largest multinational aerospace and defense company, has decided to sell half of its stake in Air Astana, Kazakhstan’s national carrier, according to Reuters. Once the deal is completed, the British company’s shareholding will fall from 16.95% to approximately 8%. In 2024, BAE Systems had already reduced…
Papa John’s recently announced its withdrawal from Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan after losing market share to more flexible regional rivals such as Dodo Pizza, analysts at Teniz Capital Investment Banking said. The U.S.-based pizza chain entered Kazakhstan in 2018, opening 15 restaurants but failing to keep pace with fast-growing local competitors.…
BOE Technology Group Co. Ltd., a China-based manufacturer of display panels, including LCD, OLED and LED screens, is set to establish an LED display and next-generation component factory in Alatau, Almaty region, according to the region’s governor’s office. «A memorandum of cooperation was signed between the region’s Department of Entrepreneurship…
The American restaurant franchise Papa John’s is closing all its locations in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Franchisee cites revenue decline, rising costs Restaurateur Daniyar Monolbai announced on social media that his company is ending its role as the master franchisee for Papa John’s in both countries. He said the decision was…
Gold’s inflation-adjusted returns over time are notoriously hard to predict. Still, gold remains a preferred hedge during periods of inflation and currency instability. In recent years, countries’ gold strategies have diverged sharply, reflecting each nation’s economic priorities. Nurasyl Abdrazakuly, a Kazakh data scientist and a frequent collaborator on our infographics,…
According to Freedom Holding Corp. CEO Timur Turlov, it is high time for Kazakhstan to abandon the idea that football is «not our» sport. He believes football is the best way to engage a large number of people in sports and achieve positive results for the entire country, provided the…
Major online marketplaces no longer need third-party sellers on their platforms, according to marketing analyst Chingiz Musin. In a post on Instagram, he said major e-commerce platforms relied on outside sellers only to build out their infrastructure. Musin, a marketing expert who previously worked for several large Russian retail chains,…
A $122 million auto plant will be launched in Uzbekistan’s Sirdaryo region, bordering Kazakhstan, next year. The project is being implemented jointly with Chinese companies, the government said in a statement. Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev announced the project during a speech at a regional assembly session. However, he did not…
Kazakh Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov met with executives from the U.S.-based company LanzaJet to discuss the construction of a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) plant in the Kostanay region. According to the preliminary design, the facility is planned for the city of Rudny. The plant would have an annual capacity of…
Halyk Finance, a leading Kazakhstani investment bank, has acquired shares in the U.S. pizza chain Domino’s Pizza, according to data from the consolidated pension asset investment portfolio published on Kazakhstan’s Unified Pension Fund website. On Oct. 9, 2025, Halyk Finance purchased Domino’s shares worth 157 million tenge (about $305,000). World’s…
Managing companies in Kazakhstan will soon be able to invest up to 80% of Kazakhstanis’ pension savings in foreign-currency assets. Starting Jan. 1, 2026, the Agency for Regulation and Development of the Financial Market (ARDFM) will introduce new limits on pension investments in instruments denominated in foreign currency. Currently, such…
A sluggish economy, a battered real estate market, and tighter tech oversight have already squeezed China’s labor market. The rapid advance of artificial intelligence could make the situation even more challenging, according to RAND Corporation fellow Marianne Lu. Ambitious AI targets amid labor market strain Beijing has laid out sweeping…
According to Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, AI is the most important technology humanity has ever worked on. He believes it will reshape the future of work as some roles evolve and new opportunities appear. Those who adapt to AI tools «will do well in each of the professions.» However, if…
A global equities index signaled further declines in world markets, while Bitcoin fell below $90,000 for the first time in seven months, according to Bloomberg. The cryptocurrency’s slide extended a weeks-long downturn that has wiped out its gains for the year and shaken confidence across digital-asset markets. The pullback is…
Kazakh state-owned investment and development company Baiterek Holding and Malaysian automotive company PROTON have signed a memorandum of cooperation to develop the automotive industry in Kazakhstan and establish a national carmaker. Data on the brand name and the timeline for its establishment has not yet been disclosed. The document was…
Over the past three months, residents of Kazakhstan purchased nearly half a ton of gold — 9,110 minted bars weighing a total of 409 kilograms — according to the National Bank. Ten-gram bars remain the most popular. Almaty accounted for the largest share of purchases, with 5,874 bars, or 71%…
According to Madiyar Sultanbek, deputy chairman of Kazakh Invest, China will soon rise from fourth to third place in terms of the amount of foreign direct investment (FDI) in Kazakhstan. He hasn’t ruled out that China may eventually become the largest foreign investor in the country. «The People’s Republic of…
India’s fast-growing digital economy is fueling a rapid increase in data center construction, but this boom poses serious challenges: rising water consumption, soaring energy demand and threats to long-term sustainability, BBC reported. Driven by global demand for AI and cloud computing, India has become a major growth market for data…
California-based 1X Technologies has opened preorders for its robot assistant, Neo. The company says Neo will help consumers achieve a chore-free future. A humanoid robot Developers claim that Neo can perform routine household tasks, such as folding laundry, placing items on shelves, and cleaning rooms. The robot can be controlled…
Tesla shareholders have approved CEO Elon Musk’s compensation plan, valued at up to $1 trillion, in what marks the largest corporate pay package in history. The proposal received more than 75% support at Tesla’s annual meeting at its Texas factory, where Musk appeared on stage alongside the company’s dancing robots,…
Russia and Kazakhstan may jointly lay a fiber-optic cable along the bottom of the Caspian Sea to establish direct connections between Russian regions and Armenia, Iran and Kazakhstan, Interfax reported. According to Russian Minister of Digital Development Maksut Shadayev, the two countries — along with their respective telecom operators, Rostelecom…
OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, Timur Turlov’s Freedom Holding Corp. and the government of Kazakhstan have signed a strategic agreement in Washington. According to the document, 165,000 teachers in Kazakhstan will gain access to ChatGPT Edu, a special version of ChatGPT designed for students and teachers that features enhanced privacy…
