Freedom Bank has received permission from Kazakhstan’s Agency for Regulation and Development of the Financial Market to open a subsidiary bank in Georgia, the bank said in a statement. «The next step is the registration of FBG Company JSC, a special-purpose vehicle that will be authorized to obtain a digital…
Kazakhstan looks into introducing crypto exchange tools into payment terminals, a move that will allow payments for goods and services in cryptocurrencies. At the meeting of the Senate’s committee on finances and budget, Miras Zakiyev, the deputy chair of the committee of digital assets and breakthrough technologies of the Digital…
A Kazakhstani bank with a daily transaction volume of about $9 million can spend between $400,000 and $600,000 a year on transaction verification. The data comes from Baraiq, a developer of anti-fraud solutions for banks. Based on its data analysis, communication with financial institutions, and industry experience, the company found…
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…
Joint Kazakh-German venture Skyhansa has received 800 hectares of land in the Zhetysu region for the construction of a cargo and passenger airport on the territory of the Khorgos – Eastern Gate special economic zone, the region’s governor Beibit Isabayev stated during a government session. Development of the design specifications…
Batches of Kazakh honey, shubat (fermented camel milk), kumyz (fermented mare’s milk), and sweets will soon be available in stores operated by China Co-Op, a major Chinese cooperative retail chain, according to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Trade. Export operator QazTrade and the National Association of Cooperatives of Kazakhstan have reached an…
Talgar Development Ltd., co-owned by investors from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), plans to construct Talgar Eco City, a new urban development in the Almaty region that will house up to 180,000 people, according to regional authorities. During a recent meeting with Almaty Region Gov. Marat Sultangaziyev, Talgar Development Ltd.…
Calls to require marketplaces — especially those affiliated with banks — to publish two prices for goods, one standard and one for installment plans, represent a «strange construct,» according to Vitaliy Tutushkin, deputy chairman of Kazakhstan’s National Bank. He shared his view on Nov. 21 during a Kursiv.media roundtable on…
Kazakhstan’s Agency for the Protection and Development of Competition has proposed selling up to a 50% stake in KMG International N.V. (a subsidiary of Kazakhstan’s national oil and gas company KazMunayGas, or KMG) through an open, two-stage bidding process in 2026-2027. The company is included on the national list of…
Kazakhstan’s flag carrier, Air Astana, has signed a memorandum of understanding for 50 Airbus A320neo aircraft, the airline said in a release. «Air Astana has committed to a major fleet modernization by signing a Memorandum of Understanding for up to 50 Airbus A320neo family aircraft. This would be the largest…
Kazakhstan’s external debt reached a record high of $172.8 billion at the end of June, according to analysts at Halyk Finance. While private companies hold about 71% of that debt, the latest increase is largely driven by the public and quasi-public sectors. Debt ratio and stability factors The country’s external…
On Nov. 20, Alphabet Inc.’s subsidiary Google established a new artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure hardware engineering center in Taiwan. According to Reuters, this marks the company’s largest center like this outside the U.S. According to a Google blog post, the new site will serve as a multidisciplinary hub for AI…
Microsoft and Westinghouse Nuclear are exploring ways to use artificial intelligence to accelerate the approval and construction of nuclear power plants in the U.S. But a new analysis from the AI Now Institute, cited by 404 Media, warns that this approach could introduce serious safety risks. Generative AI as a…
Vietnamese VinGroup is considering launching its EV taxi service, Xanh SM, in Kazakhstan. The company plans to establish a representative office in Almaty, which will work with the CIS region, Kazakh Invest reported. Kazakh Invest representatives held talks with the VinGroup SNG’s delegation, which included representatives of the group’s subsidiary…
Kazakhstan’s youngest workers — those aged 16 to 24, often referred to as Gen Z or «Zoomers» — earn less than any other age group in the country, according to data from Energyprom.kz. In 2025, Gen Z employees earned an average of 279,900 tenge ($535) a month, compared to over…
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…
Kazakhstan marked the 28th anniversary of its national currency, the tenge, this year. The National Bank introduced a new series of banknotes designed in a «Saka style.» Throughout its history, the tenge has undergone multiple redesigns, and some observers argue that these updates are occurring too frequently. In an interview…
Kazakhstan can supply nuclear power plants with uranium for decades, according to Gumar Sergazin, deputy chairman of Kazakhstan’s Agency for Atomic Energy. The country currently boasts about 1 million tons of natural uranium reserves, Sergazin reported at a recent Senate briefing. «Our uranium reserves will last for more than 60…
Kalamkas-Khazar Operating LLP (KKO), a joint venture equally owned by Russia’s Lukoil and Kazakhstan’s KazMunayGas (KMG), remains on the U.S. sanctions list, according to the PACE Telegram channel. At PACE’s inquiry, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said that no official request has been…
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…
According to Freedom Bank CEO Gulfairuz Akhmetova, Kazakhstan has the potential to develop a single QR code solution for all Central Asian countries — a move she says would benefit both tourists and entrepreneurs. Speaking at the Central Asia Fintech Summit, where Kazakhstan officially launched its interbank unified QR code,…
Kazakhstan has formally launched a unified interbank QR payment system, enabling customers of participating banks to make purchases at any terminal using a single QR code. The service debuted at the Central Asia Fintech Summit 2025. Freedom Bank, Bank CenterCredit, and Home Credit Bank were the initial participants. Halyk Bank,…
Kazakhstan has seen a steep increase in fuel prices since the start of 2025. According to the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC), the price of motor gasoline rose 11.2% compared with December 2024, while diesel fuel climbed 9.2%. The pace of growth has outstripped all other member states of the Eurasian…
