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A new working group was established in Kazakhstan; its sole task is to develop a draft law on non-governmental organizations (NGOs), as announced by the Ministry of Culture’s decree, available on its website. The law on foreign agents was previously proposed by MP Irina Smirnova.

The task force includes 38 individuals, including Vice Minister Ayzada Kurmanova, President of the Civil Alliance of Kazakhstan Banu Nurgaziyeva, MPs, lawyers, public figures, etc. However, the group doesn’t include MP Irina Smirnova, who came up with the idea of the foreign agent law in Kazakhstan.

During a Mazhilis (lower chamber of parliament) meeting, she...

Spend your weekends in May unwinding with family or taking a short adventure. To help you make the most of the upcoming holidays, we’ve rounded up some of the most popular travel routes for the May holidays in Kazakhstan.

Turkestan

Boguty Mountains (Red Mountains)

Train Tour: Cities of the Great Silk Road

Charyn Canyon

Bektau Ata

May 2025 holiday schedule:

Weekend...

Kazakhstani startup SHAI has raised $1 million in investment from entrepreneur and investor Ruslan Adilbaev, the main stakeholder of the Uzbek AVO Bank, as reported by Astana Hub.

SHAI is a platform offering businesses tools they can use for the creation of AI agents and digital assistants to automate their routine processes, reduce potential errors, boost security and minimize the risk of corporate information leakage.

The startup plans to use the investment as leverage to further develop its IT products and expand its business to new markets. Since the end of 2024, the startup has successfully implemented more than ten...

Air Astana, a Kazakhstan airline renowned for the best service and best onboard products, has presented a new onboard menu for business class. It was developed by Ruslan Zakirov, the chef of Auyl, a neo-nomad cuisine restaurant with one of the best designs in the world, according to Prix Versailles. As a result of this collaboration, VIP passengers will be served traditional Kazakh food reinterpreted for a modern palate.

New menu for Air Astana VIP passengers

«Would you like horse tartare or khoshan (manti with pumpkin and beef)? And how would you like to have your samsa with horse meat...

Kazakhstan’s top gymnasts delivered a strong performance on the opening day of the 17th FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup stage on individual apparatus, held in Doha, Qatar. The men’s team secured two second-place and two fourth-place finishes in qualifications, with all four athletes advancing to the finals as serious contenders.

In the floor exercise, Milad Karimi earned the second-highest score among 16 participants in the preliminary round, receiving 13.800 points from the judges. Altynkhan Temirbek followed closely in fourth-place finish with a score of 13.466. Slovenian gymnast Anze Hribar led the field with a score of 14.000.

On the pommel...

Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Sanzhar Adilov has announced that the government has issued four licenses to Kazakhstani entrepreneurs seeking to launch industrial hemp production.

He recalled that during the Investment Attraction Council meeting held on February 19, the government directed the Ministry of Internal Affairs to develop legislative amendments necessary to support the growth of the cannabis industry.

The official noted that the primary emphasis is on industrial hemp production.

«Industrial hemp production is not prohibited in Kazakhstan. So far, the Committee for Combating Drug Trafficking has granted four licenses to local entrepreneurs. One such...

South Korea’s RETD Co. will construct a light rail transit (LRT) system connecting Almaty and Qonaev, the administrative center of Kazakhstan’s Almaty region, according to the regional governor’s office.

The project will use magnetic levitation (maglev) technology, an advanced transportation system in which trains are suspended and propelled by magnetic forces, eliminating friction and allowing for ultra-high-speed travel.

RETD Co. CEO Lee Chang Wook expressed confidence in the company’s ability to contribute to Kazakhstan’s infrastructure development. He called maglev «the transport of the future» and said RETD Co. is proud to be part of the Almaty region’s large-scale growth.

In...

The Abay region of Kazakhstan plans to build new water reservoirs in the Urdzhar, Makanshy, Aksuat and Kokpekty districts by 2029, according to the regional governor’s press office.

Financing for the projects may come from the Islamic Development Bank, Kazakhstan’s Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Nurzhan Nurzhigitov said during a meeting with Berik Uali, governor of the Abay region.

«Once the design and estimate documentation is developed, we can start implementing the projects,» Nurzhigitov said. «The construction of these reservoirs is included in the comprehensive plan for developing Kazakhstan’s water industry through 2028. This will...

Kyrgyzstan was expected to select a new national anthem by April 2025, but the Ministry of Culture has announced that none of the submitted entries met the required standards. As a result, the government has launched a new round of the contest.

On April 9-10 in Bishkek, a panel of experts reviewed all the eligible submissions. Between Feb. 7 and March 20, 499 individuals submitted a total of 703 anthem proposals, including both lyrics and music. The ministry accepted 285 entries from 165 participants for consideration. Submissions were even received from foreign nationals.

«Despite the variety...

By June 2026, Kazakhstan must compensate for 1.3 million barrels per day under the OPEC+ deal, according to the organization. This estimate is based on the updated compensation plans submitted to the OPEC Secretariat by Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, the UAE, Kuwait, Kazakhstan and Oman.

According to the released information, 63,000 barrels per day are expected to be compensated in April, 116,000 barrels in May, 126,000 barrels in July, 141,000 barrels in August, 135,000 barrels in September and 160,000 barrels in October. After that, the compensation amount will gradually decrease from 114,000 barrels in November to 36,000 barrels in June...

In the 19th century, Taraz — the city that emerged through the efforts of merchants on the banks of the Talas River many centuries ago — found itself amid a historical maelstrom. It was stormed by foreign troops; it served as a transshipment point for trade caravans; people disputed over land here, and it was well known for its bazaars and gardens. For any curious traveler, it was a lively, contradictory, dusty, but fascinating theater of changes.

In the 19th century, Taraz was widely known as Aulie-Ata, a name used by all military officials, diplomats and explorers of the 19th...

Kcell, one of Kazakhstan’s leading telecommunications operators, is in negotiations with a local bank to expand its mobile payment services, according to the company’s Commercial Director Kazbek Shaimov. He shared the update during Issuer Day at the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange (KASE), as reported by the Interfax-Kazakhstan news agency.

Recently, Kcell notified its customers about the termination of its joint project with Jusan Bank, known as OGO. Through Kcell’s mobile app, users could open OGO digital cards, make deposits and loans, top up balances from mobile accounts and earn rewards for cashless payments.

Shaimov confirmed that the agreement with Jusan Bank...

The 2025 Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship in Dumfries, U.K., ended on a high note for Kazakhstan’s national women’s hockey team. On April 15, in the final game of Group B in Division I, the second-highest tier in international competition, Kazakhstan routed Slovenia 9-1.

Yekaterina Kutsenko opened the scoring in the 13th minute. In the second period, Dariya Moldabay doubled the lead in the 26th minute, setting off a flurry of goals. Between the 34th and 38th minutes, Anna Pyatkova, Pernesh Ashimova, Moldabay and Alexandra Voronova each scored, pushing the lead to 6-0.

In the third period, Anastassia Orazbayeva, Tatyana...

In a recent interview with the Kommersant newspaper, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said he disagrees with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s position on the principle of territorial integrity. Lavrov argued the issue should be viewed in the broader context of all principles outlined in the United Nations Charter.

Journalists reminded Lavrov that in the summer of 2022, Tokayev expressed concern that placing too much emphasis on the right of nations to self-determination could spark global instability. At the time, Tokayev warned that the full application of that principle could lead to the creation of hundreds of new states and undermine...

President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has signed a law aimed at improving state policy in the field of physical culture and sports. From now on, the use of public funds or money from quasi-public sector entities to fund foreign athletes is prohibited by law, according to a statement released by the president’s official residence — the Akorda.

Under the new rules, state budget money will be used strictly in four areas: high-performance sports, state-owned sports organizations, sports for all and the development of sports infrastructure.

Moreover, a public agency authorized to supervise sports will receive the right to compile national...

Freedom Cloud, a subsidiary of Freedom Holding Corp., has signed a partnership agreement with Amazon Web Services (AWS), marking the first official collaboration between a local cloud provider and a global cloud technology leader in Central Asia, according to the company’s press service.

From now on, clients of Freedom Cloud — companies, startups or government agencies — will be granted access to all AWS features, from cloud computing and data storage to artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) services, DevOps automation and the world’s best security solutions. This means that businesses in Kazakhstan will be able to use the same...

In the first quarter of 2025, half of the 20 best-selling automobile brands in Kazakhstan were Chinese. Car sales are growing at a double-digit rate, and manufacturers from China account for an increasing number of new registrations, according to the latest statistics from the Kazakhstan Automobile Union (KAU).

Kazakhstan’s car market continues to gain momentum. According to KAU, 19,600 passenger cars and commercial vehicles were sold in March alone, marking a 23.4% year-on-year increase. In the first quarter overall, dealers sold 46,800 cars in total, which is 18.8% higher than the figure for the same period last year. Chinese cars...

Kazatomprom, the world’s largest uranium producer, has signed an agreement with ČEZ, a. s., a major energy company in the Czech Republic, to supply natural uranium concentrates over the next seven years. The official signing ceremony was held at the company’s headquarters in Prague.

Kazakhstan’s supplies will cover around one third of the needs of the Westinghouse-manufactured fuel assemblies used at the Temelín nuclear power plant in Czechia.

Commenting on the high-value deal, Kazatomprom described it as a big achievement that «marks a significant expansion of its presence in Europe and further strengthens its position in the global uranium market...

Foreign investors began pulling out of Kazakhstani securities after U.S. President Donald Trump announced new tariffs on imported goods from more than 180 countries, according to National Bank Chairman Timur Suleimenov. He addressed the issue during a press briefing on April 11, adding that the situation has since stabilized.

Suleimenov said major global players — including investment managers, pension funds and other institutional investors — are actively investing in Kazakhstan’s securities market, particularly bonds issued by the Ministry of Finance and quasi-public entities.

However, he noted that during times of global uncertainty, foreign investors typically shift their capital from emerging...

The Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) plans to invest more than $1 billion in the economy of Kazakhstan this year, according to Nikolai Podguzov, chairman of the bank’s management board. He made this statement during a meeting with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, as reported by the president’s press service.

Once secured, these funds will be used for:

There is a set of projects worth over $4.5 billion in total that...

BNK Finance Kazakhstan, a microfinance organization owned by investors from South Korea, may obtain a banking license as early as May, according to Madina Abylkassymova, Chair of the Agency for Regulation and Development of the Financial Market (ARDFM), who took part in a round table to discuss the new law on banks and banking activities.

«BNK Finance Kazakhstan is completing the preparation of all necessary organizational measures to obtain a license. We expect that they will be issued a banking license in May 2025,» Abylkassymova said.

KMF, another well-known MFO in Kazakhstan, also received permission...

Kazakhstan’s Anti-Corruption Agency (Antikor) has launched a website aimed at increasing transparency and citizen engagement in the fight against corruption.

The new portal allows users to take training courses on anti-corruption topics, test their knowledge and receive certificates. A survey is also available, the results of which will help assess and adjust current anti-corruption measures.

The site features the latest data from Transparency International and shows Kazakhstan’s ranking in the global Corruption Perceptions Index.

One key feature is Corruption Mapping, which identifies government agencies and positions most frequently facing corruption risks.

Additionally, a section for volunteers provides information about...

On April 14, Astana hosted a meeting of the governmental commission on the return of illegally acquired assets, chaired by Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov. During the session, officials announced the total amount of assets already returned to the national budget.

According to the government, the commission has approved new agreements on the voluntary transfer of assets. As a result, the country’s special state fund will receive an additional $290 million. Moreover, individuals and entities affected by the asset recovery law have pledged to invest $10.5 billion into Kazakhstan’s economy.

So far, nearly $1.2 billion has been recovered and returned to...

In 2024, Kazakhstan’s exports of IT services more than doubled its imports, reaching $690.7 million, 2.1 times higher than the value of services purchased abroad, according to data from the Data Hub Telegram channel. For comparison, in 2023, exports exceeded imports by just 17%.

Russia contributed significantly to this growth, accounting for one-third of the annual increase in IT service exports — $54.5 million of the total $161.6 million growth. Russia’s overall share of Kazakhstan’s IT exports stood at 14% or $95.6 million.

Meanwhile, the U.S. share dropped sharply from 8% ($43.6 million) in 2023 to just 1% ($9.1 million...