News

A new article of the Criminal Code establishing liability for forced marriage has officially come into effect in Kazakhstan, the Prosecutor General’s Office reported.

Article 125-1 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan was introduced as part of the implementation of the Law-and-Order Concept and the policy of zero tolerance for offenses. According to the supervisory authority, the law was signed by the head of state on July 16, 2025, as part of broader reforms to strengthen criminal legislation.

«According to family law, a marriage concluded under duress is recognized as invalid. Marriage is...

In July 2025, Kazakhstan produced 11,800 vehicles worth about $306.3 million, up 50.1% from a year earlier. Passenger cars drove the main growth, while truck production declined.

According to Kazakhstan’s Bureau of National Statistics, the country’s automotive industry continues to show steady growth: in July last year, output stood at 7,839 units worth about $187.4 million.

From January to July 2025, Kazakhstan produced 83,300 vehicles worth a total of $2.15 billion, a 16.7% increase year-on-year. Car production accounted for 40.7% of the total output in the country’s machine-building industry.

Production profile

Passenger cars traditionally make up the largest share...

Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have agreed to develop joint response mechanisms for emergencies at nuclear power plants (NPPs). The countries also plan to monitor the nuclear and environmental situation in the region, as reported by Uzbekistan’s nuclear agency Uzatom.

The Kazakhstani delegation met with Uzbek officials on Aug. 18 at Uzatom headquarters. Kazakhstan was represented by Zhomart Aliyev, vice minister of ecology and natural resources, while the Uzbek delegation included managers and specialists from Uzatom, the Directorate for the Construction of Nuclear Power Plants as well as representatives of authorized ministries.

The parties discussed key areas of cooperation in the...

About 300 ethnic Kazakhs living in Pakistan have appealed to Kazakh authorities for help returning to their historical homeland. They claim that Pakistani authorities intend to deport them back to Afghanistan, from where they fled two years ago, according to ZTB.kz.

According to Khamit Zhorabay, the Kazakh community in Pakistan has already contacted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, but has not received any assistance so far. Currently, about 40 Kazakh families with roughly 100 children live in Karachi. Their main challenge is the lack of official IDs. Without passports and birth certificates, children cannot attend school and adults...

Romanian company Rompetrol Rafinare reported a loss of $53.2 million in the first half of 2025, according to the company’s statement. Rompetrol is controlled by KazMunayGas (KMG), the national oil company of Kazakhstan, through its subsidiary KMG International N.V.

Given that the oil company’s loss decreased by 29% year-on-year (in the first half of 2024, it was $75.1 million), Rompetrol itself considers these results to reflect operational growth and an improvement in financial performance.

Rompetrol Rafinare’s gross turnover increased by 32% compared to the same period last year, reaching $2.8 billion. EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) rose...

The pilot project to test ultra-fast 10G wired broadband internet has been launched in Astana. An agreement to launch the 10G internet pilot project was signed between the Astana city administration and Huawei Technologies Kazakhstan in June.

According to Astana authorities, the service can transfer data at speeds of up to 10 gigabits per second, enough to support 8K video streaming and cloud gaming.

The project is being implemented in partnership with Huawei Technologies Kazakhstan, Beeline and Astana Innovations, with the support of the capital city administration. The venue for the demonstration was provided by ForteBank.

At the presentation...

The Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) has announced the expansion of its investment tax residency program. Foreign investors can now invest in the share capital of companies registered in the AIFC. If the investment exceeds $300,000, the investor becomes eligible for a residence permit in Kazakhstan.

This approach isn’t unique — more than 80 similar programs exist worldwide to attract foreign investment and stimulate economic growth.

The AIFC program also aims to create more favorable conditions for international investors and ensure the inflow of high-quality capital into Kazakhstan.

What investors will receive:

Kazakh marketing specialist Alimzhan Bissembayev has suggested an unusual way to generate revenue from the nuclear power plant (NPP) currently under construction in Kazakhstan. He believes the facility’s name could be leased to a large company for 10 years.

«It could be Siemens, ABB or Samsung. The money would go toward repaying the loan, and after that the name could be sold again or, if there is no buyer, another name could be chosen,» Bissembayev wrote on Telegram.

He compared the idea to the sale of «nice» car license plates, which have long generated income...

Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Digital Development, Innovations and Aerospace Industry has launched a pilot project to provide internet access via Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet service on the Astana–Borovoe Resort train route.

According to Digital Minister Zhaslan Madiyev, the possibility of scaling up will be considered based on the results of the pilot project.

Moreover, the ministry has been implementing initiatives in five areas of railway digitalization: transitioning public services to digital format, reengineering business processes, creating an innovation ecosystem, equipping trains with satellite internet and introducing an online system to track transit traffic.

As part of efforts to expand internet...

The Specialized Interdistrict Court of Aktobe has found SNPS Aktobemunaigaz, a subsidiary of China’s CNPC operating in Kazakhstan, guilty of violating antitrust laws, according to the Agency for the Protection and Development of Competition (APDC). Under the court ruling, the company was fined 36.7 million tenge ($68,123).

«The Specialized Interdistrict Court of Aktobe found SNPS Aktobemunaigaz guilty of violating antitrust laws. The decision was based on the results of an investigation conducted by the APDC Department for the Aktobe region… The court imposed a fine of 36.7 million tenge,» the agency said in a statement.

A Kia vehicle plant with an annual capacity of 70,000 cars, originally scheduled to begin operations in October 2025, is now ready to launch, according to Kumar Aksakalov, the governor of the Kostanay region. He made the announcement during a meeting with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at the Akorda, the official residence and workplace of the president.

«The president received Governor of the Kostanay region Kumar Aksakalov… Among the major projects in the region is the Kia plant with an annual capacity of 70,000 cars and 1,500 new jobs once launched, as well as the KamlitKZ truck...

About 50% of regular deposits are under $27,000, according to the Kazakhstan Deposit Insurance Fund (KDIF).

According to the fund’s methodology, there are three types of retail deposits denominated in tenge: mass (up to 15 million tenge), medium (from 15 million to 50 million tenge) and large (over 50 million tenge). The mass segment accounted for 49.6% of all deposits as of July 1. In the first half of the year, its volume grew by 3.3%, while the number of accounts increased by 24%. The shares of the medium and large segments reached 18.4% and 32%, respectively.

KDIF has...

After 18 months of confrontation, Kcell and Mobile Telecom-Service (the owner of the Altel/Tele2 brands) have successfully settled their dispute over the use of the telecom network, according to Kcell’s financial statements. Both companies imposed fines and sought compensation from each other, at one point threatening to withdraw from joint agreements.

In 2022, Kcell signed an agreement on the joint use of the telecom network with Mobile Telecom-Service, aimed at constructing new base stations and modernizing existing facilities. The agreement included penalties for non-compliance by either party.

In January 2024, Mobile Telecom-Service sent Kcell a notice demanding a fine of...

Kazpost, the country’s national postal operator, has registered a new company at the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC).

According to Arman Batayev, author of the Finmentor channel on Telegram, the company’s name — Qazpost-JD Tech Co. — may suggest a partnership with the Chinese marketplace JD.com, the second-largest e-commerce platform in China after Alibaba Group.

The CEO of the newly established company is Lei Sun, a citizen of China. In addition to Kazpost, the other founder is Technology Industry SILK ROAD, whose owners have not been disclosed.

In July, the postal operator stated that the parties had agreed to...

Kazakhstan’s processing industry has shown steady growth, with output reaching approximately $29.6 billion in the first seven months of 2025.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Construction, the processing industry grew by 6.1%, with its share in the country’s economy reaching 13.9% over the period from January to July 2025. Minister of Industry and Construction Yersayin Nagaspaev emphasized that the results of industrialization demonstrate steady growth in the processing industry.

«In the first seven months of this year, the processing industry has already risen by 6.1%, and output has reached more than 16 trillion tenge...

Ak Maya Fest, a festival dedicated to shubat, a national Kazakh drink made from camel milk, was held in Mangystau on Aug. 16. Those who attended the event reported astonishing performances, with many describing the festival of national traditions as the Kazakh analogue of Burning Man, the largest art event in the desert in the U.S.

According to regional authorities, about 15,000 people came to the festival organized in the Airakty Valley of Castles. Among them were tourists from Russia, France, Kyrgyzstan, the U.K. and many other European countries. The main symbol of the festival was shubat, a national drink...

Organizers of Jennifer Lopez’s concert at Almaty’s Central Stadium have released the event’s figures. The show drew 27,000 attendees, about 7,000 of whom came from 35 countries around the world.

According to the Almaty city administration, the concert generated approximately $18.5 million in revenue, with $1.1 million expected to go into the state budget as taxes.

«The expenses of foreign guests in Almaty during the concert period alone are estimated to have added more than 5 billion tenge ($9.2 million) to the city. Taking into account the spending of all spectators and indirect income, the total...

Kazakhstan imported $203.5 million worth of chocolate in the first half of the year, according to data from the Bureau of National Statistics. In monetary terms, imports grew by 32.6% year-on-year.

At the same time, total import volume decreased by 64 tons compared to the same period last year, indicating that the price of chocolate imported to Kazakhstan has risen significantly. Overall, the country imported 41,000 tons of chocolate and other cocoa confectionery products in the first six months of 2025.

The increase in import costs was driven mainly by Russia, Kazakhstan’s largest supplier. Imports from Russia rose in value...

The Oi Qaragai resort near Almaty has launched two new entertainment facilities for adrenaline seekers: a sky swing and Kazakhstan’s first alpine slingshot ride. Kursiv.media shares prices and directions.

Both adrenaline rides are located at a new Aktas site at the Oi Qaragai resort, at an altitude of 2,140 meters.

The slingshot, which the resort calls the «catapult,» propels riders up to 15 meters. The total duration from launch to landing is around three minutes.

The sky swing lets you experience the feeling of flying over a steep drop. It is designed for three people, but two can ride as...

Kazakhstan’s largest gold producer, Kazzinc, 70.2% of which is owned by Switzerland-based Glencore, reduced zinc production from its own sources to 61,800 tons in the first six months of 2025, down 3% year-on-year (YoY), according to Glencore’s report.

Meanwhile, zinc in concentrate production rose by 13% to 37,200 tons, while copper fell by 14% to 7,700 tons. Gold output declined by 7% to 281,000 ounces and silver increased by 6% to 1.647 million ounces.

Across the group, total production from own sources amounted to 343,900 tons of copper (down 26% YoY), 18,900 tons of cobalt (up 19% YoY...

BNK Commercial Bank — formerly the microfinance organization BNK Finance Kazakhstan and recently transformed into a bank — has received a written directive from Kazakhstan’s Agency for Regulation and Development of the Financial Market (ARDFM) for violating prudential ratios, the agency reported.

The former MFO received its banking license on June 25, 2025, and managed to operate without regulatory notices for about two months.

The ARDFM noted on its website that the bank was sanctioned for violating prudential liquidity coverage and net stable funding ratios, as well as the term liquidity ratio (k4-1), as of July 1, 2025.

Popular Kazakh ice cream producer Shin-Line is negotiating to export its products to South Korea and Vietnam. According to the company’s representative, the main challenge is the high cost of delivery to these countries.

Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Agriculture reported on potential exports of Kazakh ice cream, noting that Shin-Line is exploring the use of refrigerated containers for sea transport.

Shin-Line’s Head of Board of Directors Dmitry Dokin confirmed to Kursiv.media that negotiations are indeed underway, but the possibility of exporting to these countries faces logistical challenges. For now, delivering Kazakh products would be both lengthy and costly. If shipments...

Kazakh companies face double taxation and full veterinary, sanitary and customs checks when exporting goods to other Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) members, Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov said at the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council meeting in Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyzstan.

«In a number of cases, unimpeded transit through the territory of EEU member states is not provided,» Bektenov said.

He added that in public procurement, some member countries circumvent the rules and set requirements that make it impossible for suppliers from other EEU nations to participate, despite unified rules adopted in 2020 to ensure national treatment in government...

Luxury brands have expanded sales in Kazakhstan after leaving or downsizing operations in Russia, Kommersant reported, citing Artur Gafarov, head of Russia’s Institute for the Development of Entrepreneurship and Economics.

Gafarov pointed to Richemont, the Swiss holding company that owns Cartier, Montblanc and other brands, as an example. Since 2023, Richemont’s Russian division has focused on wholesale jewelry shipments to Kazakhstan. By 2024, revenue had risen 19% to 986.6 million rubles, equivalent to approximately $10 million.

Kazakhstan accounted for 96% of the Russian unit’s total revenue in 2024.

Tiffany & Co. took a similar approach, shifting its...