News

Manually managing a budget can be tedious. Recording every spending in Excel or a budgeting app often becomes a chore that many people abandon after just a week.

It’s no surprise that more people are turning to artificial intelligence to handle the task. Upload a bank statement, and an AI chatbot can quickly generate a spending analysis and financial plan. But how much should you trust the results?

What AI can do well

Audit subscriptions and recurring expenses

AI can analyze a bank statement and identify recurring monthly charges, such as subscriptions to Netflix or Apple services. It...

Meat and poultry prices rose 17.6% over the past year, making them the largest contributor to food inflation in Kazakhstan. Lamb, beef, and ground meat also remained the biggest drivers of price increases among socially important food products.

Read also: Soaring costs force Kazakhs to ditch meat and chocolate.

Overall, meat and poultry accounted for the largest share of inflation across all categories of goods and services, contributing 1.555 percentage points to the overall inflation rate of 10.3%.

According to price statistics for socially important food products, meat ranked among the...

France’s former striker Thierry Henry thinks England has to reflect on its performance after the comeback victory over DR Congo in the 2026 FIFA World Cup round of 32. He believes Thomas Tuchel’s team relies too heavily on Harry Kane’s individual brilliance and may face much more serious problems against Mexico in the next round.

England defeated DR Congo 2-1 despite falling behind as early as the seventh minute. The African side held the lead for a long time and came close to producing one of the biggest upsets of the knockout stage, but Kane turned...

Sony Interactive Entertainment announced it will discontinue physical releases of new PlayStation games. Starting in January 2028, all new titles will be available exclusively in digital format.

Games will be available for purchase through the PlayStation Store or via digital codes sold by retailers. As a result, 2027 will be the last year in which new PlayStation titles are released on disc.

At the same time, owners of physical copies have no reason to worry. All games released before 2028 will remain on sale, and consoles equipped with disc drives will continue...

Russian rooftoppers Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus climbed to the top of one of the world’s most iconic skyscrapers, the Empire State Building in New York. At a height of 443 meters, the couple unfurled a banner bearing a quote about love and peace and then got engaged.

Atop the building’s antenna, Beerkus got down on one knee and proposed to Nikolau. She accepted and later shared a photo of her engagement ring on social media.

Before the proposal, the rooftoppers hung a black banner from the building’s antenna bearing the quote: “When the power of love overcomes the love...

The National Bank of Kazakhstan has granted the country’s first operating license to Astana-based cryptocurrency exchange service Pax Finance.

The license allows the company to officially buy, sell and hold digital assets, as well as establish exchange offices and install crypto ATMs. The exchange service will operate under Kazakhstan legislation.

Since May 1, 2026, a licensing system for digital asset market participants has been in place in Kazakhstan. Companies operating in the sector can obtain a license or complete account registration with the National Bank.

Pax Finance was...

European drivers continue to leave combustion-engine cars behind. Over the first five months of 2026, the EU car market grew by 4%, while the EV share reached 20% for the first time, the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) reported.

Electric car popularity

From January to May 2026, around 950,500 new electric cars were registered. Their share of the market rose to 20% from 15.3% a year earlier. In other words, every fifth new car sold in the EU is battery-electric.

The strongest growth in demand was recorded in:

A member of Kazakhstan’s lower house of Parliament has warned about the uncontrolled circulation of surveillance devices and tracking systems in the country, arguing that some modern technologies pose growing risks to personal privacy.

In a parliamentary inquiry submitted earlier this year to Zhaslan Madiyev, Kazakhstan’s minister of AI and digital development, MP Abutalip Mutali said modern technologies threaten the privacy of Kazakhstanis.

Concerns over connected vehicles

According to Mutali, many new Chinese-made vehicles effectively function as data collection tools. He said such vehicles rely on foreign servers and user accounts...

Conditions for doing business in Kazakhstan’s jewelry industry are more favorable than in neighboring Kyrgyzstan, according to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Industry and Construction.

The ministry said Kazakhstan offers a more comprehensive and flexible support system for jewelry manufacturers, with policies covering the entire production chain — from importing equipment and sourcing raw materials to manufacturing and selling finished products.

Tax incentives and access to raw materials

According to the ministry, companies can use a VAT deferral scheme when importing equipment and technologies that are not manufactured in Kazakhstan.

Jewelry manufacturers can also purchase refined gold...

Kazakhstan’s new Constitution officially entered into force on July 1, launching a transition period that will include the formation of new state institutions and the appointment of senior government officials.

Yerlan Sarsembayev, the country’s justice minister, outlined the transition timeline, saying the process is governed by Articles 94, 95 and 96 of the Constitution.

Key appointments expected within two months

According to Sarsembayev, a large-scale restructuring of state institutions will begin immediately after the close of the current parliamentary session.

He said that beginning July 1, six senior officials are expected to be appointed or...

Kazakhstani banks earned a combined 239.8 billion tenge (approximately $510 million) in May 2026, the highest monthly profit since the beginning of the year. While the five most profitable lenders remained largely unchanged, state-owned Otbasy Bank unexpectedly climbed to third place, according to statistics from the National Bank of Kazakhstan.

After posting a year-over-year decline in profits the previous month, the banking sector rebounded in May, with total earnings exceeding those recorded in May 2025. Most of the country’s largest banks also reported higher profits than a year earlier. Halyk Bank, for example, increased its monthly...

Emergency officials are urging Almaty residents and visitors to avoid hiking in the mountains. Frequent rainfall has increased the risk of mudflows. Kursiv LifeStyle found out which popular hiking trail was shown with a roaring, swollen river.

“The risk of mudflow formation in the Kishi Almaty River basin will remain through July 2. We urge city residents and visitors to refrain from hiking in the Ile Alatau Mountains until weather conditions stabilize,” the akimat’s press service said in a statement.

The Kishi Almaty River (the Small Almaty River) flows past the Tuyuk-Su Alpine Camp, the...

The introduction of new rules for importing goods from foreign online stores, which was due to take effect on July 1, 2026, has been delayed, Kazakhstan’s State Revenue Committee of the Ministry of Finance announced.

The changes concern new customs regulations for e-commerce goods that will affect purchases from foreign marketplaces, including Amazon, AliExpress and Temu.

Initially, the member states of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) planned to implement the new rules starting in July 2026. However, one of the EEU member states has not yet completed the domestic procedures required to ratify the amendments to...

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev received Air Astana CEO Ibrahim Canliel, who briefed him on the airline’s financial performance. During the meeting, the president also addressed several ongoing issues, citing public dissatisfaction with the carrier’s services.

Tokayev spoke candidly about the airline’s frequent flight delays and last-minute aircraft substitutions, describing the public criticism as justified. He instructed the company to improve its flight schedule while expanding air connections with countries that represent promising tourism markets for Kazakhstan.

Fleet expansion plans

Canliel presented the airline’s development strategy, which aims to transform Kazakhstan into a regional aviation hub. A key part of the...

Kazakh chess player Bibisara Assaubayeva has reached the top five in the women’s world rankings for the first time in her career. In the updated July rankings published by FIDE, she placed fifth.

The 22-year-old grandmaster has 2,538 rating points, climbing two places from the previous edition of the rankings. In addition, Assaubayeva became the youngest player in the women’s world top five.

China’s Hou Yifan tops the rankings. Also in the top five are her compatriots Zhu Jiner, Lei Tingjie and reigning world champion Ju Wenjun.

The high ranking continues the Kazakh grandmaster’s successful season...

Freedom Finansal Hizmetler A.Ş., a subsidiary of Freedom Holding Corp., has obtained approval from the Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency (BRSA) and the Turkish Competition Authority. The regulators approved the acquisition of a 99.32% stake in the share capital of Turkish Bank A.Ş.

New chapter for Freedom in Turkey

Freedom Holding Corp. CEO Timur Turlov said that Turkey is a strategic market for Freedom and that the holding company is entering it with a clear understanding of what it wants to build.

«In Kazakhstan, we have already demonstrated that a digital ecosystem can become an integral...

Founded by a Russian and a Ukrainian, Heliex.AI was built on the belief that mental wellness support must transcend border – and that the most meaningful technology is created when people unite around a shared mission

Heliex.AI, a US-based technology startup developing hybrid wellbeing infrastructure, has formally announced its entry into the Kazakhstan market. The platform is designed to serve employers, sports organizations, and individual users seeking accessible, professional-grade emotional support – available at any time, without waiting lists or appointments.

The announcement is backed by concrete local traction: Heliex.AI has signed Letters of Intent with four Kazakhstan sports organizations:

Kyrgyzstan’s financial sector expanded at a record pace in the first quarter of 2026, driven largely by government spending on housing and infrastructure projects, according to data from the country’s central bank, stock exchange and commercial banks.

Bank assets reach record high

Total assets of Kyrgyzstan’s banking sector climbed to nearly 1.5 trillion soms (about $17 billion) during the first three months of 2026, an increase of 23%, or 278 billion soms, from the previous quarter.

According to historical data published by the National Bank, this was the fastest quarterly asset growth in at least...

Buying sushi, rolls and other Japanese dishes from unofficial vendors or through private Instagram accounts could put consumers at risk of hospitalization, Kazakhstan’s Committee for Sanitary and Epidemiological Control has warned.

Health risks linked to unregulated food sales

The committee said sushi is considered a high-risk food because it is often prepared with raw, lightly salted or marinated fish, seafood and other perishable ingredients that may not undergo heat treatment.

Health officials warned that products made with ingredients of unknown origin, prepared without proper temperature control or handled by cooks without valid health certificates pose a serious...

One of WhatsApp’s most highly anticipated features is finally on the way: Users will soon be able to message each other without revealing their phone numbers. Instead, they will exchange unique usernames, similar to how users connect on Telegram and Instagram.

Read also: Durov calls out WhatsApp: ‘You’d have to be braindead to believe it’s secure.’

The feature will be rolled out gradually worldwide over the coming months. Beginning in July, users will have the option to reserve a username in advance, though doing so will not be required.

The income of the wealthiest 10% of Kazakhstanis is 5.7 times higher than that of the poorest 10%, according to first-quarter 2026 data released by the Bureau of National Statistics.

Read also: Forbes publisher explains why Nazarbayev’s relatives vanished from rich list.

The bureau measured income inequality using the decile ratio, which compares the average income of the richest 10% of the population with that of the poorest 10%.

Nationwide, the ratio stood at 5.66, meaning the highest-income decile earned nearly six times as much as the lowest-income decile.

The largest...

Cate Blanchett has unveiled the free Human Consent Registry (HCR), a new online service designed to help people control how their personal identity is used by artificial intelligence systems.

Blanchett introduced the project at the European Parliament in Brussels, saying that as AI technology advances, individuals should have the right to decide whether their identity can be used to train AI models.

Users can grant or deny AI access

The HCR allows users to authorize, restrict or prohibit companies from using their name, voice, likeness, movements and other personal attributes for AI applications.

According to...

Almaty akimat has announced new projects aimed at attracting tourists to the mountains. Kursiv LifeStyle takes a look at the attractions planned for the city.

Galiya Tokseitova, head of Almaty’s tourism department, said that the Old Japanese Road, a popular destination for both locals and tourists, will be renovated. The project includes the construction of a new eight-kilometer trail, as well as the installation of wayfinding signs, rest areas, information boards, benches, gazebos and other visitor amenities. Construction is scheduled to take place between 2026 and 2027.

A new Alma-Arasan visitor center is also planned, with construction scheduled to begin...

According to Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the country must accelerate the development of its transport and logistics infrastructure as regional competition intensifies. Speaking at the latest joint session of parliament, he announced a major new infrastructure project for the capital.

«In the aviation sector, we are rapidly expanding our route network and developing full-fledged air hubs. From this perspective, the construction of a new airport in Astana is a task that brooks no delay. Construction must begin as soon as possible,» Tokayev said.

Another strategic initiative aimed at strengthening Kazakhstan’s position in international markets...