News

Kazakhstan’s National Bank has launched a «regulatory sandbox» for digital assets, a controlled environment allowing companies to test new services using blockchain-based technologies, according to the regulator’s press office.

The first round of pilot projects has been launched in four key areas:

Real estate tokenization

Digital tokens will be issued to certify rights to real estate. This system enables developers to raise funds and allows individual investors to purchase shares in commercial properties.

A token is a digital asset that exists on a blockchain and represents a certain value or right. In real estate, it serves as an...

The Development Bank of Kazakhstan (DBK) will allocate $17.4 million to finance the construction of a fruit and vegetable processing plant in the Almaty region. The announcement follows the signing of an agreement between the development institution and Qazaq Global Food JV LLP, a fruit and vegetable juice producer in Kazakhstan.

The project, described as «the construction of a plant for processing fruits and vegetables, producing fruit juice concentrates, and fruit and vegetable purees with storage and packaging infrastructure,» has been marked as approved on the DBK website.

Once fully operational, the plant is expected to reduce Kazakhstan’s dependence on...

Jack Sim, founder and head of the World Toilet Organization (WTO), has arrived in Shymkent to assess the city’s public restrooms. Judging by his reaction, Sim appeared impressed.  

Sim’s visit aimed to highlight a joint project between the city administration and Miras University aimed at developing a network of public restrooms. Sim, also known as Mr. Toilet, specializes in the proper arrangement of sanitary facilities and provides consultations to governments in various countries on these issues. He was also received by Miras University Rector Nurken Khalykbergen.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has raised its inflation forecast for Kazakhstan in 2025, revising its earlier estimate of 8.2% to 10.2%, according to the bank’s July 2025 Asian Economic Outlook.

The adjustment comes amid higher-than-expected inflationary pressure in Armenia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. In Kazakhstan, despite the National Bank’s tight monetary policy, inflation reached 10.1% in the first five months of 2025 — up from 9.0% during the same period last year — largely due to rising utility costs.

ADB also raised its inflation forecast for Kazakhstan in 2026 from 6.5% to 8.4%.

Despite the worsening inflation outlook, ADB...

Halyk Finance has expressed concern over the growing role of the government as a source of long-term investment in infrastructure and the capacity of Kazakhstani enterprises. The share of budget funding in the structure of capital investment reached 21.9% in the first half of the year.

Over the first six months of 2025, investments in capital assets in Kazakhstan grew by 19.3% year-on-year. This growth was driven both by the low base of the first half of the previous year and by increased investment in the public sector, including expanded government spending on infrastructure. Without budget funds and contributions...

On July 27, a car accident occurred on the 299th kilometer of the Almaty-Yekaterinburg highway in the Zhambyl region of Kazakhstan. The Toyota Land Cruiser 200 overturned, leaving two people dead and two others injured. Reportedly, the driver lost control of the vehicle.

«The driver of the Toyota Land Cruiser 200, traveling from the Karagandy region toward Almaty, lost control of the steering and caused the vehicle to overturn,» police explained.

Several social media posts suggested that the driver may have been Gulayim, the wife of Shavkat Rakhmonov, a prominent UFC fighter from Kazakhstan. Later...

Can someone fraudulently collect money from fellow citizens in one country under the guise of helping victims in faraway Gaza? As it turns out, yes, they can. Sham fundraising and the abuse of donor trust are not exclusive to any particular region, religion or culture.

One of the most high-profile charity scandals to surface recently involves Kazakh entrepreneur Perizat Kairat, whose case has sparked national reflection. The criminal proceedings surrounding her widely publicized fraud case concluded last week in Astana, Kazakhstan’s capital.

The verdict

On July 25, 2025, a criminal court announced the verdict in the case of Perizat...

Home Credit Bank (HCB) will retain its credit profile after 100% of its shares are sold to ForteBank, according to Fitch Ratings. Moreover, the rating agency believes the government is unlikely to object if ForteBank provides support to HCB.

According to HCB’s 2024 financial statements, cash loans account for 80% of the bank’s loan portfolio, which also includes consumer loans (13.1%). At the same time, there is no indication that the bank offers mortgages, car loans or business loans.

Fitch expects the sale of HCB will not affect its banking operations. The agency notes that the bank will continue to...

The City Cardiology Center in Almaty has successfully performed a cardioneuroablation — a unique, minimally invasive procedure that allows for heart rhythm restoration without the need to implant a pacemaker, according to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Health.

A 22-year-old man came to the center with complaints of dizziness and episodes of syncope. Examination revealed that he suffered from an aberrant rhythm unrelated to any organic heart disease.  

Artur Abdymomunov, head of the arrhythmology department, performed the procedure. He explained that previously, patients with such symptoms typically required pacemaker implantation — a solution that significantly restricted their lifestyles, which is particularly...

The Ministry of Employment and Poverty Reduction of Uzbekistan has dismissed the head of Kattakurgan city’s Department of Employment and Poverty Reduction after he was caught off guard — hugging a female colleague on his lap during a Zoom meeting. The video quickly went viral online.

The ministry responded swiftly, firing both officials involved.

Online commenters didn’t miss the chance to share their irony on the situation:

«He provided her with employment and cut poverty.»

«And they’re always ‘in a meeting’ when you try to call or visit.»

«Now we all know what their meetings look...

Kipros, a company controlled by Kazakhstani millionaire Timur Kulibayev, is set to invest around $427 million jointly with Vietnam’s Crystal Bay to modernize the Ak-Bulak ski resort in the Almaty region, as reported by the regional governor’s office. 

The investment will be allocated for building a golf club and expanding the hotel complex, with around 700 new jobs expected to be created. A topographical survey has already been completed, and development of the master plan is currently underway.

The governor’s office also announced plans to expand the Oi-Qaragai mountain resort, increasing its size nearly tenfold — from...

Korean culture, especially its distinctive cuisine, is gaining global popularity. But in Kazakhstan, what’s commonly labeled as «Korean food» often bears little resemblance to traditional South Korean fare. That’s because the cuisine has adapted over generations to local tastes and conditions. Kursiv LifeStyle took a closer look at the unique culinary identity of Koreans in Kazakhstan.

A culinary evolution rooted in history

Ilya Kim, director of the RIS restaurant chain, explained how the food of ethnic Koreans in Kazakhstan reflects their unique post-Soviet identity. Unlike North or South Koreans, local Koreans — descendants of those forcibly...

Click, a payment service in Uzbekistan that is set to become part of Kazakhstan’s Halyk Bank once the bank acquires a 49% stake, plans to establish a next-generation bank, according to Click CEO Ulugbek Rustamov.

«We are entering retail banking. Together with Tenge Bank, we are starting to build a next-generation bank. For us, this is a new market, new processes and new challenges. But it’s also a new opportunity,» Rustamov wrote on LinkedIn.

Earlier this year, the two parties agreed that Halyk Bank would acquire 49% of Click shares for $176.4 million. In...

Over the first six months of 2025, Russia boosted its vodka exports by almost 40% in monetary terms, as reported by the Agroexport Telegram channel (Russia’s Federal Center for Agricultural Export Development under the Ministry of Agriculture), citing external trade data.

From January to June, Russia exported 16,000 tons of vodka worth $25 million, marking a 21% year-on-year increase in volume and 39% in value. During the same period in 2024, exports totaled 13,000 tons and $18 million.

Kazakhstan emerged as the largest importer of Russian vodka in monetary terms. Other top buyers included Georgia, Azerbaijan, China and Israel.

Moreover...

Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs has proposed limiting alcohol sales to specialized shops with restricted working hours. The initiative was presented by Interior Minister Yerzhan Sadenov during a session of the Interdepartmental Commission for the Prevention of Offences in Kazakhstan.

The agency believes that addressing the issue of alcohol abuse requires a comprehensive approach. For example, some entrepreneurs whose licenses have been revoked continue to sell alcohol illegally through straw parties or by operating under the guise of all-night bars.

According to the ministry, police identified and stopped 7,000 violations related to liquor turnover. Business entities were fined a total...

A four-day workweek benefits both businesses and employees, according to a study published on July 21 in the Nature Human Behavior journal. Yet even with no legal obstacles, employers in Kazakhstan remain hesitant to embrace the trend.

Boosting work efficiency

In recent years, over 140 companies across five countries — Australia, Canada, Ireland, the U.K. and the U.S. — participated in a trial replacing the traditional five-day workweek with a four-day schedule. For six months, employees worked 32 hours a week instead of the standard 40. Most enjoyed a third day off, though some companies redistributed hours differently. Firms...

Scientists from the Al-Farabi Kazakh National University (KazNU) presented an innovative mobile unit, Dayar 20, which allows for processing and storing agricultural products for several decades.

According to Yerbol Ikhsanov, PhD, senior lecturer of the Department of Chemistry and Technology of Organic Substances, Natural Compounds and Polymers, and the author of the project, Dayar 20 operates on the principle of lyophilization, or freeze-drying.

This is a method in which water evaporates from a product in a frozen state under low pressure. It preserves the taste, shape, smell, color and useful properties of the products.

«This device...

Safi Holding, a major multi-sector conglomerate in Turkey, is exploring the construction of a sugar refinery in Kazakhstan, with plans to invest up to $200 million.

The plans were discussed during a meeting between Kazakhstan’s Minister of Agriculture Aidarbek Saparov and the holding’s CEO Atakan Safi. The company intends to invest in a high-tech facility with an annual production capacity of 140,000 tons of sugar. To achieve this goal, up to 1 million tons of sugar beet would need to be processed per season.

Therefore, the key factors in selecting the plant’s location include the availability of sufficient cultivation...

The Caspian Sea, the world’s largest inland body of water, has reached its lowest level in recorded history, dropping below minus 29 meters based on the Baltic height system (BHS-77). The sharp decline has particularly impacted the shallow northern part of the sea, which borders Kazakhstan and Russia, according to a report by the TASS news agency, citing the Volga-Caspian branch of the Caspian Fisheries Research Institute (CaspNIRKh).

The primary cause is a reduced inflow from the Volga River, which supplies about 80% of the freshwater entering the Caspian Sea. Since 2020, sea levels have dropped nearly...

Kazakhstan may increase coal exports to Europe, and Russia will earn money from transit, according to Kommersant.ru, citing Maria Nikitina, founder of N.trans Lab, a project dedicated to transport, logistics and supply chain management.

Hot weather in Europe and increased demand for electricity have driven up prices for thermal coal on the local market. The duration of this trend depends on the dynamics of gas prices and the volume of solid fuel reserves in ports.

According to a review by NEFT Research, as of July 11, prices for standard 6,000 kcal/kg NAR quality thermal coal increased by 4% in one...

Assault and threats against health professionals in Kazakhstan may soon carry prison sentences of up to 15 years. The Ministry of Healthcare has initiated a new article to the Criminal Code, according to Health Minister Akmaral Alnazarova.

As she noted, it is planned to introduce Article 158-1 to the code, which will establish various levels of punishment depending on the nature and circumstances of the offense:

Kazakhstan’s Bank CenterCredit (BCC) has become the first bank in the country to enable card-to-card transfers through UnionPay International. The new service, now available through BCC’s mobile app, allows users to send money from Kazakhstan to China and other countries using UnionPay cards, the bank announced in a press release.

Seamless cross-border transfers

UnionPay International is one of the world’s largest payment systems and a dominant player in transfers to China, largely through its Money Express service.

«Our partnership with UnionPay began with the launch of our multi-currency #DragonCard and #GoldCard, which have been...

Although many Kazakhstanis want the option to watch movies in English and with subtitles, the cinema chain Kinopark says the actual demand is very low — only about 1,000 people.

Some viewers in Kazakhstan are dissatisfied with the dubbing of foreign films and prefer to watch original versions. Reasons vary: some want to hear the authentic voices of Hollywood actors, while others use films to practice English.

«Kinopark, bring back movies in English with subtitles like before. Many people prefer the original language for better understanding and perception. I’m from Astana, and we don’t have original-language...

The first international full-cycle laboratory for rock analysis and mineral reserve assessment will be opened in Almaty. The laboratory is being established within the Institute of Geological Sciences named after K.I. Satpayev with support from Chinese investors.

According to Kazakh Invest, the GeoLab Eurasia geological laboratory will include two facilities: a laboratory and educational center at the Institute of Geology — scheduled to open in October 2025 — and an industrial hub with a sample preparation line and storage facility, which will be built outside Almaty in the first quarter of 2026.

The center is expected to conduct high-precision studies...