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In the first quarter of 2026, Tajikistan’s banking sector demonstrated strong growth. Financial institutions successfully weathered the short-term shock caused by European sanctions imposed last fall. Despite an initial surge in liquidity pressure at two sanctioned banks, the situation stabilized quickly, and external pressure ultimately pushed the sector toward stronger compliance and greater transparency.

Total assets of Tajikistan’s second-tier banks increased 27.6% year over year, reaching 56.8 billion somoni as of April 1. According to the National Bank of Tajikistan, banking sector assets were equivalent to 31.2% of GDP, up from 28.2% a year earlier.

Liquid...

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a multi-billion-yuan loan to Kazakhstan, but the decision was not unanimous. The U.S. voted against the loan.

The board of directors approved a 3.4 billion yuan (about $500 million) loan to Kazakhstan to finance the second phase of the fiscal governance and financial sector reform program.

At the same time, the U.S. voted against the decision, according to the board meeting minutes.

According to the document, the loan will have a 15-year term, including a three-year grace period. The interest rate will be determined under the ADB’s Flexible Loan...

Eurasia Invest LTD, LLP, an agricultural company based in Kazakhstan’s Karaganda region, plans to begin domestic production of sprinkler irrigation systems developed by Valley Irrigation, a U.S. manufacturer ofirrigation systems.

Eurasia Invest is owned by Ivan Georgiadi, a prominent public figure in the region and a member of the Karaganda Regional Maslikhat, a local legislative body. According to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Agriculture, the initiative is part of a larger investment push to expand irrigated agriculture in the country. Eurasia Invest has already signed agreements with Valley and with Imstalkon, a Kazakhstani manufacturer of steel structures.

This year, the company...

Despite BMW’s exit from the Russian market in 2022, new BMW crossovers are still being assembled in the country, according to Autoblog. However, the company says it has no connection to these vehicles.

According to Autoblog, citing Russian media outlet Kommersant, the Kaliningrad-based Avtotor plant, BMW’s former contract assembly partner in Russia, has begun producing the X5, X6 and X7 using components left over after the brand exited the market. Externally, they look like the 2022 pre-facelift models but are registered as 2025- and 2026-model-year vehicles.

As supplies of genuine parts run...

The Kyrgyz presidential administration has urged residents of Bishkek to temporarily leave the capital at the end of August to minimize disruptions caused by two major international events.

Askat Alagozov, press secretary to the president, encouraged residents to spend Aug. 30 through Sept. 1 at Issyk-Kul Lake or other vacation destinations to avoid logistical disruptions.

During that period, Bishkek will simultaneously host the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the opening ceremony of the 6th World Nomad Games.

According to Alagozov, the leaders of 21 countries are expected to arrive in the capital...

Vyacheslav Kim, Kazakhstan’s richest businessman, co-owner of Kaspi.kz and the sole owner of Alatau City Bank, has registered a new holding company, United Group Alatau, at the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC).

The registration may signal plans to restructure the ownership of Alatau City Bank, according to Arman Batayev, a financier and author of the Telegram channel Finmentor.kz.

Batayev suggested that Kim could transfer the bank’s holding structure to the AIFC, following a model previously adopted by several other prominent Kazakhstani financiers.

Among them are Timur Kulibayev and Dinara Kulibayeva...

Kazakhstan officially transitioned to a new constitutional framework on July 1, 2026, following a nationwide referendum that significantly reshaped the country’s system of government.

Read also: Kazakhstan’s constitutional reset: Top officials facing dismissal.

The revised Constitution retains a presidential form of government while introducing a unicameral legislature and a high-level consultative body designed to decentralize authority and strengthen public representation.

Seven-year presidency and new line of succession

Under the new constitutional framework, the president of Kazakhstan remains the head of state and the country’s highest public official, responsible...

Almost 5% of Kazakhstan’s population lived below the poverty line in the first quarter of 2026. The poverty rate increased by 0.4 percentage points from a year earlier, while the number of people living in poverty rose 10%.

The Bureau of National Statistics has released data on Kazakhstanis whose incomes fell below the subsistence minimum in Q1 2026. The agency uses the actual subsistence minimum of 64,200 tenge (approximately $135) per month rather than the official benchmark. According to the data, 173,000 households, or about 1 million people, had incomes below that level, representing 4.9% of the country’s...

Forwards of Uzbekistan’s national football team, Abbosbek Fayzullaev and Eldor Shomurodov, received premium Xpeng X9 electric minivans as gifts following the team’s appearance at the World Cup, Podrobno.uz reported.

Entrepreneurs in Uzbekistan presented the footballers with the keys to new electric vehicles worth about $83,000 as a gesture of recognition for their performance at the 2026 World Cup.

Fayzullaev made history as the first Uzbekistani player to score at a FIFA World Cup, finding the net in the 60th minute of the match against Colombia. Shomurodov scored against...

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev received Pedro Vargas David, chairman of Euronews’ board of directors. The two discussed prospects for expanding cooperation with the media group.

Tokayev said Euronews holds a special place among the world’s media organizations thanks to its reputation for impartial coverage.

«Since opening its regional office in Astana in 2024, Euronews has been covering political, economic and cultural developments in Kazakhstan and Central Asia more extensively,» the president said.

Tokayev welcomed the launch of Euronews broadcasts in Kazakh, calling it a vivid demonstration of mutually beneficial cooperation.

Pedro Vargas David said Kazakh...

Solidcore Resources plc, a company mining gold in Kazakhstan, has agreed to establish a joint venture (JV) with Minerals Development Oman (MDO) for geological exploration and development of the Khabiyat copper-gold project in Oman, the mining company reported. The agreement allows Solidcore to gradually acquire a stake in the JV from 20% to 60% through an earn-in mechanism.

«We are pleased to partner with MDO on this JV which marks our first exploration venture outside Kazakhstan and fits into Solidcore’s strategy of disciplined growth and portfolio diversification. The Khabiyat Project represents an important entry point for...

According to Deputy Energy Minister Kaiyrkhan Tutkyshbayev, the fuel crisis in Russia will not affect fuel availability in Kazakhstan. However, the country is reluctant to export gasoline to avoid domestic shortages.

Responding to journalists’ questions about how the fuel crisis in Russia might affect Kazakhstan and gasoline availability in the country, Tutkyshbayev said Kazakhstan is not dependent on gasoline supplies from Russia and meets domestic demand through its own production.

«All the necessary fuel reserves have been formed, so we do not expect any shortages. We believe it [the fuel crisis in Russia] will not affect...

Kyrgyzstan has sent Kazakhstan a formal request for gasoline supplies, Kazakhstan’s Vice Minister of Energy Kaiyrkhan Tutkyshbayev said. According to him, the request is currently being considered.

“We have not received any official request from the Russian Federation. We have received an official request from Kyrgyzstan, and we are currently considering it,” he told reporters in response to their questions.

Recently, media outlets reported that Ukrainian drones had attacked the Omsk oil refinery. According to reports, it was one of the few remaining Russian refineries that had not been previously targeted. Videos circulating online appeared...

U.S. President Donald Trump has unexpectedly come under the spotlight of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Kursiv Lifestyle explains how FIFA’s decision following President Trump’s reported call turned into a major scandal.

According to The New York Times, FIFA suspended the one-match disqualification of the U.S. national team’s forward Folarin Balogun. The decision was backed with a call from the U.S. president to FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

Following Balogun’s sending-off against Bosnia and Herzegovina, lawyers working with the U.S. Soccer Federation began seeking a way to challenge the decision, even though FIFA’s...

The current tariffs for biogas power plants in Kazakhstan are discouraging investment and delaying the launch of new projects, according to Evgeny Churdalev, CIS sales director at Jenbacher & Waukesha Gas Engines.

According to Churdalev, the maximum auction price for electricity generated by biogas power plants is 32.23 tenge ($0.068) per kilowatt-hour, compared with as much as 130 tenge ($0.28) per kilowatt-hour for waste-to-energy plants.

How biogas plants work

Biogas plants generate electricity and heat from organic waste, including manure, food scraps, sewage sludge and landfill gas. In sealed anaerobic digesters, the waste decomposes without...

Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has signed a comprehensive new law regulating psychological activities, marking a historic shift in how mental health services are managed and monitored in the Central Asian nation. The “Law on Psychological Activity,” enacted July 2, 2026, establishes the first rigorous legal framework for the profession, ranging from mandatory state registration to strict ethical boundaries for online practitioners.

The legislation arrives as part of a broader state effort to ensure “psychological well-being” — defined by the law as a state of emotional stability and the ability to overcome difficult life situations

After a robust 2025, Tajikistan’s economic growth eased slightly in the first quarter of 2026, with GDP expanding 8.0% year over year, down from 8.4% in 2025. Strong industrial output and investment continued to drive the economy, while construction related to the Rogun Hydropower Plant and higher public-sector wages supported domestic demand. However, the country’s growth model remains vulnerable to external risks.

In Q1 2026, Tajikistan remained one of the fastest-growing economies in Central Asia. The services sector contributed 4.4 percentage points to GDP growth, while manufacturing added another 2.5 p.p.

Manufacturing offsets...

When the famous work “Let’s Be Scared Together!” by Kazakh artist Pasha Kas disappeared from the wall of a building in downtown Almaty in January 2025, residents reacted as though they had suffered a personal loss.

Outraged comments flooded social media:

“Who could have been bothered by a kitten named Gav?” “Gray walls for a gray city.” “Make Almaty Grey Again.”

Some people even recalled bringing out-of-town visitors specifically to see the mural.

Twenty years ago, such a reaction would have been difficult to imagine. At the time, graffiti was widely regarded as...

After nearly two years on the international film festival circuit, where it won several awards, Yelzat Yeskendir’s “Abel” has finally premiered in Kazakhstan — and gone straight into theatrical release.

Whether the film will find a broad audience remains an open question. “Abel” is a demanding work, particularly because its story is set in the early 1990s. Yet the issues it explores remain strikingly relevant today.

The film had its world premiere in the fall of 2024 at the prestigious Busan International Film Festival in South Korea, one of Asia’s leading film festivals.

A slow-burning...

The European Union is officially moving ahead with large-scale financing for the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor. Brussels has announced up to €2 billion in strategic investments to strengthen connectivity between Europe and Central Asia.

The European Commission has launched the Connectivity Agenda Platform. Agreements with international financial institutions were signed in Brussels.

The strategic meeting was attended by European Commissioners Marta Kos, Jozef Síkela and Apostolos Tzitzikostas, as well as transport ministers and senior representatives from the G7 countries, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Turkey, Ukraine, Armenia and Moldova.

The platform will coordinate investments and regulatory activities...

Kazakhstanis planning to study or relocate to South Korea will no longer need to travel abroad to prove their Korean language proficiency. The country’s first official center for the Sejong Korean Language Assessment (SKA) has opened in Kostanay.

Where can you take the Korean language exam in Kazakhstan?

The King Sejong Institute of Korean Language and Culture at Akhmet Baitursynov Kostanay Regional University has been designated an official testing center for the Sejong Korean Language Assessment (SKA), an internationally recognized Korean language proficiency exam.

According to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Science and Higher Education, the King Sejong Institute Foundation selected...

Iñaki Godoy, the rising star best known for his role in Netflix’s adaptation of “One Piece,” is set to arrive at Astana Comic Con 2026 as the festival’s guest. Kursiv LifeStyle explains where fans can see the actor.

According to event organizers, the Mexican actor will be the second headliner and will take the main stage to answer questions. He will also take part in the photo and autograph sessions.

Godoy became famous after taking on the role of Monkey D. Luffy, the charismatic pirate captain in Netflix’s live-action adaptation of «One Piece,» based on the famous manga of the...

Russian rooftoppers Angela Nikolau and Ivan Kuznetsov, known as Ivan Beerkus, who climbed to the top of the Empire State Building to get engaged, were released following their first court hearing in New York City. Nevertheless, the criminal case against the couple is still underway. Kursiv LifeStyle explains how the couple is connected to Kazakhstan.

The court ordered the newlyweds’ release until the next hearing, scheduled for Aug. 24. They are facing accusations of burglary, criminal trespass and reckless endangerment. They left the courthouse holding hands and briefly told reporters, “We love New York.”

Nikolau and Beerkus have long been...

In Kyrgyzstan, the high-profile «Case of 75» has concluded. The main defendants in the case were Kamchybek Tashiev, former chairman of the State Committee for National Security (GKNB) of Kyrgyzstan, Nurlanbek Turgunbek uulu, former speaker of Parliament, and Kurmankul Zulushev, former prosecutor general.

All three were sentenced to four years in prison, with their property ordered confiscated. However, the court placed them on probation. The other five defendants who had been in custody since February: Aaly Karashev, Bekbolot Talgarbekov, Kurmanbek Dyikanbaev, Kursan Asanov and Emilbek Uzakbaev — were released in the courtroom immediately after the verdict was announced.

It’s worth...