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Two lithium processing facilities will begin construction in the Ulan district of the East Kazakhstan region by 2029, according to regional governor Nurymbet Saktaganov. He made the announcement during a recent session of the regional maslikhat (local council), as reported by the YK-news.kz portal.

«Construction of two large industrial facilities in the Ulan district is planned for 2029. These include a lithium mining and processing plant, as well as a facility to process pegmatite ores for the production of lithium oxide concentrate,» Saktaganov said.

The project is being developed by the German company HMS Bergbau...

The new airport building in Almaty, completed in 2024, has been named the «Best New Airport Terminal 2025» and «Best Regional Airport in Central Asia / CIS 2025» by Skytrax, a prominent U.K.-based international air transport rating organization.

Each year, the company conducts the World Airport Awards ceremony, where Almaty and Astana airports have been recognized as the best this year.

«Skytrax recognition reflects our commitment to high-quality services and passenger satisfaction,» said Skytrax CEO Edward Plaisted, highlighting that the new terminal sets a new quality benchmark for the region.

«The...

The U.S. is going to lease a land parcel from Kazakhstan for 49 years to build its consulate in Almaty. The lease payment will be $25.3 million for the entire 49-year period. This is a kind of symbolic price, which is a common practice in international relations. A market lease price for that piece of land could reach $170 million.

The land parcel, spanning 70,500 square meters and intended for the construction of the consulate, is located at the intersection of Zhamakayev, Aldar Kose, Al Farabi and Seifullin streets. This is one of the most affluent areas in Almaty.

Kazakhstan has proposed a uranium mining and fuel supply deal to support Turkey’s growing nuclear energy ambitions, according to Baurzhan Duisebayev, CEO of the Chemical Engineering Design Bureau.

«Suddenly, Turkey is leading the way: four reactors are under construction there, and it could become a valuable new partner for Kazakhstan,» Duisebayev said during a panel discussion at the MINEX Kazakhstan 2025 mining and exploration forum in Astana.

He noted that the projected fuel demand for Turkey’s planned nuclear facilities is substantial.

«With a total output of 4.8 megawatts — even for...

Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu is hopeful that Russia will take part in the construction of Kazakhstan’s first nuclear power plant (NPP). He made this statement during his meeting with Sergey Lavrov, his Russian counterpart, as reported by the Russian news agency TASS.

“Speaking of investment projects, I’d like to note that we have many joint and large-scale projects with Russian businesses. The number of enterprises anticipated to be established in the near future has already surpassed 170. And, of course, one of the most significant projects is the construction of the NPP in Kazakhstan. I...

Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov has ordered the cabinet to prepare an investment agreement with Shanghai SUS Environment Co., Ltd., the largest solid waste incinerator supplier and a leading developer of integrated municipal solid waste management in China, within two weeks. Once the document is ready and signed, the company will build a waste processing plant in Almaty, the government said in a statement.

The new plant will be based on waste-to-energy technology, in which household waste is burned to produce electricity. With a capacity to burn 2,000 tons of waste daily and generate up to 60 MW of power, the...

According to President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the current tariff war could trigger a global economic storm that would eventually hit Kazakhstan as well. However, the president believes that there is no reason to panic, as reported by the Akorda.

«What is happening all over the world right now could become a harbinger of a global economic storm. Many experts believe that the world is on the verge of one of the direst crises in decades,» Tokayev said.  

The president emphasized that despite a 90-day moratorium for new U.S. tariffs, they have already stirred the international...

In January 2025, Kazakhstan’s external debt totaled $164.7 billion, a net increase of $1.1 billion from the beginning of 2024, according to statistics from the National Bank. Although external debt grew by $3.9 billion last year due to transactions reflected in the balance of payments, this growth was partially offset by negative exchange rate effects, cost changes and other factors amounting to $2.8 billion.

The structure of Kazakhstan’s external debt:

Yesterday, on April 9, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met with Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov, Kazakhstan’s National Bank Chair Timur Suleimenov and other top officials to discuss the plummeting energy and commodity prices due to the escalating trade war between major economic powers.

The president instructed the cabinet and local authorities to finalize their anti-crisis action plan as soon as possible to prevent a decline in foreign investment and a potential economic crisis.

Tokayev highlighted that Kazakhstan will continue implementing key development priorities, including infrastructure projects, digitalization, artificial intelligence, agriculture modernization and logistics, despite the unfavorable global economic situation.

As the president...

As of late March 2025, the value of the monetary gold within the gold and foreign currency reserves of Kazakhstan’s National Bank stood at $29.14 billion, marking a record high since records began. The figure grew by 13.23%, or $3.4 billion month-on-month (MoM).

Since the beginning of the year, all the gold in the regulator’s reserves has gained 22.2% in value or nearly $5.3 billion. According to Investing.com, the price of June gold futures rose from $2,870 to $3,150, accounting for just a 9.7% increase over the course of March. Therefore, the remaining 3.53 percentage points of the increase in...

Kazakhstanis prefer TikTok and Instagram for social networking, while WhatsApp is the leading app for communications. In Uzbekistan, Instagram is the top social platform, but Telegram has become the primary communication tool. These differences can largely be explained by disparities in internet penetration and speed.

These findings come from a study conducted in 2023-2024 by Dias Azimzhanov, a doctoral student at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, and Karlyga Myssayeva, an associate professor at the same university. Their research, titled «Digital Transformation: Comparative Analysis of Information and Communication Technologies and Media in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan,» explored key differences in digital behavior between...

A new environmental initiative called Fabriqa, aimed at collecting used textile products for recycling, has been launched in Almaty. In its first month of operation, environmentally conscious residents have donated more than 20 tons of clothing through 18 specially designed Fabriqa street containers. The project’s authors already plan to expand this network by installing 22 additional containers all over Almaty.

More than 20 tons of garments — with underwear and shoes not accepted — have been collected since the project’s launch and sent for recycling across various facilities located in the city. Recycled textiles are used for the production of...

More than half of the surveyed Kazakhstanis said they oppose the idea of increasing the value-added tax (VAT), promoted by the government. Many have already reported price increases in groceries and essential goods. The other half of Kazakhstanis are not confident in their financial well-being, as indicated by the results of a survey on perception of the socio-economic situation in Kazakhstan conducted by the Bureau for Express Monitoring of Public Opinion Demoscope.

During the poll, respondents were asked several questions, including one about the VAT increase from 12% to 16%.

The obtained results indicated that the absolute majority of Kazakhstanis...

Kazakhstan is preparing to auction 50 solid mineral deposits, including sites rich in gold and rare metals, according to Almas Kushumov, head of the subsoil use department at the Ministry of Industry and Construction.

«An electronic auction is planned for June of this year. We will be auctioning 50 deposits,» Kushumov said during the MINEX Kazakhstan 2025 mining and exploration forum in Astana.

The rights to the deposits will be granted for both geological exploration and commercial production. Deposits with confirmed reserves — particularly of gold, copper and rare earth elements — will be auctioned...

The Ministry of Industry and Construction is going to use artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze geological information obtained between the 1950s and 1980s, according to Vice Minister Zhannat Dubirova.

«We are actively digitizing geological information collected between the 1950s and 1980s. We are going to complete this process this year. In parallel, we are working on introducing AI tools capable of not only recognizing geological information but also of analyzing various characteristics and creating predictive models for deposits and minerals in Kazakhstan based on big data,» she said during the MINEX Kazakhstan 2025 forum.

According...

In 2024, Russia became the biggest investor in Kazakhstan. According to analysts from the Association of Financiers of Kazakhstan (AFK), this situation has both advantages and disadvantages for the country. On the one hand, Russian investments are more stable than European ones. On the other hand, they could pose certain risks.

In 2024, the gross inflow of foreign direct investment (FDI) from Russia to Kazakhstan stood at $4 billion, which is $1 billion more than in 2023. Thanks to this increase, Russia has become the leader in investments in Kazakhstan, surpassing the Netherlands, which had headed the list of the...

Kazakhstan is experiencing the closure of a growing number of flour milling enterprises, with some relocating production to neighboring countries. Over the next five years, exports of Kazakh flour are expected to drop from 1.5 million tons to 500,000 tons, and up to 6,000 workers in the industry could lose their jobs, excluding those in related support sectors, according to Zhomart Motyshev, head of the Grain Processors Union of Kazakhstan. He shared these concerns during a recent panel discussion at the Mazhilis, Kazakhstan’s lower house of parliament.

In recent years, Kazakhstan has shifted from being a leading flour exporter to...

The Saratov Tank Structural Steel Plant (Saratov RMK Plant) in Russia has completed construction of a vertical steel tank with a capacity of 10,000 cubic meters for Kazakhstan’s Mangistaumunaigas, according to a source familiar with the matter. Notably, the plant had previously exported similar products to Kazakhstan up until 2020.

«Russian oil tank producers are entering the Kazakhstani market once again. The Saratov RMK plant has completed construction of a vertical steel tank with a capacity of 10,000 cubic meters. The purchaser is a Kazakhstani producer of pipeline components, fittings and couplings in the oil and...

Kazakhstanis will soon be banned from importing machinery, furs and jewelry for personal use more than once a year. The country’s Ministry of Finance is also setting limits on the quantity of such goods allowed per person.

The State Revenue Committee under the Ministry of Finance has amended regulations defining which goods transported by individuals across the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) customs border qualify as personal-use items. The draft regulation has been published on the government’s Legalacts.egov.kz portal and is open for public comment until April 22.

Under the proposed rules, individuals will be allowed to import the following items...

The Astana International Exchange (AIX) reported $188 million in trade volume from January to March 2025. In 2024, the same rate totaled $1.3 billion, or $325 million per quarter on average, which is 72.9% higher than the figure in Q1 of this year.

In the first three months of 2025, 277 securities from 156 issuers were available on the AIX. Since the beginning of the year, the number of securities in circulation on the exchange has increased by 16.4% or 42 financial instruments (including delistings), while the number of issuers has grown by 13.3% or 34 participants.

In...

Jennifer Lopez’s fans in Kazakhstan are lighting up the comments section of her manager’s social media post announcing the «Up All Night» world tour, which includes a stop in Astana. Flooding the post with heart emojis, Kazakhstan’s flags and warm invitations to try beshbarmak, the country’s beloved national dish, fans are showing their excitement ahead of her Aug. 1, 2025, concert.

Lopez confirmed the tour dates on her Instagram account, revealing that the «Up All Night» tour will span 17 cities across Europe, the Middle East and Central Asia, including stops in Antalya, Istanbul, Sharm El Sheikh, Vigo, Cádiz...

Kazakhstan is eyeing a mining boom and seeking partners in Canada. During a recent visit to Toronto, Renat Bekturov, governor of the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC), estimated the value of Kazakhstan’s untapped mineral resources at $40 trillion. He invited Canadian companies to play a role in developing these resources.

«Kazakhstan is counting on its estimated $40 trillion mineral wealth to spark a mining boom […] To attract investors, state-backed AIFC is offering a clear, modern regulatory system and easier processes for investors,» the Mining.com news platform reported.

Since its founding in 2018, more than...

The government of Kazakhstan has prepared new measures to attract foreign tourists; the introduction of the Tax Free system is one of them.

The Ministry of Tourism and Sports has proposed switching the Tax Free system from a test mode to a permanent operation across the entire country.

The Tax Free system operates in many countries around the world, helping to attract tourists by granting them the opportunity to make a tax refund on purchases. Testing of the system began in 2019 in Astana, Almaty, Shymkent and Turkestan.

From Aug. 15, 2019, to Dec. 31, 2024, authorities refunded international tourists...

The Kyrgyz cabinet has expressed concerns about the growing number of places of worship in the country. To address the issue, authorities have proposed introducing specific rules and guidelines to regulate the number of new places of worship in various areas. The draft regulation has already been brought up for public consideration, as reported by the local 24.kg news portal.  

The Kyrgyz State Commission for Religious Affairs has been registering previously built but unregistered places of worship in the country over the past four years. During this period, local authorities have discovered almost 650 religious buildings operating without official...