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According to Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Kazakhstan has fallen into the so-called middle-income trap. In an interview with the Turkistan newspaper, he warned that this is not an abstract concept, but a reality the country’s citizens are facing today. Many people earn relatively good incomes, but they are being «diluted» by inflation, mortgages and consumer loans. Moreover, any disruption — such as illness or job loss — can easily undermine a family’s financial stability.

The president noted that, despite the country’s apparent prosperity, significant economic imbalances persist. These problems are being addressed too slowly, which he described as «growing...

What do banks and stadiums have in common? Directly, there is no obvious connection.

One unproven theory, however, suggests that where large amounts of capital are concentrated, generous investments often follow — including funding for major sports facilities.

Our regular contributor and data visualization creator, Nurasyl Abrazakuly, has mapped out the largest banks and stadiums across Central Asia.

The visualization compares financial powerhouses with the region’s biggest sports venues, offering an unusual perspective on the relationship between money, infrastructure and public spectacle.

Kazakhstan’s billionaire class is dominated by the financial and natural resource sectors — a relatively rare combination for a single country.

The infographics below highlight Kazakhstan’s dollar billionaires and richest individuals by net worth, as ranked by Forbes. Both visuals were compiled by Nurasyl Abdrazakuly, a Kazakh data scientist and a frequent collaborator on our infographics.

Visualizing wealth and influence

Each individual in the «Richest people» visual is represented by a circle scaled to their estimated wealth, alongside the logo of their most recognizable company. While many of these figures control multiple businesses, the visualization focuses...

An elaborately decorated house in Shelek, a town in the Almaty region, is going viral on social media. Videos showcasing the bright New Year lights have gathered thousands of likes and enthusiastic comments.

The façade and surrounding area are adorned with numerous string lights and illuminated figures. In the courtyard, New Year installations featuring Santa Claus, a polar bear and glowing Christmas trees can be seen. After dark, the house resembles a fairy-tale setting and draws widespread attention. Users in the comments section highlight the homeowner’s remarkable effort and imagination.

As of Dec. 1, Kazakhstani banks had earned a total of 2.5 trillion tenge ($4.9 billion) in profit, including 226 billion tenge ($449 million) in November alone. Most major banks continued to post stable profits, although some unexpectedly dropped out of the top 10, according to statistics from the National Bank.

Freedom Bank, meanwhile, recorded a sharp rise and entered the top five most profitable banks. It ranked fifth, earning 13.3 billion tenge ($26.2 million) in November — nearly doubling its profit from the previous month — and also reported a positive accumulated profit since the beginning of the year.

New Year, one of the most anticipated holidays in many countries, is just around the corner. Kazakhstan’s largest city, Almaty, is preparing for traditional public celebrations with open-air concerts and festive activities.

The main location for tourists and residents to immerse themselves in the festive atmosphere and welcome the New Year is Astana Square. It is located near the Kazakh-British Technical University and traditionally serves as a venue for major holiday events and concerts. The area features a Western-style New Year market inspired by traditional European Christmas markets, offering hot food and drinks, with tornado potatoes being the most popular...

This New Year’s celebration will be the last time Dutch citizens are allowed to set off firecrackers. The country’s parliament has approved a complete ban on the use of pyrotechnics by private individuals. Starting next year, only professional fireworks show organizers will be permitted to use them, Bild reported.

Because of the upcoming ban, this New Year’s Eve is expected to be one of the loudest and most colorful in recent years, as fireworks sales have surged ahead of the restriction. Sales this year are expected to be about 20% higher than last year.

Police and emergency services are...

The Kazakh government has approved an investment agreement to launch a new soft drink plant in the Aktobe region next year. A decree was signed by Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov.

The project’s investor, Coca-Cola Almaty Bottlers LLC, is ready to allocate approximately $83 million to the new production site. Once fully operational, the plant will be able to produce up to 280 million liters of nonalcoholic beverages a year and provide jobs for 120 people.

The plant will utilize modern production solutions, including environmentally friendly waste management systems that meet international standards. Officials said the project is in line...

Citigroup has approved the sale of its remaining business in Russia, marking another step in the bank’s withdrawal from the country, according to Euronews.

The U.S. bank plans to sell its Russian subsidiary, AO Citibank, to Renaissance Capital, an investment bank focused on emerging and frontier markets. The transaction is expected to be completed in the first half of 2026, subject to regulatory approval and other closing conditions.

In a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Citi said it expects to record a pretax loss of about $1.2 billion from the sale in the...

Kazakhstan’s external debt reached a historic high in 2025. Below is an overview of the country’s external debt profile by sector, creditor type and creditor country. The data are visualized by Nurasyl Abdrazakuly, a Kazakh data scientist and a frequent contributor to our infographics, using official figures from Kazakhstan’s National Bank.

How the debt is distributed by sector

In the sector-by-creditor visualization, the top five creditor countries are shown for each sector, while all remaining countries are grouped under «Others» to maintain clarity.

Kazakhstan’s external debt by sector breaks down as follows:

Kazakhstan is transitioning to a proactive economic growth policy (PEG) that assigns the public sector a leading role in attracting and allocating investment. The shift reflects a broader global trend toward a more active state role in economic policy rather than a uniquely Kazakh initiative.

The central risk of the PEG lies in the potential entrenchment of inefficiencies, particularly where economic objectives must be balanced against social obligations.

Policy overview and timeline

The concept of the proactive economic growth policy was introduced in October 2025 by Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Serik Zhumangarin. He outlined the policy’s broad...

Kazakhstan is set to expand its gambling zones under a new law approved by the Mazhilis, the country’s lower house of parliament, in its second reading.

In addition to the already active zones in Borovoe and Qonaev, casinos may be established along the Caspian Sea coast in the Mangystau region, at Lake Alakol in the Panfilov district, as well as in the Zhetysu, Almaty and East Kazakhstan regions.

Speaking at a government briefing, Kazakhstan’s Minister of Tourism and Sport Yerbol Myrzabossynov said that the government will determine only the designated areas, while specific land plots for casinos will be selected...

PostNord, Denmark’s state-run postal service, will deliver its last letter this week, ending traditional letter delivery after more than 400 years, according to CNN.

Denmark is the first country to end letter delivery, as almost everyone now communicates digitally for both personal and official messages.

As part of this change, PostNord has removed its public mailboxes across Denmark. Although the company will stop delivering letters, people can still send mail using private courier services. PostNord will also continue delivering parcels, which remain popular due to increased online shopping.

Popular South Korean actor Son Suk-ku has been spotted in photos taken in Kazakhstan. Kursiv LifeStyle covers Kazakhstani users’ reactions to the star’s arrival.

A fan account on Instagram posted photos of the actor in Kazakhstan. Son can be seen in a car bearing Kazakh license plates, leaning out of a window and enjoying the snowy landscape, presumably in the Almaty region.

Other photos show the actor spending time with...

A Kazakh woman known publicly as Aika, who was previously at the center of a high-profile criminal case, has returned to the public eye after launching a new Instagram account.

The blogger published a video in which she reflected on how she changed during her prison sentence and the lessons she said she learned while incarcerated.

Background of the сase

Aika is a blogger from Almaty who previously...

Freedom Broker Global Markets, a subsidiary of Freedom Holding Corp., has received a license to conduct brokerage and related activities in Abu Dhabi. The license issued by the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), the emirate’s international financial center and regulator, strengthens Freedom Holding Corp.’s strategic presence in one of the world’s key financial hubs.

According to Vladimir Pochekuev, a partner and head of Freedom Finance Middle East & South Caucasus, the license represents a strong vote of confidence from one of the world’s most respected financial jurisdictions.

«We view our presence in the UAE not merely...

Senior executives at Kazakhstan’s ForteBank say remote work undermines teamwork, discipline and corporate culture, arguing that the physical office remains essential to how the bank operates.

Timur Issatayev, chairman of the board, and Talgat Kuanyshev, CEO, shared their views during a recent podcast on the YouTube channel «Two Meters.»

Office first, by design

Issatayev said remote work is prohibited at ForteBank as a matter of principle. Management views the office not merely as a place to complete tasks, but as a core element of the bank’s internal culture.

«We believe corporate culture...

Kazakh singer Dimash Qudaibergen has once again topped the Czech ÓČKO CHART.

According to Dimashnews, the artist competed with two songs this year — the lyrical «Love Is Not Over Yet» and the Kazakh-language «Tau Ishinde.» The former secured the victory, garnering the highest number of listeners’ votes.

Qudaibergen’s music has been broadcast on the Óčko TV channel since 2024, when he won awards with «Together» and «When I’ve Got You.» Since then, the artist has remained one of the chart’s most notable participants.

A significant contribution to the achievement was made by the artist’s fans...

An Almaty resident has delighted social media users by sharing striking images of a snowy winter scene in the city’s Presidential Park.

Photographer and traveler Galym Baitimbetov posted a series of photographs on Threads showing birds amid falling snow, transforming the familiar urban park into a serene winter landscape.

Birds and snow create a «Winter Wonderland»

The images feature birds perched on snow-covered branches against a backdrop of quiet, frosty stillness. Social media users praised the atmospheric quality of the photographs, responding with likes and enthusiastic comments.

Baitimbetov later shared a video that expanded on the same theme...

American actor Iain Armitage, best known for his role as young Sheldon Cooper in the series «Young Sheldon,» has revealed himself to be a big fan of Kazakh music.

His top songs for 2025 on Apple Music include Kazakh rapper Skryptonite and his mixtape «Fantasy Mixtape, Vol. 1,” singer Ayau and her album “Ayalum» and the psychedelic composition «Әпитөк» by the Kazakh band Dos-Mukasan. According to the actor, the latter song made a strong impression on him.

In addition to Kazakh artists, Armitage’s favorites also feature popular songs by the Russian rock band Kino, led by legendary frontman Viktor Tsoi...

The driverless taxi project is set to kick off in Astana in 2026. Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development, the Ministry of Transport, the city governor’s office and the company inDrive have signed a memorandum to begin work on the initiative.

At the first stage, the parties plan to create a testing ground and a so-called regulatory sandbox to address legislative issues and assess the city’s infrastructure readiness. The initial phase is scheduled for early 2026.

The preliminary route will run from Astana International Airport to Abu Dhabi Plaza and will be served by vehicles already in use...

Rumors about a «Pretty Woman» sequel have surfaced online after fake posters supposedly promoting the film’s second part on Netflix appeared on the internet, the Daily Mail reported.

It later turned out to be fake, as there was no official announcement.

«Pretty Woman” depicts a romance between the financial tycoon Edward Lewis and a prostitute, Vivienne. The couple meet each other when Lewis gets lost while driving through the city at night and asks Vivienne for directions. Later, he hires her to be his escort for business events and eventually falls in love with her.

The film starred Richard...

A drone delivery project is set to be launched in Almaty. The Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development has signed a first-of-its-kind memorandum in Kazakhstan with Freedom Lifestyle on the development of drone delivery services.

The document outlines the joint launch of pilot projects and testing of unmanned couriers in real urban conditions. The focus is on the delivery of food, everyday goods and medicines, emphasizing safety and convenience for residents.

Freedom Lifestyle is set to handle the organization and partial funding of the project, as well as the integration of drone delivery into its...

A Kyrgyz blogger known as Akuma has been held accountable for posting a doctored photo on Threads in which she appears to be embracing President Sadyr Japarov.

In the image, the blogger depicts Japarov as «her boyfriend,» caressing his face, while the president appears to be holding her by the thigh in an intimate manner. Authorities later determined that the photo had been digitally manipulated.

Court imposes fine

A court in Kyrgyzstan ruled that the blogger violated the law by publishing the fake image and imposed a fine of 5,500 soms, or about $60.