News

The Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) has announced the expansion of its investment tax residency program. Foreign investors can now invest in the share capital of companies registered in the AIFC. If the investment exceeds $300,000, the investor becomes eligible for a residence permit in Kazakhstan.

This approach isn’t unique — more than 80 similar programs exist worldwide to attract foreign investment and stimulate economic growth.

The AIFC program also aims to create more favorable conditions for international investors and ensure the inflow of high-quality capital into Kazakhstan.

What investors will receive:

Kazakh marketing specialist Alimzhan Bissembayev has suggested an unusual way to generate revenue from the nuclear power plant (NPP) currently under construction in Kazakhstan. He believes the facility’s name could be leased to a large company for 10 years.

«It could be Siemens, ABB or Samsung. The money would go toward repaying the loan, and after that the name could be sold again or, if there is no buyer, another name could be chosen,» Bissembayev wrote on Telegram.

He compared the idea to the sale of «nice» car license plates, which have long generated income...

Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Digital Development, Innovations and Aerospace Industry has launched a pilot project to provide internet access via Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet service on the Astana–Borovoe Resort train route.

According to Digital Minister Zhaslan Madiyev, the possibility of scaling up will be considered based on the results of the pilot project.

Moreover, the ministry has been implementing initiatives in five areas of railway digitalization: transitioning public services to digital format, reengineering business processes, creating an innovation ecosystem, equipping trains with satellite internet and introducing an online system to track transit traffic.

As part of efforts to expand internet...

The Specialized Interdistrict Court of Aktobe has found SNPS Aktobemunaigaz, a subsidiary of China’s CNPC operating in Kazakhstan, guilty of violating antitrust laws, according to the Agency for the Protection and Development of Competition (APDC). Under the court ruling, the company was fined 36.7 million tenge ($68,123).

«The Specialized Interdistrict Court of Aktobe found SNPS Aktobemunaigaz guilty of violating antitrust laws. The decision was based on the results of an investigation conducted by the APDC Department for the Aktobe region… The court imposed a fine of 36.7 million tenge,» the agency said in a statement.

A Kia vehicle plant with an annual capacity of 70,000 cars, originally scheduled to begin operations in October 2025, is now ready to launch, according to Kumar Aksakalov, the governor of the Kostanay region. He made the announcement during a meeting with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at the Akorda, the official residence and workplace of the president.

«The president received Governor of the Kostanay region Kumar Aksakalov… Among the major projects in the region is the Kia plant with an annual capacity of 70,000 cars and 1,500 new jobs once launched, as well as the KamlitKZ truck...

About 50% of regular deposits are under $27,000, according to the Kazakhstan Deposit Insurance Fund (KDIF).

According to the fund’s methodology, there are three types of retail deposits denominated in tenge: mass (up to 15 million tenge), medium (from 15 million to 50 million tenge) and large (over 50 million tenge). The mass segment accounted for 49.6% of all deposits as of July 1. In the first half of the year, its volume grew by 3.3%, while the number of accounts increased by 24%. The shares of the medium and large segments reached 18.4% and 32%, respectively.

KDIF has...

After 18 months of confrontation, Kcell and Mobile Telecom-Service (the owner of the Altel/Tele2 brands) have successfully settled their dispute over the use of the telecom network, according to Kcell’s financial statements. Both companies imposed fines and sought compensation from each other, at one point threatening to withdraw from joint agreements.

In 2022, Kcell signed an agreement on the joint use of the telecom network with Mobile Telecom-Service, aimed at constructing new base stations and modernizing existing facilities. The agreement included penalties for non-compliance by either party.

In January 2024, Mobile Telecom-Service sent Kcell a notice demanding a fine of...

Kazpost, the country’s national postal operator, has registered a new company at the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC).

According to Arman Batayev, author of the Finmentor channel on Telegram, the company’s name — Qazpost-JD Tech Co. — may suggest a partnership with the Chinese marketplace JD.com, the second-largest e-commerce platform in China after Alibaba Group.

The CEO of the newly established company is Lei Sun, a citizen of China. In addition to Kazpost, the other founder is Technology Industry SILK ROAD, whose owners have not been disclosed.

In July, the postal operator stated that the parties had agreed to...

Kazakhstan’s processing industry has shown steady growth, with output reaching approximately $29.6 billion in the first seven months of 2025.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Construction, the processing industry grew by 6.1%, with its share in the country’s economy reaching 13.9% over the period from January to July 2025. Minister of Industry and Construction Yersayin Nagaspaev emphasized that the results of industrialization demonstrate steady growth in the processing industry.

«In the first seven months of this year, the processing industry has already risen by 6.1%, and output has reached more than 16 trillion tenge...

Ak Maya Fest, a festival dedicated to shubat, a national Kazakh drink made from camel milk, was held in Mangystau on Aug. 16. Those who attended the event reported astonishing performances, with many describing the festival of national traditions as the Kazakh analogue of Burning Man, the largest art event in the desert in the U.S.

According to regional authorities, about 15,000 people came to the festival organized in the Airakty Valley of Castles. Among them were tourists from Russia, France, Kyrgyzstan, the U.K. and many other European countries. The main symbol of the festival was shubat, a national drink...

Organizers of Jennifer Lopez’s concert at Almaty’s Central Stadium have released the event’s figures. The show drew 27,000 attendees, about 7,000 of whom came from 35 countries around the world.

According to the Almaty city administration, the concert generated approximately $18.5 million in revenue, with $1.1 million expected to go into the state budget as taxes.

«The expenses of foreign guests in Almaty during the concert period alone are estimated to have added more than 5 billion tenge ($9.2 million) to the city. Taking into account the spending of all spectators and indirect income, the total...

Kazakhstan imported $203.5 million worth of chocolate in the first half of the year, according to data from the Bureau of National Statistics. In monetary terms, imports grew by 32.6% year-on-year.

At the same time, total import volume decreased by 64 tons compared to the same period last year, indicating that the price of chocolate imported to Kazakhstan has risen significantly. Overall, the country imported 41,000 tons of chocolate and other cocoa confectionery products in the first six months of 2025.

The increase in import costs was driven mainly by Russia, Kazakhstan’s largest supplier. Imports from Russia rose in value...

The Oi Qaragai resort near Almaty has launched two new entertainment facilities for adrenaline seekers: a sky swing and Kazakhstan’s first alpine slingshot ride. Kursiv.media shares prices and directions.

Both adrenaline rides are located at a new Aktas site at the Oi Qaragai resort, at an altitude of 2,140 meters.

The slingshot, which the resort calls the «catapult,» propels riders up to 15 meters. The total duration from launch to landing is around three minutes.

The sky swing lets you experience the feeling of flying over a steep drop. It is designed for three people, but two can ride as...

Kazakhstan’s largest gold producer, Kazzinc, 70.2% of which is owned by Switzerland-based Glencore, reduced zinc production from its own sources to 61,800 tons in the first six months of 2025, down 3% year-on-year (YoY), according to Glencore’s report.

Meanwhile, zinc in concentrate production rose by 13% to 37,200 tons, while copper fell by 14% to 7,700 tons. Gold output declined by 7% to 281,000 ounces and silver increased by 6% to 1.647 million ounces.

Across the group, total production from own sources amounted to 343,900 tons of copper (down 26% YoY), 18,900 tons of cobalt (up 19% YoY...

BNK Commercial Bank — formerly the microfinance organization BNK Finance Kazakhstan and recently transformed into a bank — has received a written directive from Kazakhstan’s Agency for Regulation and Development of the Financial Market (ARDFM) for violating prudential ratios, the agency reported.

The former MFO received its banking license on June 25, 2025, and managed to operate without regulatory notices for about two months.

The ARDFM noted on its website that the bank was sanctioned for violating prudential liquidity coverage and net stable funding ratios, as well as the term liquidity ratio (k4-1), as of July 1, 2025.

Popular Kazakh ice cream producer Shin-Line is negotiating to export its products to South Korea and Vietnam. According to the company’s representative, the main challenge is the high cost of delivery to these countries.

Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Agriculture reported on potential exports of Kazakh ice cream, noting that Shin-Line is exploring the use of refrigerated containers for sea transport.

Shin-Line’s Head of Board of Directors Dmitry Dokin confirmed to Kursiv.media that negotiations are indeed underway, but the possibility of exporting to these countries faces logistical challenges. For now, delivering Kazakh products would be both lengthy and costly. If shipments...

Kazakh companies face double taxation and full veterinary, sanitary and customs checks when exporting goods to other Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) members, Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov said at the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council meeting in Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyzstan.

«In a number of cases, unimpeded transit through the territory of EEU member states is not provided,» Bektenov said.

He added that in public procurement, some member countries circumvent the rules and set requirements that make it impossible for suppliers from other EEU nations to participate, despite unified rules adopted in 2020 to ensure national treatment in government...

Luxury brands have expanded sales in Kazakhstan after leaving or downsizing operations in Russia, Kommersant reported, citing Artur Gafarov, head of Russia’s Institute for the Development of Entrepreneurship and Economics.

Gafarov pointed to Richemont, the Swiss holding company that owns Cartier, Montblanc and other brands, as an example. Since 2023, Richemont’s Russian division has focused on wholesale jewelry shipments to Kazakhstan. By 2024, revenue had risen 19% to 986.6 million rubles, equivalent to approximately $10 million.

Kazakhstan accounted for 96% of the Russian unit’s total revenue in 2024.

Tiffany & Co. took a similar approach, shifting its...

In the first six months of 2025, Lotte Rakhat Confectionery reported a profit of about $3.9 million, down 53.4%, or $4.4 million, from the same period last year, according to the company’s filing on the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange (KASE) website.

The drop was largely due to a 23.4% fall in gross receipts to nearly $14 million. While revenue from confectionery sales rose year-on-year by about $9 million, production costs increased by $13 million. The biggest rise in costs came from materials — primarily ingredients — which jumped $12 million, or 25%, compared to last year.

General, administrative and selling...

Tengizchevroil (TCO), 50% of which is owned by U.S.-based company Chevron, produced 19.46 million tons of oil from the Tengiz field in the first six months of 2025. In the same period in 2024, the company reported production of 14.4 million tons, or 114.6 million barrels, marking a 35.1% year-on-year (YoY) increase.

«Once all Tengiz facilities are operating at full capacity, TCO’s total annual crude oil production is expected to reach approximately 40 million tons per annum,» the company said in a statement.

In the first half of 2025, TCO sold more than...

The United Arab Emirates-based company Presight is set to launch a new AI-powered surveillance system in Astana this December, the city’s mayor Zhenis Kassymbek announced during a meeting with residents.

“In line with the agreement, the company must complete this stage by the end of the year. In addition, more than 20,000 cameras will be installed on top of those already in place. We plan to finish in December and launch then,” Kassymbek said.

Presight’s office in Astana opened in May 2025. Earlier, the Sergek project, which had operated in the capital since 2017, was...

Investment management company Fonte Capital has announced the listing of the Fonte Bitcoin Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) on the Astana International Exchange (AIX), according to a statement on the company’s website.

An ETF is an exchange-traded investment fund that is traded in a way similar to ordinary shares. Typically, it is a basket of assets such as shares, bonds, commodities or a combination of them — bitcoin in this case. When an investor buys one ETF share, they effectively acquire a small stake in all the assets included in the ETF.

Trading in the fund’s shares began on Aug...

Kazakhstan has received $365 million in dividends from Eurasian Resources Group (ERG) that had been frozen in Luxembourg, Finance Minister Madi Takiyev said at a recent government briefing.

«This year, we received $365 million in dividends for previous years,» Takiyev said. «For 2024, the financial statements have just been completed; I haven’t seen the results yet. We’ll review those next year. But for 2021-2022, we received our money. They were unblocked.»

ERG’s ownership is split among the Ministry of Finance of Kazakhstan (40%), the heirs of the late Alexander Mashkevich and the Ibragimov...

Mobile rates for Altel and Tele2 customers in Kazakhstan are off-limits to government scrutiny until the end of 2026, following a court decision tied to an international agreement with Qatar.

Mobile Telecom-Service (MTS), which owns the Altel and Tele2 brands, won its case in the Almaty Court of Appeal, which canceled an antitrust probe into alleged overpricing for SMS notification services. Case details were published on the Supreme Court’s Office.sud.kz portal.

The investigation was dropped under a Kazakhstan-Qatar agreement that bars authorities from interfering in MTS operations or reviewing its rates until 2027.

In late 2023, the Specialized...