News

When visiting Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city and cultural heart, most nature-lovers are drawn to iconic landmarks like Sharyn Canyon, the Singing Dune, Lake Kaindy or the Kolsay Lakes. While breathtaking, these destinations can be over 200 kilometers away — often turning into full-day excursions with long drives.

But what if you could experience dramatic desert landscapes and a refreshing beach escape without spending hours on the road?

A desert-style escape near the city

Just about an hour and a half from Almaty lies an underrated local favorite: Dune Beach, located near the city of Qonaev on the shores of the...

Almaty has become an unusual filming site, with a Bollywood crew using the city as a stand-in for South Korea. Since the events of the movie take place in South Korean settings, Kazakhstan’s largest city has seen new Korea-style decorations pop up almost every week.

In late June, Kursiv.media noticed the Kazakh-British Technical University building being featured in the shoot. Locals have also spotted a «Korean» police department, with flags and shields featuring Korean-language writing — leaving their heads spinning, as it looked extremely authentic.

Last weekend, the Indian film crew reached the Arbat and Green Bazaar.

The market’s...

Kazakhstan’s Defense Ministry is joining the global race for artificial intelligence (AI) talent, with plans to launch a dedicated AI department, Deputy Defense Minister Darkhan Akhmediev announced recently.

AI division

In a post on Threads, Akhmediev said he is assembling a team for the ministry’s new AI directorate.

«Please reach out to me if there are suitable candidates. We can offer a decent salary, an impressive benefits package and exclusive military perks,» he wrote.

The post, published just hours earlier, quickly sparked interest among Kazakh social media users.

While some responded with enthusiasm, others...

In late June, Grand Games, a mobile game developer from Kazakhstan, acquired a 75% stake in Emenu, a food delivery service based in Karaganda. According to Roman Lineytsev, the 27-year-old founder of Grand Games, the goal is to expand Emenu into new cities and boost its nationwide presence, competing with international food delivery platforms.

Despite foreign players dominating Kazakhstan’s food delivery market, Lineytsev believes there’s room for local competitors. He noted that Kazakhstan has reached a level of technological maturity where local businesses can successfully compete with international services.

«The acquisition of Emenu is a strategic...

Kazakh superstar Dimash Qudaibergen, together with his parents, Kanat and Svetlana Aitbayev, has visited the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, during his art trip to the country.   

According to the singer’s official website, Dimash planted a caimito — a symbolic tree that Vietnamese call a «star apple tree» — on the grounds of the embassy.

The ceremony took place in the embassy’s yard. A local tradition states that caimito symbolizes bounty and prosperity. It is often gifted for holidays and during significant life moments.

«This gesture is a symbol of friendship...

Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov has rejected proposals by some politicians to revise the status of the Russian language in Kyrgyzstan, stating in an interview with the Kabar news agency that he does not support such changes.

Official language

Japarov emphasized that Russian is designated as an official language in the country’s Constitution, and altering that provision would be a mistake.

«We have the Russian language enshrined in the Constitution as an official language,» he said. «It was for this support of the Russian language that Vladimir Vladimirovich [Putin] expressed his gratitude. It’s not the Russian...

Kazakhstan and other OPEC+ countries will increase oil production in August to help maintain market stability, the group announced. The increase is part of a phased rollback of voluntary production cuts.

The eight OPEC+ countries — Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Algeria and Oman — agreed to adjust production levels in August 2025. The group plans to raise output by 548,000 barrels per day compared to July 2025 levels. The decision comes amid a stable global economic outlook and low oil inventories, signaling a healthy market, according to OPEC.

However, OPEC+ noted...

U.S. President Donald Trump has introduced a new 25% duty on goods imported from Kazakhstan. He notified his Kazakh counterpart President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, about the move in an official letter, which he posted on Truth Social. The new tariff is expected to take effect on August 1.

In his letter, the U.S. president chose not to focus on the tightening of trade conditions (until now, a temporary 10% duty had been in effect for Kazakh goods), but rather emphasized the decision to continue trading with Kazakhstan — which Trump called «a great country» — despite the ongoing bilateral trade deficit...

Almaty may emerge as a new center for BYD electric bus production. The Chinese manufacturer is considering localizing its B12 electric model at Astana Motors’ facility located in the Turksib district, according to the city’s administration. The project was discussed during a meeting between Mayor Darkhan Satybaldy and Ivan Cao, general director of BYD Central Asia.

Localization is planned in several stages, with the initial phase involving semi-knocked-down assembly, and future phases expanding production to include welding, body painting and the manufacturing of select components.

The BYD B12 model features the Blade Battery system, which is integrated into the chassis...

A new uranium processing plant has been launched in the Sozak district of Kazakhstan’s Turkestan region, according to Kazatomprom, the country’s national nuclear company.

The plant is located at the South Tortkuduk deposit and is operated by KATCO, a Kazakh-French joint venture in which France’s Orano Mining holds a 51% stake and Kazatomprom owns the remaining 49%.

The opening ceremony was attended by Kazatomprom CEO Meirzhan Yussupov, Turkestan Region Governor Nuralkhan Kusherov, officials from Kazakhstan’s Agency for Atomic Energy, and executives from Orano Mining and KATCO.

The new facility has an annual uranium production capacity of 2,000 tons...

China’s Hunan Junxin Environmental Protection wants to build three waste-to-energy plants worth $600 million in Kazakhstan, as reported by Kazakh Invest.  

According to the company’s chair Dai Daoguo, the project goes beyond waste disposal and includes construction of green data centers powered by the energy generated from municipal solid waste incineration. Junxin also plans to set up personnel training centers and introduce intelligent waste management systems.   

«Our goal is not just to build plants but to implement an innovative approach to waste handling. We aim to bring technologies to Kazakhstan that integrate recycling...

The American exchange-traded fund First Trust Financials AlphaDEX (FXO) has added common shares of Freedom Holding Corp. (FRHC) to its index. As of now, FXO holds 185,000 FRHC shares, which make up 1.22% of the fund’s total portfolio.

FXO is a modified equal-weighted index that selects stocks from the Russell 1000, an index tracking the top-performing U.S. financial sector companies. The fund uses the AlphaDEX methodology to determine which securities to include.

FXO is traded on the NYSE Arca, a Chicago-based exchange operated by the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). The fund is managed by First Trust, an American asset...

Kazakhs are not traditionally coffee drinkers — it’s simply not part of the national culture, said Kazakh historian and culinary researcher Aigerim Musagazhinova in a recent issue of Qalam History media project. However, a social shift toward embracing coffee as a daily staple appears to be brewing in Kazakhstan.

A nation of tea drinkers

«Kazakhs never consumed coffee,» Musagazhinova said. «Instead, they drank decaffeinated coffee alternatives — such as roasting and grinding the berries of the zhide (oleaster or silver berry) to make a natural ‘Americano zhide.’ Why not develop this tradition? We’re genetically predisposed...

The Park Live Almaty music fest has announced a new wave of artists. The lineup is now joined by the Indian metal band Bloodywood and the Mongolian rock band The Hu. Both groups will perform on Sept. 6 at the festival site on the bank of Pervomaisky Ponds.

Bloodywood is a metal band from New Delhi, whose music blends folk, nu metal and rapcore, accompanied by lyrics in multiple languages. The performers started with covers on YouTube and now take part in international festivals and release original albums — the latest, «Nu Delhi,» was released this year.

The Hu perform...

Silkroad Innovation Hub, in partnership with TechCrunch and Freedom Holding Corp., has announced the launch of the first-ever regional competitive selection for the finals of the TechCrunch Startup Battlefield pitch contest. The event is scheduled to be held within the largest technology conference TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 in San Francisco later this year.

Teams from Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Turkey and Uzbekistan are eligible to participate. At the national and regional selections, three startups will receive guaranteed spots in the finals, which will take place from Oct. 27 to 29 in California. Applications are open until July 15.

Contest...

Kazakhstan’s community has been actively discussing the recent ban on wearing face-covering garments, including niqabs — face veils worn by some Muslim women. The Spiritual Administration of Kazakhstan’s Muslims (SAKM) has backed the initiative, stating that the measures do not aim to confront religion but to maintain public safety.  

«This decision does not aim to limit religious commitment or personal preferences but is driven by the necessity to ensure public safety. Many countries worldwide, including Muslim-majority ones, also adopt such measures, citing security concerns,» the administration’s press service stated.

Notably, the statement also emphasizes...

The headline Freedom Holding Corp. PMI® Business Activity Index signaled a sixth consecutive monthly rise in output across the Kazakh service sector in June. Moreover, at 55.1, up from 54.3 in May, the index rose for a fourth straight month and indicated a steep rise in activity — the highest recorded in the series’ history, which dates back to March 2019.

According to Yerlan Abdikarimov, director of the Financial Analysis Department at Freedom Finance Global, new contracts and marketing strategies revived the market, supporting employment. Rising operating costs have already been partly reflected in the growth of sales prices.

Signs of a growing deficit are emerging in the global uranium market, according to Dastan Kosherbayev, chief strategy and international development officer at Kazatomprom, Kazakhstan’s national nuclear company and the world’s largest uranium producer. Speaking at the Virtual Uranium Conference, as reported by Inbusiness.kz, Kosherbayev warned that the imbalance is becoming increasingly apparent.

Securing pounds

«The deficit is rapidly approaching — it’s obvious to everyone,» Kosherbayev said. «But it contradicts the behavioral patterns of many utilities, especially in the Western hemisphere. There was a lack of contractual activity in 2024, especially from the middle...

All airports and most airlines in Kazakhstan are now connected to the E-Freight information system, which is expected to enhance the country’s appeal for cargo transportation and transit, according to the Ministry of Transport.

«As part of a strategy to develop Kazakhstan’s transport and logistics potential through 2030, the ministry has introduced the E-Freight information system to streamline paperless documentation in the field of air cargo transportation. This will improve the efficiency of processing air waybills, reduce average cargo handling time from one day to one hour, and boost the overall attractiveness of air cargo transportation...

Several nuclear power plants in Switzerland and France have been forced to reduce output or shut down completely due to the extreme heat that has engulfed Europe in recent days, Euronews reports.

The shutdowns occurred as the ongoing heatwave in Europe made it impossible to use water from nearby rivers for reactor cooling, as it was already too warm.

Axpo, which operates the Beznau nuclear power plant in Switzerland, said it had shut down one of its reactors — located directly on the Aare River — on Tuesday due to the heat. The other reactor is currently operating at...

Kazakhstani photographer Ivan Ryaskov has once again drawn global attention to the culture of Kyrgyzstan. His shot, depicting a man wearing traditional clothes while standing on horseback, was recognized by PhotoVogue, Vogue’s global photography platform.  

The work received international recognition, being marked as a «pic of the day» on the project’s Instagram account.

The photo itself is truly an anthem to nomadic aesthetics, radiating calm strength — a young man stands on horseback on one foot, as if levitating, surrounded by snow-white yurts and soft light.

In the age of memes and clicks, social cartoons — a long-standing form of political and social commentary — have proven remarkably resilient, finding new life and a global audience online. Cartoonists are now stepping into the role of independent creators, utilizing the internet to establish personal brands and connect with new audiences.

This story highlights two contemporary Kazakh cartoonists whose work continues to resonate, underscoring the enduring relevance of the medium for audiences who are both thoughtful and engaged.

Humor connects where words fail

Renowned Kazakh cartoonist Galym Boranbayev recently received the silver award at the 64th...

Kazakhstan’s National Bank emerged as the world’s most active gold buyer in May, according to data from the World Gold Council (WGC). Analysts estimated that Kazakhstan increased its gold reserves by 7.4 tons over the month.

More generally, various central banks purchased 20.5 tons for their reserves, marking a significant increase from April (15.6 tons), although this figure remains below the average over the past year (27 tons).

«Fresh tensions in the Middle East may have reinforced the strategic appeal of gold for central banks looking to safeguard reserves against geopolitical shocks,» said Marissa Salim, senior...

Kazakhstani online game Grand Mobile has raised $750,000 in investment from the Astana Hub Venture Fund. The deal was made at a company valuation of $75 million.

Grand Mobile is an open-world RP life simulator created by 27-year-old Roman Lineytsev from Ust-Kamenogorsk, a participant in the Forbes «30 Under 30» list.

Grand Games, a Kazakhstan-based online game developer, currently develops the game. To date, the game has been downloaded more than 60 million times and draws a monthly audience exceeding 5 million users. Last year alone, the mobile game’s revenue amounted to $17.9 million.

«We raised...