News

According to Ozon Holdings, the sanctions imposed by the European Union (EU) on Ozon Bank will not affect the company’s operations in Kazakhstan or elsewhere.

On July 18, the EU introduced sanctions against Ozon Bank, an indirect subsidiary of Ozon Holdings, banning EU citizens from any transactions with the bank. However, the sanctions are not blocking, and Ozon Bank is not on the EU list of entities whose assets must be frozen.

«The EU sanctions imposed on Ozon Bank do not apply to Ozon Holdings or other Ozon group companies. Ozon Bank has no subsidiaries and...

Once in Almaty, the eye is immediately drawn to the mountains looming massively over the city. Despite their overall grandeur, anyone can now safely and comfortably enjoy this terrain, regardless of fitness level or trekking experience, as one of the most accessible gorges has become even more visitor-friendly after a portion of the trail was renovated and reopened to tourists.

Alma-Arasan Gorge, also known by its alternative name Prokhodnoye Gorge — named after the Prokhodnaya River that flows through it — is a perfect spot for beginner trekkers to experience mountain hiking, listen to the roar of the river, and...

Gulim Amirkhanova, a journalist and writer from Kazakhstan, appeared on the cover of a Guardian feature highlighting a global photo project about people and their sex toys.

My toys

The story profiles «My Toys,» a candid project by Italian photographer Gabriele Galimberti that celebrates the devices and accessories people use in their erotic lives. Galimberti photographed individuals from around the world with their collections of sex toys, including Almaty-based writer Gulim.

«I don’t have a partner right now, so toys help me not to lose interest in sex,» Gulim said in an interview. «A close...

Anton Kistanov, a 34-year-old urologist-surgeon from Kostanay who was assaulted by a patient, has been transferred from intensive care to the neurology department. Last week, he was airlifted to the National Coordination Center for Emergency Medicine in Astana after losing consciousness, according to the media outlet Nash Kostanay.

Doctors diagnosed Kistanov with a closed craniocerebral injury, severe brain contusion, subdural hemorrhage on the right side of the brain, and a fracture of the occipital bone extending to the base of the skull.

His condition is now improving. He is conscious, communicative and fully oriented.

On the fourth day of the 2025 FISU World University Games in Germany, Kazakhstan’s Nodira Akhmedova, Tamerlan Tleules and Batyrkhan Toleugali each claimed a bronze medal, adding to the national team’s overall medal tally.

The Kazakh athletes fought hard but fell in the semifinals, each losing to the eventual Universiade champions. Akhmedova (up to 49 kg) was defeated by China’s Jingyue Ma. Tleules (up to 58 kg) lost to Ukraine’s Maksym Manenkov. Toleugali (up to 80 kg) fell to Korea’s Geonwoo Seo.

Notably, all three taekwondo fighters recently earned podium finishes at the prestigious Grand Prix Challenge in...

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has approved a new Tax Code and a related law introducing amendments to tax regulations, as reported by Akorda’s press service. 

The code, signed on July 18, facilitates tax administration, including a 30% reduction in tax reporting volume and a 20% reduction in the number of taxes. Among the key amendments is a transition to a 16% value-added tax (VAT). The new Tax Code will take effect on Jan. 1, 2026.

Starting next year, a reduced VAT rate of 5% will apply to remedies and medical services, whereas in 2027, the rate will rise to 10%. Services...

Using Vladimir Lenin’s image and name in business branding is a high-risk strategy with polarizing appeal, one that can either attract a niche market or provoke significant backlash.

Whether Lenin serves as an effective brand for businesses tapping into «communist nostalgia» or «communist chic,» trends seen in some post-communist countries and certain Western subcultures, largely depends on the target audience and cultural context.

Not just a name

In Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city, a café-bistro called Lenina 36 (named for its address at the former Lenin Avenue) is drawing heavy criticism online before it has even opened its doors...

A plot of land intended for the development of a ski resort is up for sale in Butakovka, an elite neighborhood near Almaty. The price? Just $2.8 million, which is relatively modest for Kazakhstan’s largest city, known for its upscale lifestyle.

«The property is located just 3.5 kilometers from Dostyk Avenue, offering excellent transport accessibility and making it especially attractive for both tourists and locals,» the listing states.

Kazakhstan is reporting a rise in workplace violence against healthcare workers across the country. Minister of Health Akmaral Alnazarova issued an emotional appeal on social media, urging citizens to stop aggression toward doctors.

The appeal followed two unrelated assaults this week. In the first incident, a 42-year-old man attacked a nurse at a private clinic in Karaganda, causing her significant harm. He was immediately detained and later admitted to a mental health facility. In the second case, a young urologist at a regional hospital in Kostanay was brutally beaten by a patient who refused to wait his turn. The doctor...

One of the most anticipated music events of the year in Kazakhstan is opening its doors to even more Jennifer Lopez fans.

The organizers of the Jennifer Lopez and Backstreet Boys concerts in Kazakhstan have announced that additional space will be made available at J.Lo’s show in Almaty on Aug. 10. Tickets are priced at around $75 and are available via Ticketon.kz.

«We are introducing a new ticket category — the Free Zone, a dance space filled with the atmosphere of a large-scale show,» the statement said.

Meanwhile, Almaty Mayor Darkhan Satybaldy recently visited...

Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Energy has launched a consortium aimed at protecting the nation’s energy infrastructure from cyber threats. The group will be formed within the ministry’s Situational Analytical Center of the Fuel and Energy Complex, a research unit specializing in the country’s fuel and energy sector.

Uniting experts

The consortium includes the largest information security operations centers in Kazakhstan. These organizations have agreed to pool their efforts and resources with the government to safeguard strategic energy facilities.

The group’s first task will be to audit the cybersecurity of all critical infrastructure in the fuel and energy sector. Following...

The Aktobe Ferroalloy Plant in Kazakhstan has set a world record for the volume of ferrochrome produced in a single technological cycle. The plant’s metallurgists successfully extracted 177 tons of the product from a single electric arc furnace.

According to the press service of the Aktobe Region Governor’s Office, the achievement was officially recorded in the World Book of Records, under the supervision of independent experts and metrology service specialists. Furnace No. 43 was the unit that set the record.

Facility representatives noted that a furnace like this typically produces between 50 and 60 tons of ferroalloys, but new technological solutions...

Kazakhstan Nuclear Power Plants (KNPP), LLP — a state-owned company under the Samruk-Kazyna holding — has been transferred to the trust management of the Atomic Energy Agency (AEA).

«By Presidential Decree No. 861, dated April 28, 2025, the Limited Liability Partnership ‘Kazakhstan Nuclear Power Plants’ has been designated as a subordinate organization of the Atomic Energy Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan. To expedite the partnership’s activities and accelerate the implementation of the nuclear power plant (NPP) construction project, a trust management agreement has been concluded with the agency,» the AEA said in a statement.

Euronews has finished filming two new episodes of its program «Modern Nomads» about the epic tourist routes of Kazakhstan. This time, the crew visited Baikonur and Katon-Karagay, as reported by Kazakh Tourism.  

Filming for both episodes has been completed, with broadcasts scheduled for September.

What Euronews filmed in Baikonur

At the Baikonur Cosmodrome, the crew managed to capture a rocket launch, which happens six to seven times a year on average.

The episode will showcase the Gagarin’s Start launch site, the Buran spacecraft, the museum of the Baikonur city and other notable locations.

Viewers will also see the dynamic...

The tenge rate fell to 532 per U.S. dollar during trading on the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange (KASE) on July 17, 2025, hitting an all-time low.

The last transaction at 11:48 Astana time was at 532.5 tenge per dollar. The tenge opened the trading session at 525.7 per dollar but fell 1.3% or 6.8 tenge during the session.

The 530 tenge-per-dollar mark was last reached after trading on the KASE in mid-January 2025.

Notably, the exchange rate at the end of a session on KASE has never reached 531 tenge per dollar in history.

In Almaty, exchange offices are...

Kazakhstani superstar Dimash Qudaibergen has adopted the image of a stern batyr — a heroic Kazakh warrior.

Qudaibergen shared photos of him in the striking new persona on Instagram, leaving fans barely able to recognize their favorite singer. Dimash had «grown out» shoulder-length hair and a beard. However, he has yet to reveal any details behind this image change.

«Hello from shooting,» he wrote briefly in the caption.

The post also includes a video capturing Qudaibergen skillfully swinging an ancient sword, reinforcing the image of a mighty warrior.

China Eastern Airlines is further expanding its nonstop services throughout Central Asia. On July 16, the carrier launched a new route between Xi’an and Tashkent, as reported by Uzbekistan Airports.

This marks China Eastern’s debut in the Uzbek market. Tashkent–Xi’an flights are operated three times a week — on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays — using Airbus A320 aircraft. Flight time is four hours and 55 minutes, and tickets start at $212.80.

In late May, Kazakhstani airline SCAT launched flights to Xi’an from Shymkent. The service operates twice a week, with fares starting at $176.

Earlier this month, China Eastern Airlines...

Toyota Financial Services Kazakhstan (TFS), a microfinance organization, issued unsecured coupon bonds on July 16, 2025, worth approximately $9.5 million. Proceeds from the bond placement will be used to provide microloans to individuals and businesses in Kazakhstan, secured by vehicles, according to a release on the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange (KASE) website.

This marks the fifth bond issue under the company’s first bond program, which totals nearly $190 million.

In 2024, TFS reported net income of approximately $17.5 million.

The company plans to issue 5 million bonds with a par value of $1.90 each. The coupon rate on the...

The construction of a new transport and logistics complex called Tobyl, valued at approximately $121.4 million, has begun in Kostanay, as reported by Primeminister.kz. The logistics hub will be integrated into international transport corridors, connecting China, Central Asia, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan and Europe.  

Once operational, the facility, which is planned to cover about 133 hectares within the city limits, will have the capacity to handle 11 million tons of cargo annually, providing jobs for 500 people, including logisticians, operators, IT specialists and service staff. The project is being carried out with the involvement of Kedentransservice — owned by...

More than 720 Russian companies exited Kazakhstan in the second quarter of 2025, the steepest quarterly decline on record, according to data from the Bureau of National Statistics, highlighted by the First Credit Bureau.

Between April and July, the number of companies in Kazakhstan with Russian founders fell by 728 to 17,600. This marks the sharpest drop since early 2019.

The downward trend has persisted for five consecutive quarters and continues to accelerate. Since April 2024, the number of Russian-owned businesses in Kazakhstan has shrunk by 2,100, gradually returning to pre-crisis levels after a surge in 2022 sparked...

A football academy will be built in Karaganda. The $22.7 million project was presented to Ermaganbet Bulekpaev, the governor of the Karaganda region, by Timur Turlov, the majority shareholder of Freedom Holding Corp. The project, first announced in April, will be implemented with the financial support of Freedom.

Once completed, the academy will feature a year-round arena, a stadium with 5,000 seats, a training field with modern heating and lighting systems, a boarding school for 80 to 100 boys and girls, a gym, recovery rooms (including medical and other facilities), and various methodological rooms.

The stadium is expected to meet...

Eurasia Mining PLC, headquartered in London, has officially launched share trading on the Astana International Exchange (AIX). Securities have become available to investors in Kazakhstan through the cross-listing, without a follow-up offering, AIX emphasized.

The mining company was founded in 1995, and its securities have been listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) since 1996. Eurasia Mining focuses on extracting non-ferrous and precious metals. Currently, it is implementing projects to extract platinum group metals, gold, nickel and copper in Russia’s Ural region and on the Kola Peninsula.

According to the company’s 2024 annual report, Eurasia Mining wants to sell...

Kazakhstan will build its first nuclear power plant (NPP), with a capacity of 2.4 gigawatts (GW), using Russian export financing, according to the country’s Agency for Atomic Energy (AAE).

In mid-June 2025, Kazakhstan chose Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom to lead the international consortium for constructing the plant, which will be located on the shores of Lake Balkhash.

EPC model

The project is expected to begin soon, as the Kazakh government has already committed to adding 2.4 GW of nuclear power capacity by 2035. The Ministry of Energy noted that construction, from pouring the foundation to launching the first...

Lake Kobeytuz is one of the most unusual places in Kazakhstan, where the water has a rich pink hue. Located in the Akmola region, about 160 kilometers east of Astana, this natural phenomenon attracts tourists from across the country and abroad with its otherworldly beauty.

Why is the water pink?

The secret behind the color lies in the microalgae Dunaliella salina, which produce beta-carotene, especially actively during hot and dry summers. The same phenomenon can be observed in pink lakes in Australia and Senegal. The color can vary from light pink to deep crimson, depending on lighting, temperature and the...