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Every morning, Almaty wakes to the dull hum of traffic jams. The air — thick, dusty and heavy — seems to warn: too many cars, too little city.

In recent years, Kazakhstan’s largest metropolis has increasingly resembled Los Angeles, a city where not having a car can feel like being cut off from society. But can Almaty choose a different path, a more European one, where urban life is measured not by traffic jams, but by livability?

Kursiv LifeStyle spoke with three experts who view transportation not just as a means of getting from point A to point B, but...

The Association of Financiers of Kazakhstan (AFK), in its latest daily review of stock exchange events, advocated for Kazakhstan’s National Bank to conduct currency interventions aimed at stabilizing the tenge exchange rate.

The AFK highlighted that during the trading session on the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange on July 23, the USD/KZT exchange rate rose drastically, reaching a record high of 538.64 tenge per U.S. dollar (+6.21 tenge). At the same time, the trading volume was unusually high, totaling $270.9 million.  

Meanwhile, such currency weakening lacks fundamental economic reasons, indicating speculative activity in the foreign exchange market. The growing pressure...

According to the Committee for Combating Drug Crime under the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kazakhstan, 24,000 account cards with a total value of $4.4 million have been blocked in the country due to suspicious transactions.

The committee said that transactions involving large cash withdrawals, frequent small transfers without clear economic purpose and activities potentially linked to illegal drug circulation were flagged as suspicious. Such cases are identified through the analysis of financial flows – both via alerts from banks and in cooperation with other government agencies.

The Internal Ministry reported that roughly 4,000 drug offenses were identified in Kazakhstan...

The Astana Financial Services Authority (AFSA), the independent regulator of the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC), has prepared consultation papers featuring amendments aimed at enhancing the center’s effectiveness and aligning it with international standards. The regulator is inviting market participants to provide feedback on the proposals. Furthermore, the membership admission criteria are proposed to be expanded, along with measures to facilitate securities issuance.

The amendments proposed by AFSA are divided into three areas: capital markets, digital assets and crowdfunding. In the capital markets section, the amendments aim to streamline companies’ information disclosure, apply corporate governance requirements only to issuers...

Shares of KazMunayGas (KMG), Kazakhstan’s national oil company, have surged more than 25% over the past two months, despite a lack of clear catalysts, according to data from the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange (KASE).

Steady growth

Since May 22, 2025, KMG stock has climbed steadily, reaching 18,699 tenge (nearly $35) per share on July 22. During that day’s trading session alone, the price rose by 2.69% or $0.91 per share.

Analysts remain puzzled by the continued rally. In its daily market review, Freedom Broker noted that KMG shares hit their target valuation of approximately $33, marking a 22% gain...

Kazakhstan will establish a national cargo air carrier, according to a statement from the cabinet’s press service.

The decision comes amid steady growth in the global air cargo market, which is currently valued at 57.7 million tons. As the ninth-largest country in the world, Kazakhstan accounts for 15% of transit air cargo traffic passing through its airspace.

According to Nurlan Zhakupov, CEO of the state-owned holding Samruk-Kazyna, the initial plan is to lease three aircraft, with the fleet eventually expanding to 10, following common international practices.

«The launch of the first flight operated by the national...

Retail investors in Kazakhstan will now pay taxes based on the netting principle. All transactions starting from Jan.1, 2025, will be taken into account on a cumulative basis — with the possibility of deducting losses from profits. These changes to the Tax Code were signed into law by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

At the same time, the law allows investors to deduct brokerage commissions when purchasing securities. This means the tax base will reflect the investor’s actual profit. These amendments eliminate the previous imbalance, where taxes could be charged even in cases of financial loss.

According to Sergey Lukyanov, chairman of...

Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has endorsed tougher punishment for assault and acts of cruelty against health professionals, according to Ruslan Zheldibay, the president’s advisor and press secretary.

«Incidents of this sort, damaging the health and welfare of our medical professionals, must be determinedly suppressed through legal measures in line with the Law and Order principle,» the official emphasized.

Tokayev instructed the cabinet to develop legislative amendments that will be brought before parliament for discussion, with the participation of representatives from civil society.

Recently, several cases of violence against health professionals were reported in Kazakhstan. Akmaral...

Kazakhstan’s national currency, the tenge, fell to a historic low of 538.9 per U.S. dollar during trading on the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange (KASE) on July 23. The rate dropped by 0.75% or 4 tenge by the close of the session.

This marks the second record low for the tenge in just one week. On July 17, the currency slipped to 533 per dollar.

In the days that followed, the exchange rate partially rebounded, reaching 530 per dollar by July 21. On July 22, the National Bank of Kazakhstan stated it had not intervened in the currency market.

The...

On July 22, the Fourth International Festival of Popular Music Performers Meikin Asia took place in Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyzstan. During the closing ceremony, Kazakhstani singer and composer Dimash Qudaibergen was awarded the title of People’s Artist of the Kyrgyz Republic, as reported by Dimashnews.com.

Kyrgyz State Secretary Marat Imankulov, joined by the country’s Minister of Culture, Information, Sports and Youth Policy Mirbek Mambetaliev, presented the award to the singer. The title was conferred in accordance with a decree issued by Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov.

Notably, Qudaibergen already holds the title of People’s Artist of Kazakhstan.

Earlier this month, the singer...

After a flurry of bronze medals in the opening days of the 2025 FISU World University Games in Germany, Kazakhstan has finally claimed its first gold. Taekwondo athlete Samirkhon Ababakirov took the top spot in the men’s 63 kg weight class.

Gold at last!

To reach the final, Ababakirov defeated Israel’s Ori Torgeman, Saudi Arabia’s Abdullah Alqumizi, Canada’s Yohan Chang and Tunisia’s Mohamed Khalil Jendoubi. In the championship bout, he delivered a commanding performance against Turkey’s Omer Dayioglu to secure gold — a brilliant victory.

Unfortunately, the momentum didn’t carry over for the rest of Kazakhstan’s taekwondo team. Aidana...

Kazakhstan is testing a new service called «AI therapist,» an artificial intelligence system capable of making preliminary diagnoses with up to 80% accuracy.

AI for routine tasks

The service is being piloted at several medical facilities in the Akmola region.

«The system analyzes the dialogue between a doctor and a patient in real time, forms a preliminary diagnosis with an accuracy of up to 80%, and allows the doctor to cut routine paperwork time by up to 40%,» the Ministry of Healthcare said in a statement.

In healthcare, the idea of replacing human doctors...

Kazakhstan is developing a service that will allow foreigners to remotely register within the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) and establish businesses, Kazakhstan’s Minister of Digital Development, Innovations and Aerospace Industry Zhaslan Madiyev announced during a cabinet meeting.

According to the official, the project is being implemented via the QazETA mobile application, designed to facilitate foreigners’ stay in the country. The app is already available on Google Play, with its release on the App Store planned by the end of July.

The app already features several functions, including access to digital government services, visa processing, registration at the place of...

A young population and a growing appetite for new experiences make Kazakhstan an increasingly attractive destination for international brands. However, launching a sustainable business in the country requires more than introducing a well-known name — it demands long-term investment in local capacity, infrastructure and market-specific adaptation.

Fast food landscape

Kazakhstan’s fast food industry has evolved steadily over the past two decades, attracting international players such as KFC, Burger King and Hardee’s. However, not all market entries have proven sustainable. McDonald’s, once a major player operating through a supply chain linked to Russia, exited the country in 2023 amid geopolitical...

Over 7.5 million foreign nationals have arrived in Kazakhstan since the beginning of 2025, an increase of 600,000 from last year, according to Baurzhan Alenov, deputy minister of Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs. As he noted, 90% of the arrivals are citizens of CIS member states.

«Over the first six months of 2025, more than 7.5 million people entered Kazakhstan (7.2 million of them later left), which is 600,000 more compared to the same period last year. Ninety percent come from the CIS countries,» the official said during the government session.

Regions with the most...

If one were to wake up a hundred years from now and be asked what Kazakhstani lawmakers and economists are tirelessly arguing about today, a confident answer would be: whether it’s time to dissolve Samruk-Kazyna, the nation’s sovereign wealth fund.

Criticism of Samruk-Kazyna in 2025 and 2022

Options for the reform

The fund vs. the cabinet’s objectives

Criticism of Samruk-Kazyna in 2025 and 2022

Since the beginning of the year, barely a month has passed without independent analysts, Kazakhstani media observers or MPs publicly criticizing the activities of Samruk-Kazyna. The depth of frustration is reflected...

A Kazakh stuntman performed a split between two moving fire trucks without fall protection in Uralsk.

A video, filmed for advertising purposes, spread across social media, featuring fire trucks manufactured by UralskAgroRemMash (UARM), a local producer of specialized vehicles.

UARM noted that the stunt was performed by a professional stuntman with many years of experience, under the supervision of specialists, while the video aimed to promote domestically produced fire-service equipment.

Almaty Bar Shift, the international bar week, gathered bar professionals from around the world in Kazakhstan’s largest city to share their experiences of promoting businesses and destinations through the art of drinks.

Cocktail week organizers and experts affiliated with global bar rankings, along with other global professionals, came to the city. From July 14 to 20, bartenders from bars featured in The World’s 50 Best Bars, Top 500 Bars and Michelin guides stood behind the counters of several Almaty establishments.

According to Kamila Lukpanova, head of the Almaty Tourism Bureau, the city has enormous potential in the field of...

Representatives of Silvercorp Metals Inc., a Canada-based mining company, held talks with officials in Astana to discuss cooperation prospects in the mining sector, according to Kazakh Invest’s press release.  

Silvercorp was represented by the company’s founder and CEO, Dr. Rui Feng (Ph.D., geology) and President Lon Shaver. On the Kazakhstani side, Azamat Kozhanov, deputy chairman of the board of Kazakh Invest, participated in the discussions.

Silvercorp expressed interest in geological exploration and developing deposits of precious and nonferrous metals in Kazakhstan, while also considering the possibility of establishing an office in the country.   

Kozhanov noted that Kazakhstan...

Kazakhstani company Astana Motors is set to become an official distributor of the Chery car brand in the Czech Republic. This fall, Chery will debut in Czechia with its two models, Chery Tiggo 7 and Tiggo 8, equipped with gasoline and plug-in hybrid powertrains (PHEV). This is the first instance of a Kazakh business expanding into the European Union (EU) in this segment.

Chery’s entry into Czechia will be carried out with the active involvement of Astana Motors. The company has been successfully promoting the brand in Kazakhstan for several years, establishing a wide dealership network and local production in...

Paracetamol has emerged as the most popular over-the-counter (OTC) drug in Kazakhstan, with nearly 3 million packages sold in the past year. Rounding out the top five are sodium chloride, ethyl alcohol, acetylsalicylic acid and Citramon P.

Tracking demand

This fresh data comes from Kazakhstan’s newly implemented mandatory labeling and traceability system, Tañba, which gives the government full oversight of pharmaceutical distribution. According to the Ministry of Healthcare, every package is now tracked from production to pharmacy shelves.

The system aims to increase consumer safety and provide accurate data on market demand.

Over the past year, 417 million...

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...