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Kazakhstan may lose its status as a crediting country and become a borrowing country, according to analysts from BCC Invest, who broke down a draft law on adjusting budget parameters published recently by the Ministry of Finance.

The document says that the Ministry of Finance re-calculated its estimates and downgraded its forecast for tax revenue expected to be collected by the end of the year by $6.1 billion to $25.6 billion. To cover that gap the country’s government has already raised the bar for money transfers from the National Fund by $4 billion to $11.4 billion. As a result, the...

Airbus, a European aerospace corporation, has proposed to test the Zephyr high-altitude platform stations (HAPS) in Kazakhstan. This suggestion came after a meeting between Zhaslan Madiyev, the minister of digital development, innovations and aerospace industry and representatives of French companies.  

Kazakhstan plans to use Airbus solutions designed for monitoring natural resources, environmental management and digitalization of the aviation industry. The Zephyr HAPS is also referred to as a pseudo-satellite, a vessel that resembles a small airplane or stratosphere balloon capable of flying for months at a height of up to 25 kilometers. Technically, this is something between a satellite...

Alstom, a French rolling stock manufacturer, will ship 117 freight electric locomotives to Kazakhstan Railway (Kazakhstan Temir Zholy, KTZ) before 2028 and establish service centers, the KTZ’s press service reported. The agreement has been signed in Paris at the Kazakhstan-France Business Council.

In order to acquire the engines, KTZ will contract a low-interest loan at the French bank, Société Générale. The transaction guarantor will be BPI France, the export credit agency of the French Ministry of Finance. The transaction amount hasn’t been disclosed, though.

The ordered freight locomotives will replace obsolete and worn-out engines produced in the 1980s and will...

American Eleview International Inc. is accused of transferring technologies worth millions of dollars to Russia via Kazakhstan. Given that the businessmen have done so despite the ban, they might be sent to jail for up to 20 years.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the company and its executives — 54-year-old Oleg Nayandin and 39-year-old Vitaliy Borisenko — allegedly exported sensitive technologies to Russia in return for millions of dollars, violating the sanctions against Russia. Both businessmen living in the state of Virginia came before the court on Nov. 4 after being accused of conspiracy to breach export control...

Texol, a Kazakhstani industrial equipment manufacturer and service provider, is set to export machines to the Indonesian PT Ahli Teknik Nusantara, the Interfax Kazakhstan news agency reported.

The Indonesian enterprise will acquire robots designed by Texol for cleaning oil storage tanks and processing oil sludge. The agreement between the two parties was signed at the Indonesian embassy in Kazakhstan.

«Introducing automated oil storage tank cleaning systems by Texol in Indonesian enterprises will enable more competitive prices in the market and raise its overall efficacy,» said Nova Sumolang, CEO of PT Ahli Teknik Nusantara.

Texol produces...

The number of parcels shipped from China to Kazakhstan has been growing monthly, prompting Chinese marketplaces to strengthen their partnerships with delivery services in Kazakhstan. To handle the influx of low-cost goods from China, local logistics providers are quickly ramping up their capacities.

The boom in Chinese e-commerce

According to QazPost, Kazakhstan’s national postal operator, in the first 10 months of 2024, the inbound parcel volume from China has increased by 67% year-on-year, rising from 2.7 million to 4.5 million parcels.

One key driver of this rapid growth is Temu, a Chinese marketplace that first went live in...

The Freedom Holding Corp. and S&P Global Kazakhstan Manufacturing PMI® (Purchasing Managers’ Index™) was at 51.7 in October, showing a slight decline compared to 52.3 in September. Business activity in Kazakhstan’s service sector also fell, with the index reading at 49.0 in October, down from 51.1 in September. An index reading above 50 indicates an increase in activity, while a reading below 50 signals a decrease, Freedom Holding Corp reported in a statement.

According to Yerlan Abdikarimov, director of the Financial Analysis Department at Freedom Finance Global PLC (a 100% subsidiary of Freedom Holding Corp.), Kazakhstan’s manufacturing industry is stable...

Following a referendum in Kazakhstan where people supported the idea of constructing a nuclear power plant, the Central Asian country may support the French nuclear industry, as reported by Le Figaro, citing President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

The leader of Kazakhstan, who has come to France on a state visit, recently wrote an article titled “Kazakhstan Is a Strategic and Reliable Partner for France” where he highlighted Kazakhstan’s intention to continue collaborating with the European country.

At the forefront of the article, the French outlet added a comment:

«Deciding on the construction of its first nuclear power...

The incumbent President of Moldova Maia Sandu has won the second round of the presidential election. According to preliminary data from the country’s Central Elections Commission, the president obtained 55.09% of the votes.

The Central Election Commission revealed preliminary data after processing 99.14% of results from voting stations. The agency announced that Sandy received 55.09% of the votes, while Alexandr Stoianoglo, the second candidate running for the office, secured 44.01% of the votes.

Sandu has already thanked fellow citizens for their support.

«Moldova, today you are victorious. Together, we’ve shown the strength of our unity, democracy...

On Nov. 3, Kashagan, the largest oil field on the Caspian Sea shelf, became fully operational after a big overhaul of the production site was completed in October. The enterprise was expected to start its operations before Nov. 1, though, Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Energy said.

«On Nov. 3, Kashagan became fully operational, producing 51,000 tons of oil per day! (A new daily norm for the field),» the agency said in a statement.

On Nov. 2, the ministry reported that as of Nov. 2, the enterprise’s capacity was restored at 80%. Even though the field was...

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has reported that Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, the UAE, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Algeria and Oman have agreed to extend their voluntary oil production adjustments of 2.2 million barrels per day until the end of December 2024.

The eight countries have confirmed their commitment to the Declaration of Cooperation, which includes additional voluntary production adjustments. The countries have also agreed to offset all overproduction reported since January 2024 by no later than September 2025, following the compensation plans filed with the OPEC Secretariat.

Eight OPEC+ countries have been voluntarily reducing their oil production...

Kazakhstan and Russia have launched a joint educational program to train energy specialists. For the program, titled Engineer for Distribution Network Digital Modeling, 51 students from both countries have been selected, with three applicants competing for each available spot.

The international training course is a one-year program that includes internships for the best students. The education activities will take place at academic laboratories in the field of intelligent distributed energy at the Energynet.LAB facility.

«This course will be aimed at providing training in electric network modeling. It will work for changing the understanding and vision of...

American Wabtec, controlling a locomotive assembly plant in Astana, plans to invest $200 million over 10 years, starting in 2027, in the production of models powered by alternative fuels, the cabinet’s press office reported.

In June, the company established a new engineering facility where eco-friendly locomotives powered by alternative fuels are currently being designed.

Wabtec owns the Lokomotiv Kurastyru Zauyty manufacturing plant in Astana. The factory produces freight, passenger and shunting locomotives for both domestic and foreign markets, such as Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia. The enterprise employs 800 people and grants the opportunity to get training in the...

Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has renamed its Department of European Cooperation (DEC) into the Department of European Problems, the Russian media outlet Kommersant reported.

According to Maria Zakharova, the MFA’s official spokesperson, the renaming followed changes in «geopolitical realities and the necessity for the agency to adjust itself to those changes» as well as due to the «obvious degradation of European structures for multilateral cooperation.»

She told RBK, another Russian media outlet, that the department will continue to supervise issues related to international organizations in Europe such as the OCSE, the Council of Europe, the EU, and NATO.

Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Agriculture has denied any wrongdoing in response to the Russian Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Supervision (Rosselkhoznadzor) claiming that Kazakhstani authorities promoted illegal cross-border transportation of goods. Earlier this week, the Russian agency claimed that Kazakhstan allegedly used record details of more than 100 entities with no links to export activities to issue phytosanitary certificates. Supposedly, this scheme was performed to evade taxes and product-quality audits. 

In turn, Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Agriculture said it has nothing to do with “shady businesses” and placed the responsibility on unscrupulous private entities.

«Issuing phytosanitary certificates...

Kazakhstan has secured a €365 million (about $396 million) syndicated international loan, organized by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), to build a 630-bed hospital in Kokshetau. Six institutions, including the Development Bank of Kazakhstan, will participate in this loan arrangement, the EBRD reports.

The syndicate includes the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, Deutsche Investitions- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft (a subsidiary of Germany’s state-owned KfW bank), the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector, Proparco (a subsidiary of France’s Agence Française de Développement group) and the Development Bank of Kazakhstan. The EBRD alone will allocate €105 million.

The hospital...

Tajikistani authorities have prohibited playing the popular game series Grand Theft Auto (GTA) and Counter Strike, citing their negative impact on teenagers «persuading them to commit crimes,» the country’s Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) reported. Tajikistan became the first country in Central Asia to ban these popular video games.

«We inform citizens, especially those running video game clubs, that it is strictly forbidden to spread videos and games containing immoral and violent nature in accordance with the legislation of the Republic of Tajikistan,» the MIA said in a statement.

The agency noted that GTA and...

Kazakhstan’s Nurkozha Kaipanov has won the gold medal in freestyle wrestling at the World Championships in Tirana, Albania, securing victory in a non-Olympic weight category after a decisive match against Japan’s Yoshinosuke Aoyagi, according to Kazakhstan’s National Olympic Committee (NOC).

«In the final bout in the 70 kg weight category, he faced Japanese competitor Yoshinosuke Aoyagi. Kaipanov emerged victorious, winning the World Championship gold for the first time in his career,» the NOC stated.

This victory marks a career milestone for Kaipanov, who previously won silver in the same weight category at the World...

Kazakhstan and Russia have reached an agreement to open regular flights to Baikonur, aiming to attract tourists interested in visiting space facilities located within the cosmodrome. This agreement was finalized at the International Civil Aviation Organization Air Services Negotiation Event (ICAN 2024) in Malaysia.

«The Kazakhstan delegation held a meeting with Russia’s Deputy Minister of Transport Vladimir Poteshkin during which both parties agreed to establish air service from Kazakhstan and Russia to Baikonur to support tourism to the space station,» reported Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Transport.

Additionally, Kazakhstan secured agreements to increase weekly flights with four...

Following the introduction of visa-free travel between Kazakhstan and China, the number of Chinese tourists visiting Kazakhstan has surged. Since early 2024, over 122,000 tourists from China have visited, marking a 64% increase year-on-year.

According to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Tourism and data from the eQonaq tourist flow and migration control system, the first 10 months of 2024 saw 122,000 Chinese tourists, up from 78,515 visitors during the same period last year. This increase aligns with the recent mutual visa-free travel agreement and the Year of Kazakhstan Tourism in China.

«The visa-free policy and frequent flights have...

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev traveled to Mongolia for a business visit on Oct. 28 and 29, 2024. The guard of honor, horse guard, and nomad tent welcomed him in the capital, Ulaanbaatar. Kursiv.media has interviewed experts to understand the goals of this trip.

During a closed meeting with Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khürelsükh, President Tokayev referred to Mongolia as one of Kazakhstan’s most important partners and emphasized the special significance of the visit. Political analyst Gaziz Abishev views this visit as a step toward strengthening Kazakhstan-Mongolia relations on a regional scale.

«This is a regular state visit, which...

Kazakhstan Mobility Engineering, a joint venture established by Astana Motors and South Korean Motrex Co., has launched a new factory producing multimedia systems for cars. They are powered by software developed by Motrex Co. and support Kazakh language. The investments rate amounted roughly $31.7 million.   

Kanat Sharlapaev, minister of industry and construction, Nurlan Smagulov, founder of Astana Motors, Kim Junseon, CEO of Motrex, and Beknur Nessipbayev, CEO of Astana Motors, attended the facility’s official opening ceremony. The first batch of equipment for the Tucson and Elantra models has already been sent to the Hyundai Trans Kazakhstan plant. This production...

Kazakhstani researchers have found an innovative, eco-friendly approach to combat corrosion in oil production equipment using apple pectin. While still in the research phase and pending practical trials, this new method could substantially enhance the economic efficiency and environmental sustainability of Kazakhstan’s oil industry.

Given the sector’s role as a key contributor to the national GDP and budget, this breakthrough holds significant potential. Environmental risks such as oil spills remain a serious yet infrequent concern.

These risks are heightened at fields like Kashagan in the northern Caspian Sea, known for oil with high sulfur content.

Compounds such...

Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Digital Development is considering launching a pilot project aimed at simplifying the issuance of residence permits for foreign IT specialists. Under this plan, applicants could apply for permits remotely. Once confirmed as eligible, an applicant would then be able to enter Kazakhstan to complete the process and receive a residence permit, according to a resolution published on the www.legalacts.egov.kz website.

The pilot project is expected to be available in Astana and Almaty until the end of 2025, specifically for foreign IT specialists working with artificial intelligence (AI). To participate, applicants must submit a formal request at the...