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Kazakhstan scored just 23 out of 100 in Freedom in the World 2025, an annual ranking by Freedom House, a U.S.-based nonprofit organization. Freedom House evaluates countries based on political rights and civil liberties, categorizing them as «Free,» «Partly Free» or «Not Free.» Kazakhstan’s score and its corresponding «Not Free» status have remained unchanged for the past five years.

In 2024, Kazakhstanis saw no improvement in their level of freedom. The country scored only 5 out of 40 for political rights and 18 out of 60 for civil liberties.

Experts attribute Kazakhstan’s stagnant ranking to the ongoing persecution of opposition...

A group of Spanish experts will help Kazakhstan in exploring ground water in western Kazakhstan. The country’s Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, Nurzhan Nurzhigitov, has successfully negotiated with Xcalibur Smart Mapping from Spain. The company, headquartered in Madrid, specializes in airborne and geophysical mapping and has representative offices worldwide, including Astana.

“This year, the two sides are set to conduct an airborne electromagnetic survey to compile maps and explore groundwater reserves in western Kazakhstan,” the agency wrote on Telegram.

According to the ministry, Nurzhigitov is also seeking a grant from the Spanish government to...

Kazakhstan’s government will limit the size of the targeted transfer from the National Fund, following multiple requests from the National Bank, which supervises the fund’s assets. The Ministry of National Economy has finally agreed with the financial regulator’s proposal and introduced concrete initiatives, according to Vice Minister of National Economy Azamat Amrin.

Every year, the cabinet resorts to assets from the National Fund to cover the state budget deficit through two types of transfers: guaranteed and targeted. A guaranteed transfer depends on the cut-off price for oil and has been set at $3.9 billion for the next three years. In...

Today, many people feel that we are living in an era of continuous, large-scale change. Timur Turlov, CEO of Freedom Finance, has observed how countries and industries are evolving rapidly, external relationships and dependencies are shifting, and traditional value chains are dismantled while new ones take shape. The global electronic distribution of products and services is challenging competition and national regulations. Multinational corporations are being replaced by global digital ecosystems. Meanwhile, products are becoming increasingly complex and companies’ profit centers are growing more elusive, a phenomenon that Timur Turlov frequently addresses in his market analyses and investment guidance.

Perhaps most...

According to Sungat Yessimkhanov, Kazakhstan’s deputy prime minister of energy, in 2024, the country spent approximately $199.6 million on electricity imported from Russia.

«We are talking about 100 billion tenge (approximately $199.6 million). We will provide a more precise figure later. We plan to reduce electricity imports from Russia, as we have effectively commissioned several new power plants. Our goal is to make our energy imports not to exceed two billion kilowatt-hours,» he said during a meeting with members of the Senate, the upper house of Kazakhstan’s parliament.

Yessimkhanov emphasized that by 2027, Kazakhstan will...

On Feb. 25, Alibek Kuantyrov, Kazakhstan’s deputy foreign minister, met with Nigeria’s Minister of Communication and Digital Economy Bosun Tijani to discuss the prospects of cooperation in space technologies, electronic government development and cutting-edge financial services. Kazakh officials also proposed that their Nigerian counterparts examine Kazakhstan’s digitalization practices and consider launching joint projects.  

Deputy Chair of Kazakh Invest Madiyar Sultanbek held talks with the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission on attracting foreign funds and also met with local financial officials. The Nigerian side expressed interest in Kazakhstan’s approach to managing state-owned corporations and financing large projects through special funds.

The...

Amazon Kuiper is anticipated to launch its satellite internet services in Kazakhstan next year. Meanwhile, the company is preparing to roll out commercial services across the country, as reported by Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Digital Development.

The ministry’s officials have already discussed a wide range of issues related to the deployment of the Kuiper network in Kazakhstan with representatives of Amazon.

«The new solution will provide high-speed internet access to regions where traditional network infrastructure operates inefficiently. Amazon is set to launch commercial services in Kazakhstan in 2026,» the agency said in a statement.

The ministry...

According to Kazakhstan’s Minister of Energy Almassadam Satkaliyev, the country is going to increase its oil exports from 68.6 million tons in 2024 to 70.5 million tons this year. This increase is anticipated against the backdrop of the implementation of the expansion projects at Tengiz, Kazakhstan’s largest oil and gas field.

«The plan is to export 70.5 million tons of oil in 2025,» he said during a briefing.

At the same time, oil production will also increase from 87.7 million tons last year to 96.2 million tons this year. The rise in production will be...

Freedom Finance Global has been researching Kazakhstan residents’ consumer confidence, inflation and devaluation expectations for the twenty-seventh month. January 2025 showed a significant decline at 93.2 points, which is the second lowest indicator for the entire research. Negative responses began to prevail over positive ones. The decline in optimism occurs in all aspects but is especially noticeable in the assessment of the economic situation. Inflation estimates also increased over the month amid rising prices for vegetables and fruits. On the other hand, inflation expectations remained at the same level, and devaluation expectations decreased amid the strengthening of the tenge since...

Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Justice is set to use artificial intelligence (AI) to protect the copyrights of creative professionals and help them receive royalties from Instagram, Minister Yerlan Sarsembayev announced at a recent cabinet meeting.

The issue of copyright protection gained attention after an incident in the fall of 2024 when musical works by Kazakhstani artists and composers were removed from Meta’s platform. Several artists and songwriters filed complaints with Meta, claiming they had not received royalties for their work.

«This incident exposed flaws in the field of collective rights management. As a result, we decided this...

A two-day meeting of Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) shareholders took place in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, from Feb. 25 to Feb. 26, where they discussed the Ukrainian drone attack on the facility.

In the late hours of Feb. 17, a group of Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) attacked the Kropotkinskaya oil pump station, the largest facility within the CPC. Notably, around 80% of the oil transported through the pipeline comes from Kazakhstan.

Transneft, the Russian shareholder of the CPC, called this strike an act of terrorism, stating that such attacks are unacceptable.

CTC General Director Nikolai Gorban reported...

Kazakhstan’s Minister of Industry and Construction Kanat Sharlapaev says companies from the U.S., the European Union and China can bid for rights to the country’s rare earth and rare metal deposits at government-held auctions. Competition among major global players for these critical materials — essential for renewable energy, electric vehicles and dual-use goods — could help Kazakhstan generate more revenue.

«It is fair practice [to sell the rights to rare earth deposits to foreign companies at auctions]…  I support the auctioning of some deposits with proven reserves,» Sharlapaev said in response to an inquiry from Kursiv.media.

TrustMe, an IT service developed in Kazakhstan, plans to expand its services worldwide, said the project’s CEO Chingiz Dauletbayev at a meeting with Kazakhstan’s cabinet members. Previously, the project was presented in Silicon Valley under the Hero Training acceleration program within other promising startups and attracted $1 million in investments from prominent venture investor Tim Draper.

TrustMe is a service designed for the instant signing of legal agreements via SMS, biometric verification and messengers such as WhatsApp, Telegram and eGov mobile. Documents signed with the service based on blockchain technologies are counterfeit-proof.

The project aims to enhance users’ confidence in...

Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Justice is planning to introduce «virtual autopsies» as an alternative to standard postmortem examinations, according to Yerlan Sarsembayev, the head of the agency. He announced the proposal during a recent cabinet meeting.

The procedure would use computed tomography (CT) scans instead of conventional autopsies, allowing bodies to remain largely intact. Sarsembayev noted that this approach could help address concerns related to national and religious traditions. The project has been launched in a pilot phase.

In a virtual autopsy, internal organs remain undisturbed while advanced imaging helps determine the cause of death.

The ministry also plans to reduce...

Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ), the national railway company, and China’s largest construction corporation China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) have discussed prospects for cooperation on the development of the Trans-Afghan transport corridor, as reported by Rail-news.kz.

KTZ Chair Nurlan Sauranbayev and Wang Tongzhou, the chairman of CCCC, held talks on Feb. 24 in Beijing, where they also discussed the projects at the port of Anaklia, Georgia, along with the strengthening of cooperation in logistics.

Both KTZ and CCCC expressed their readiness to step up cooperation. Notably, the Chinese company has already been involved in several projects in Kazakhstan, including railway and...

Eugen Schmidt has been a member of the far-right German political party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD, Alternative for Germany) since 2016. Last Sunday, the party took second place in the German parliamentary elections. In the Bundestag, Schmidt advocates for the interests of the Russian-speaking population, calls for lifting sanctions against Russia, and supports recognizing Crimea as part of Russia. He is a frequent guest on Russian talk shows.

According to data published on the Bundestag’s website, Schmidt was born on Oct. 23, 1975, in Ust-Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan. In 1997, he graduated from East Kazakhstan University, where he studied IT. In...

Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan have signed an agreement to jointly build small hydroelectric power plants in Kyrgyzstan, marking a step toward regional energy cooperation.

The deal was finalized on Feb. 25, 2025, during Kyrgyz Prime Minister Adylbek Kasymaliev’s first official visit to Kazakhstan. The agreement between the two countries’ energy ministries is part of a broader strategy to expand clean energy production and strengthen economic ties, according to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Energy.

«Kazakhstan has consistently supported strengthening regional cooperation in the energy sector. We see this as a pledge of stability and prosperity for all of...

Since the start of the war in Ukraine, Kazakhstan’s exports have played an increasingly significant role in its trade with Russia. However, this does not necessarily mean that Kazakhstani companies are helping Russia circumvent sanctions; trade patterns may have shifted for other reasons. Kursiv Research analyzed which goods have seen dramatic changes and what might be driving these shifts.

How has the war in Ukraine reshaped Kazakhstan-Russia trade?

Three years ago, on Feb. 24, 2022, the war between Russia and Ukraine began. In response, Western nations imposed sweeping sanctions on Russia, including sectoral, financial and individual restrictions. Trade bans targeted...

Kazakhstan’s government has officially chosen a construction site in the Zhambyl district of the Almaty region for the country’s first nuclear power plant (NPP).

The relevant decree, signed by Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov, has been published on the legal acts database.

«To designate the Zhambyl district of the Almaty region as the construction area for the Nuclear Power Plant. This decree shall take effect on the date of its official publication,» the document said.

On Oct. 6, 2024, Kazakhstan hosted a national referendum on the construction of a nuclear power plant. At the time, President...

The European Union (EU) has prohibited organizations from third countries from operating with the Financial Messaging System of the Bank of Russia (SPFS), developed as an alternative to SWIFT, headquartered in Belgium. The National Payment Corporation of Kazakhstan (NPCK), a subsidiary of Kazakhstan’s National Bank, began cooperating with SPFS back in July 2024. However, it is unclear whether the two entities still cooperate.  

Kursiv.media has reached out to the regulator to inquire whether NPCK’s cooperation with the Russian SPFS is still ongoing and what the possible consequences are. At the time of publication, the National Bank has not responded.

The U.K. has imposed sanctions against Keremet Bank from Kyrgyzstan. The British government announced this decision on its website on Feb. 24. The Kyrgyz financial institution is already on the U.S. sanctions list, as all the bank’s efforts to challenge international restrictions have failed. 

According to the British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Keremet Bank has benefited from supporting the Russian government, citing this as the key reason for the sanctions. Even though British authorities haven’t disclosed any details of this cooperation, they stated that the financial institution has been operating within Moscow’s critical financial sector and providing services to...

The founder and CEO of Med365, a Kazakhstani automated medical examination equipment provider, Chingiz Kulakhmetov, announced that Kazakhstani drivers will soon have the opportunity to undergo an express medical examination at gas stations for around 20 cents. According to him, at the initial stage, the company is launching a system for examining taxi and intercity bus drivers, with future plans to expand the option to all drivers, Kulakhmetov told Kursiv Cars during the Freedom Practicum media event.   

The equipment provided by Med365, which conducts a medical check-up within one minute, is set to be installed at Kazakhstan’s gas stations...

Recent media reports allege that the name of the well-known online betting platform Olimpbet will be removed from Kazakhstan’s football league and tournament titles. The platform has been one of the major sponsors of Kazakh football, serving as an official partner of the Kazakhstan Premier League (KPL) and the Kazakhstan Football Federation (KFF).

In 2024, Kazakhstan introduced legislative changes affecting gambling and betting services. These new regulations imposed restrictions on betting companies’ advertising and limited their ability to sponsor sporting events. However, according to Olimpbet, its current agreement with the KFF remains in effect through the end of 2025.

Some...

Artificial intelligence (AI) is set to be used to create questions for the Unified National Testing (UNT) — a series of final examinations in Kazakhstan — stated Nursultan Makhatov, director of the Digitalization Department at the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, during a briefing at the Central Communications Service.

According to him, work on implementing five projects powered by national AI is currently underway.

«These include the AI Talapker chatbot, which will offer guidance on regulatory rules for the 2025 UNT, provide statistical information and answer questions about state-funded education enrollment,» Makhatov said.

He...