The phenomenon of “Uzbek-style Onlyfans,” where women earn money by sending erotic photos and videos in exchange for money transfers, is actively discussed on Uzbek social media. According to users, dozens of accounts with explicit avatars offering such content appear daily in Telegram groups, Tashkent Today reports. The scheme is simple: for a certain amount
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, says it is investing in Uzbekistan’s East Can Solutions to develop the country’s first greenfield aluminum can production facility. Based in Tashkent, the plant will supply leading beverage producers with fully recyclable metal packaging to strengthen domestic supply, meet rising market demand, and reduce
For the first time since the pandemic, fewer than 900,000 births were registered in Uzbekistan: 879,600 children were born in 2025, 46,800 fewer than the previous year, marking the second consecutive decline in the birth rate, according to Tashkent Today. The number of deaths reached 177,100, exceeding the pandemic year. The number of marriages fell
On February 3, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev held a government meeting on the effective use of water resources and the introduction of water-saving technologies in agriculture. Currently, the area of irrigated land in Uzbekistan where water-saving technologies are applied has reached 2.6 million hectares, accounting for 60 percent of the total irrigated area. For comparison, before
Amendments to the Family Code, the Law on Civil Status Acts, and the Law on the Protection of Citizens’ Health have been submitted for public discussion in Kyrgyzstan. The bill, published on the parliament’s website, states that a person’s gender is determined exclusively by biological characteristics recorded at birth in the birth certificate, and it
In 2025 the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) invested almost US$2 billion (€1.72 billion) through 120 projects in Central Asia and Mongolia. Uzbekistan was the leading recipient of EBRD funding in 2025 for the sixth year running (over US$ 1 billion, or €880 million). The EBRD provided almost US$ 440 million (€378 million) for
The Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) has released a new report, The Eurasian Region and Partner Countries in Asia: Analysis of Investment Flows. The report focuses on mutual investments between 13 countries of the Eurasian region (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Mongolia, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan) and partner countries in Asia (Afghanistan,
In 2025, trade between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan amounted to $4.97 billion, an 11.4% increase compared to the previous year. This was announced during a January 30 meeting between Uzbek Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade Laziz Kudratov and Kazakh Ambassador to Uzbekistan Beibut Atamkulov. The parties discussed the current state and future prospects of trade,
The official presentation of the Kazakhstan AI Country Report was held in Astana on January 28. It is the country’s first comprehensive overview of the AI market, covering government strategy, digital and computing infrastructure, human capital, startups, venture investments, and industry use cases of AI implementation. The report was prepared by the analytical agency RISE
On January 28, Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Olzhas Bektenov held a meeting on the implementation of the President’s instruction to launch a new investment cycle and increase the volume of high-quality investment. “The President has tasked all state bodies and organizations with increasing the inflow of high-quality investment and ensuring the implementation of breakthrough projects
Kyrgyzstan’s Ministry of Labor, Social Welfare, and Migration has announced the launch of a new social project aimed at providing assistance to women and girls who suffer from domestic violence, as well as to victims of human trafficking. A 24-hour hotline has been launched to provide prompt and high-quality assistance to victims of domestic violence
An investment project for deep chrome processing will be implemented in Kazakhstan’s Aktobe region. The project is aimed at developing a chemical and metallurgical cluster and forming new production facilities with high added value, according to Kazakh Invest national company. The project, implemented by Sichuan YinHe Chemical Co. Ltd., one of the world’s largest players in
The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has completed the Article IV Consultation for Kazakhstan. According to the IMF, Kazakhstan’s economy continued to grow at a rapid pace in 2025, boosted by rising oil output and robust activity in non-oil sectors. Strong domestic demand, underpinned by an expansionary public sector stance, has contributed
A meeting was held at the Ministry of Investment, Industry and Trade of Uzbekistan on January 27 with a delegation from Hyundai Heavy Industries Power Systems, Korea District Heating Corporation, and the Korea Institute for Climate Change. The meeting discussed a project to construct a combined heat and power (CHP) plant utilizing agricultural waste as
The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors has approved the Regional Electricity Market Interconnectivity and Trade (REMIT) Program, which will be implemented over a 10-year period across three phases to boost energy connectivity in Central Asia. The multi-phase program will establish Central Asia’s first-ever regional electricity market, increase electricity trade, expand transmission capacity, and lay the groundwork for large-scale renewable energy integration. According to the World
Uzbekistan is introducing a GIS-based innovative system aimed at enhancing the real-time monitoring, forecasting, and emergency response. The new system automates the collection and analysis of data on territorial conditions and emerging hazards and enables scenario modelling through a unified digital mapping and information resource, UNDP Uzbekistan reports. High-performance ICT equipment and system’s software, developed
In 2026, KazMunayGas-Aero LLP, an aviation fuel supply subdivision of national oil and gas company KazMunayGas, has begun “into plane” aircraft refueling at airports in Almaty and Astana. The Ministry of Transport has provided KazMunayGas-Aero with direct access to the infrastructure of Kazakhstan’s airports, including regional ones. The company plans to increase the scope of direct
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) says it is extending a €61.7 million sovereign loan to Kyrgyzstan to help it modernize its electricity grid. The loan, complemented by an investment grant of up to €3 million and technical cooperation funds of €3 million, will help to finance critical upgrades to the national electricity transmission
Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company PJSC – Masdar, a global clean energy leader, has announced the signing of a collaboration agreement with Emirates Utilities Development Company (EUDC) and Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Energy relating to the development of a gigascale round-the-clock clean energy project in the Central Asian country. The collaboration brings together Masdar’s clean energy
From January to November 2025, Uzbekistan exported 14,800 tons of rice to 11 foreign countries, generating a total revenue of $6.4 million, Dunyo information agency reported citing data from the National Statistical Committee. The largest volumes of Uzbek rice were exported to Central Asian countries and neighboring states. Kazakhstan was the largest importer with 8,000
