In recent years, Uzbekistan has witnessed a rapid increase in the number of motor vehicles. While in 2021 the country had 3.14 million registered cars, by 2025 their number had grown by 66%, reaching 5.2 million. This sharp rise is particularly evident in Tashkent, where the expanding vehicle fleet directly affects air quality and public
Deputy Chairman of the Board of Kazakh Invest national company, Madiyar Sultanbek held a meeting with the delegation of the Dutch trade mission on critical raw materials in Astana. The mission includes leading Dutch companies and research organizations specializing in mining technologies, metallurgy, resource processing, secondary use of raw materials, and implementation of circular solutions, including
On September 11, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev reviewed proposals on the organization of a single population and agriculture census in Uzbekistan. The previous nationwide census was held back in 1989. According to the new law “On population census,” the population is subject to census at least once in 10 years and agriculture in every 5 years.
Kyrgyzstan’s state-owned Eldik Bank has become the first bank in Central Asia to join China’s Cross-Border Interbank Payment System (CIPS) as a direct participant. According to the bank, this strategic step opens up new opportunities for Kyrgyzstan to carry out direct and instant settlements in yuan with Chinese partners and other participants in the system,
Construction of a new power unit has begun at the Combined Heat and Power Plant (CHPP)-3 in Karaganda, Kazakhstan. The project will create additional electricity and heat supply resources for the region. The project is being implemented in strategic partnership with the Eurasian Development Bank. The capsule-laying ceremony on September 10 was attended by the
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and ACWA Power Company have signed a $51 million loan package to build the Nukus 2 Wind and Battery Energy Storage facility in Uzbekistan’s Qoraozak district in the Republic of Karakalpakstan. The project will be implemented by ACWA Power Beruniy Wind FE LLC, which is fully owned by ACWA Power.
On September 8, the airport in Naryn, the main city of the Naryn region in central-east Kyrgyzstan, opened after major reconstruction with the launch of regular Bishkek-Naryn-Bishkek flights operated by state-owned Asman Airlines. All regional airports built in Kyrgyzstan in the Soviet time were never repaired until the most recent time, and the Naryn airport
The volume of trade between Central Asian countries and the Gulf states (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates) reached $3.3 billion in 2024, an increase of 4.2 times since 2020, according to the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB). Imports to Central Asian countries from the Gulf states accounted for 80% of
To support Tajikistan’s smaller businesses, strengthen support for women entrepreneurs, improve energy efficiency, and boost housing finance, IFC — a member of the World Bank Group — is providing a $5 million loan in local currency to the country’s Bank Arvand. This long-term financing will allow Bank Arvand, an IFC partner since 2019, to ramp
A delegation of the largest U.S. trade mission in Central Asia visited Mangystau region as part of its visit to Kazakhstan. The visit aimed to familiarize with the region’s investment potential and the advantages of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR, or the Middle Corridor), according to Kazakh Invest national company. A roundtable was held
In Astana on September 4, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Alibek Kuantyrov held a meeting with representatives of leading US companies visiting Kazakhstan as part of a US trade mission. The parties discussed the status of ongoing and prospective projects, as well as the expansion of American companies’ presence in the Kazakh market.
Over the past three years, the value of high-tech exports from Kazakhstan has increased almost threefold. In 2024, the export of such products reached $7.3 billion, compared to $2.5 billion in 2021, finprom.kz reported with reference to the Bureau of National Statistics. Over these years, many of the goods exported by Kazakhstan have increased in
On September 4, Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev reviewed a presentation of measures for creating a value-added chain in agriculture. In the past years, the areas planted with cotton and grain have been reduced and reoriented towards food crops, 160 thousand hectares of new orchards and vineyards have been planted, and 1.5 thousand projects in the
Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Energy and China Energy Engineering Group have signed agreements on the construction of a large solar power plant with a capacity of 300 MW in the Sauran district of the Turkestan region in southern Kazakhstan. The Investment Agreement and the Power Purchase Agreement were signed on September 2 as part of the
India’s Deccan Gold Mines Ltd (DGML) announced significant progress towards production at its Altyn Tor Gold Project in Kyrgyzstan, the first Indian-owned gold production facility in Central Asia, The Times of India reported. The project develops the Solton-Sary deposit, located at an altitude of 3,500-3,600 meters above sea level in the Naryn region, 355 km from
On September 2 in Beijing, Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev spoke at the 8th meeting of the Kazakh-Chinese Business Council. Tokayev said that last year, Kazakh-Chinese trade turnover reached a record high figure of $44 billion, and both countries plan to increase this figure in the next five years. “China has already invested $27 billion into
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $233.1 million loan to Uzbekistan to help modernize a critical segment of the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Road Corridor 2. The project aims to improve regional connectivity, reduce travel time, and enhance road safety and climate resilience in western Uzbekistan. The CAREC Road Corridor 2 Resilience
Kazakhstan and China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region have agreed to prepare a roadmap for the development of trade and economic cooperation with a focus on diversifying bilateral trade and increasing non-resource exports from Kazakhstan. The agreement was reached during the recent negotiations in Urumqi between Kazakh Minister of Trade and Integration Arman Shakkaliyev and the
On August 27, Kyrgyzstan President Sadyr Japarov took part in the official ceremony launching the underground gold mining project at the Kumtor mine. The head of state highlighted the importance of this project not only for strengthening the national economy but also for ensuring environmental sustainability. “The underground gold mining project is set to operate
As part of the official visit of King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein of Jordan to Kazakhstan on August 27, Kazakhstan’s National Atomic Company Kazatomprom JSC and Jordan Uranium Mining Company (JUMCO) signed Heads of Agreement relating to the development of Central Jordan Uranium Project. According to Kazatomprom, the purpose of the Agreement is to
