Business & Economy KZ

New multimodal route established from China to Azerbaijan along Middle Corridor via Kazakhstan

KTZ Express, a subsidiary of Kazakhstan’s national railway operator, Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ), has established a new multimodal transportation route with the first container train from Shanxi Province (China) to Azerbaijan along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR) through Kazakhstan. According to KTZ, the train, consisting of 50 containers with photovoltaic modules weighing more than

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Business & Economy KG

IFC helps to boost access to finance for small business in Kyrgyzstan

To help expand access to finance for small and medium enterprises and women entrepreneurs, IFC — a member of the World Bank Group — is investing $15 million in a private bond issuance by Demir Kyrgyz International Bank (DemirBank), a leading commercial bank in the Kyrgyz Republic. According to IFC, proceeds from the bond will

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Business & Economy UZB

Uzbekistan: First enterprise launched in Zaamin Technopark

On July 22, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev visited Jizzakh region and reviewed the operations of the Zaamin Technopark special industrial zone. The head of state initiated the construction of this complex on June 27 of last year. Within the framework of the project, which spans 400 hectares, a total of 31 investment projects worth $1.2

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Business & Economy KG

Kyrgyzstan-China trade shows impressive growth

Trade between Kyrgyzstan and China grew by an impressing 44.7% in 2024 and reached $5.3 billion, with exports from Kyrgyzstan to China increasing to $2.04 billion, 93 times higher than in 2023, Deputy Chairman of the Kyrgyz Cabinet of Ministers Bakyt Torobayev said during a meeting with a high-level delegation from China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous

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Business & Economy KZ

Construction of strategic transport and logistics hub begins in north Kazakhstan

Construction of a new transport and logistics complex, Tobyl, was officially launched in the city of Kostanay in northern Kazakhstan on July 16.  According to the government’s press service, the facility will become a key point in the implementation of the country’s transit strategy and will be integrated into international transport corridors linking Kazakhstan to

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Business & Economy KZ

Italian organization considers industrial hemp project in Kazakhstan

Italian agricultural organization Unione Coltivatori Italiani (UCI), which unites over 300,000 farmers, agricultural entrepreneurs and agro processors, plans to implement an investment project in Kazakhstan for the cultivation and advanced processing of industrial hemp for subsequent production of textiles, construction materials, and pharmaceuticals. The project was discussed during an online meeting on July 17 between

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Business & Economy KZ

South Korean company to invest in green hydrogen project in Kazakhstan

Azamat Kozhanov, Deputy Chairman of the Management Board of Kazakh Invest national company, held a meeting with John M. Bek, Chairman of the Board of South Korean engineering company YPP Corporation. During the meeting, the parties signed a framework agreement on cooperation for the implementation of a green hydrogen production project in Kazakhstan, according to Kazakh

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Business & Economy KZ

Kazakh mining company begins exploration in Afghanistan

A Kazakh company, Kazakhmys Barlau, has begun exploration operations in Afghanistan’s mining sector, TOLOnews reported. The company has described Afghanistan as a promising location for mineral extraction and stated that the country possesses high-purity reserves of lead and zinc. At the same time, the Afghan Ministry of Mines and Petroleum, referring to the close ties

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Business & Economy KZ

Kazakhstan to establish supplies of uranium concentrate for Slovakia’s nuclear power plants

Kazakhstan’s National Atomic Company Kazatomprom JSC has announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Slovenské elektrárne a.s. (SEAS), Slovakia’s largest electricity producer, reflecting the mutual interest of both parties in developing long-term cooperation in nuclear energy sector. SEAS generates over 70% of Slovakia’s total electricity supply and operates two nuclear power plants

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Business & Economy KG

IFC provides financing for micro and small businesses in Kyrgyzstan

IFC — a member of the World Bank Group — says it is investing up to $3 million in local currency equivalent to Kompanion Bank, one of the leading community development banks in Kyrgyzstan, to provide financing for micro and small enterprises (MSEs) across the country. With 40 percent of the loan proceeds allocated to

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Business & Economy KZ

IFC helps expand access to finance for women entrepreneurs and small businesses in Kazakhstan

To expand access to finance for micro and small enterprises, including women entrepreneurs across Kazakhstan, IFC (a member of the World Bank Group) and Arnur Credit have signed a local currency loan agreement of $10 million-equivalent. With 40 percent of the funding earmarked for women-run businesses, the financing includes a $5 million-equivalent local currency loan

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Business & Economy KZ

Kazakhstan and Islamic Development Bank agree on cooperation worth up to $1.1 billion

Kazakhstan and the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) have signed a Protocol of Intent providing for financing of up to USD 1.1 billion for the implementation of priority infrastructure projects. The document was signed following a meeting between Advisor to the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Nurlan Baibazarov and President of the Islamic Development Bank, Dr. Muhammad Sulaiman Al Jasser.

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Business & Economy KZ

Pros and cons of living in Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana

Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana lags behind Almaty, the country’s largest city in terms of key development aspects, Energyprom.kz reports with reference to the Oxford Economics Global Cities Index 2025. Astana is on the 276th position among a thousand cities in the ranking, and Almaty ranks 258th. Astana is behind Almaty in such categories as the quality

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Business & Economy KG

EBRD helps Kyrgyzstan’s Osh upgrade its municipal transport

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) says it is providing funds to develop sustainable transportation solutions in the city of Osh in Kyrgyzstan. This is the second project under the EBRD Green Cities programme, which the city joined in May 2025.  Home to more than 450,000 people and known as the country’s southern capital, Osh

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Business & Economy KG

IFC supports Kyrgyzstan’s largest poultry meat producer

IFC — a member of the World Bank Group — on July 8 signed a loan agreement to provide up to $10 million equivalent in Kyrgyz soms to Adal Azyk LLC and its subsidiaries (trademark “Toyboss”), the largest producer of sausages and poultry meat in Kyrgyzstan. The financing will help boost local food production, create

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Business & Economy UZB

Educating Uzbekistan’s tourism workforce for today and tomorrow

Uzbekistan’s tourism targets are well known: President Mirziyoyev has repeatedly stated that he aims to attract 15 million international arrivals a year by 2030, which represents a more than 100% increase from 2023, reads the following article by Sophie Ibbotson, published in OCA Magazine: More valuable metrics for the economy, however, are the financial contribution

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Business & Economy UZB

Uzbekistan and Korea hold business forum in Tashkent

On July 5, the Uzbek-Korean Business Forum was held in Tashkent as part of the official visit of the delegation from the city of Ulsan. The event brought together over 100 representatives from the business community and government agencies of Uzbekistan and the Republic of Korea. The forum was chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister

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Business & Economy KG

Farmers in south Kyrgyzstan encouraged to grow more rice

The agriculture ministry in Kyrgyzstan has recommended local farmers to focus on growing rice, as it believes that rice cultivation is one of the most profitable sectors in the country’s agriculture. The most profitable is the cultivation of Uzgen rice, a variety of red rice valued and beloved by the Kyrgyz and Uzbek people, who

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Business & Economy KZ

16,000 Kazakhstanis live in extremely poor families with incomes below food basket cost

In the first quarter of 2025, there were 160,400 households in Kazakhstan with incomes below the subsistence level, 0.1% less than a year earlier. These households included 924,400 people, compared to 928,100 a year earlier, according to an analysis of finprom.kz. In terms of regions, the largest number of families with incomes below the subsistence

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Business & Economy KZ

Kazakhstan to control saiga antelope population

Kazakhstan’s Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources, Erlan Nysanbayev, has announced the government’s decision to begin controlling the rapidly expanding population of the saiga antelope in the country. The announcement was made following a June 28 meeting of the minister with farmers in the West Kazakhstan region, who complained about the catastrophic damage to agricultural

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