The World Bank has approved a $200 million concessional credit for a project that aims to reduce water losses and increase the energy efficiency of irrigation systems across five regions of Uzbekistan — Karakalpakstan, Bukhara, Kashkadarya, Namangan, and Surkhandarya. The government of Uzbekistan will co-finance the project with $23.2 million. This project marks the first
The 16th meeting of the Kazakhstan-German Business Council took place in Astana on May 21 with the participation of First Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Roman Sklyar. The event brought together representatives of key ministries and leading members of Kazakhstan’s business community. “Our platform is in high demand and has proven to be very effective.
Marat Bashimov, a member of the Mazhilis (lower house of Kazakhstan’s parliament), has sent a letter to the country’s Prosecutor General Berik Asylov about the need for “extended confiscation.” Bashimov believes that it is time for the Kazakh authorities to tighten legislation on the return of illegally obtained assets, the fight against corruption and money
The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors has approved a $100 million concessional credit to support Uzbekistan’s efforts to enhance integration of renewable energy into its electricity distribution networks and improve supply reliability in priority regions. Uzbekistan’s Regional Electric Power Networks (REPN) will provide $50 million in co-financing. This marks the World Bank’s first-ever Program-for-Results (PforR) financing in
The 8th Meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation between Uzbekistan and Türkiye was held in Tashkent on May 15. As part of the event, the Uzbekistan–Türkiye Business Forum and an industrial exhibition were also organized with the participation of business communities from both countries. The meeting was attended by official delegations
In 2024, Kazakhstan retained its position as a major exporter of mineral resources, particularly crude oil, according to the country’s Ministry of Trade and Integration. In 2024, Kazakhstan’s exports exceeded $81 billion, with crude oil earning $42.9 billion or 52.5% of the country’s exports. Kazakhstan also exported uranium ($4.6 billion), copper and copper cathodes ($4.1
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the European Union are boosting access to finance for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in Central Asia and Mongolia. According to the EBRD, an additional €25 million in EU guarantees will be made available to local partner financial institutions for on-lending to this business segment.
The Fund for Digital Initiatives of the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB FDI) has issued a grant to Kompas JSC to implement traffic simulation software in Kazakhstan. The project aims to ensure the sustainable development of the urban environment in Astana, the country’s capital characterized by the steady increase in population. Traffic simulation allows using computational
The city of Osh in Kyrgyzstan is joining the EBRD Green Cities programme – a flagship initiative run by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development – with a view to addressing key climate challenges and environmental issues through investment in green urban infrastructure, the EBRD said. The city is set to launch a Green City Action Plan (GCAP),
With the support from international financial organizations, Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation is modernizing 1,485 irrigation canals with a total length of over 6,000 km, according to Minister of Water Resources Nurzhan Nurzhigitov. Last year, the ministry completed the reconstruction of 162 canals with a total length of 778 km. By the end
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) says it is providing a financial package of up to US$ 23 million (€20.3 million) to Demir Kyrgyz International Bank (Demir Bank) to support trade and green innovation in Kyrgyzstan. These funds will help to stimulate trade and address pressing environmental issues in a country badly affected
Thirty trade agreements have been signed between the private sectors of Afghanistan and Uzbekistan for a total amount of nearly $50 million, TOLOnews reports. At a bilateral trade connectivity conference, Afghanistan’s deputy minister of industry and commerce, Ahmadullah Zahid stressed the need to resolve trade challenges and increase Afghan exports to Uzbekistan. Davron Vakhabov, president
Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Agriculture says it continues a large-scale program to diversify agricultural crops area, with about 1 million hectares of farmland diversified across the country in 2025. The program is aimed at expanding the area under highly profitable and in-demand crops, both in the domestic and export markets. The main goal is to reduce
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), with support from the Government of Finland, organized the “Janyration Sanarip” incubation program to equip small and medium-sized entrepreneurs in Kyrgyzstan with the tools and knowledge needed to transition from traditional business models to digital-first operations, enabling them to grow and compete in the e-commerce market, UNDP Kyrgyzstan reported.
In 2024, Kazakhstan’s exports reached $81.6 billion, up 3.2% compared to 2023, with non-resource exports showing an impressive 11.9% growth, amounting to $28.8 billion, according to the Ministry of Trade and Integration. Imports totaled $59.8 billion, down 1% from the previous year. In 2025, Kazakhstan continues to maintain high export rates, which in January-February amounted
The first batch of Kazakh grain has departed by rail for Morocco. The train consisting of 105 grain railcars will traverse Russia to Latvia, where in the Baltic port of Liepaja, the grain will be reloaded onto sea vessels heading to the coast of North Africa, according to Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ), the country’s national
The Kazakhstan-Vietnam Business Roundtable was held in Astana on May 6 with the participation of officials, representatives of business and government agencies of the two countries. The event was held in the framework of the visit of the delegation of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam led by General Secretary of the Central Committee of the
The Afghan Ministry of Industry and Commerce announced that Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan recorded $66 million in trade during the past solar year, TOLOnews reported. The solar year begins in March. Akhundzada Abdul Salam Jawad, spokesperson for the ministry, said that $7 million of this figure represents Afghan exports, while the remaining amount was imports. Afghanistan’s
Kyrgyzstan ranks 117th out of 193 countries and territories, maintaining its position in the “High Human Development” category, according to the latest Human Development Index (HDI) in the 2025 Human Development Report (HDR) published by the United Nations Development Programme, UNDP Kyrgyzstan reported. Kyrgyzstan continues to make steady progress in advancing human development, with improvements
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is helping women-led micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in Kazakhstan by extending a new term loan to a leading microlender KMF, which has been an EBRD client since 2005. The EBRD funds of up to US$ 25 million (€22.9 million) will help to promote women’s entrepreneurship and business
