EAEU Trade Nears $100 Billion as Bloc Shifts Focus to Digital Integration

ASTANA — Trade among Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) member states is on track to surpass $100 billion for the first time in 2026, as the five-country bloc...


Kazakhstan’s Services Exports Near $13 Billion as Digital Sector Gains Momentum

ASTANA — Kazakhstan’s services exports approached $13 billion in 2025, with transport remaining the backbone of the sector. But while logistics continues to generate nearly half of...


Kazakhstan’s Copper Output Places It Among World’s Top 10 Producers

ASTANA — Kazakhstan ranked among the world’s 10 largest copper producers in 2025 after mining 710,000 tons of the metal, reinforcing its position in a market where...


Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan Join Forces to Pursue New Export Markets in Syria and Iraq

ASTANA — Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are expanding their economic partnership beyond bilateral trade by jointly targeting new export markets in Syria and Iraq, reflecting a broader strategy...


Kazakhstan Takes First Step Toward Air Taxi Era With Passenger eVTOL Flight

ASTANA — Kazakhstan has taken its first practical step toward urban air mobility after a passenger completed the country’s first flight aboard an autonomous electric vertical takeoff...


Kazakhstan Eyes Sustainable Aviation Fuel Industry With Alatau Pilot Project

ALMATY – Kazakhstan took a step toward entering the emerging market for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) after signing a memorandum with Hong Kong-based Full Vision Capital to...


Dimash Qudaibergen Launches New World Tour

ALMATY – Kazakh singer Dimash Qudaibergen has announced a new world tour titled DiMENSIONS, presenting the project as his most personal stage production to date and the...


Football, Comic Con and More: What to Do This Weekend

ASTANA – Spend the weekend exploring cultural events, live performances and exciting sports competitions across Kazakhstan’s two largest cities. The Astana Times editorial team has curated a...


What Ancient Kazakh Traditions Can Teach Us About Surviving Extreme Heat

ASTANA – As climate change fuels increasingly intense heat waves, staying safe in extreme temperatures has become a growing concern across Kazakhstan. This summer, temperatures have climbed...


Kazakhstan Completes Key Stage of Trans-Caspian Fiber Optic Cable Project

ALMATY – Kazakhstan has completed the most technically challenging stage of the Trans-Caspian Fiber Optic Cable project after an undersea cable reached the country’s Caspian coast on...


Kazakhstan Moves to Build Nationwide Flood and Drought Early Warning System

ALMATY – Kazakhstan signed an agreement on Aug. 4 to develop a nationwide flood and drought early warning system, signaling a broader shift from responding to water...


Kazakhstan Leads Central Asia in 2026 Legatum Prosperity Index

ALMATY – Kazakhstan ranked first among Central Asian countries in the 2026 Legatum Prosperity Index, placing 66th out of 161 economies worldwide, according to the latest report...


Kazakhstan Hosts First FIDE World University Team Chess Championship 

ALMATY – The inaugural FIDE World University Team Chess Championship opened in Almaty on Aug. 4 with teams from Harvard, Oxford, Cambridge, Beijing University and 12 other...


Will Kazakhstan Turn Migration Into Economic Advantage?

ALMATY – Kazakhstan is reshaping its migration policy around attracting the people its economy needs while strengthening digital oversight of migration flows. As the government advances its...


How Asia Can Reverse Rising Inequality in its Cities

Asia and the Pacific is urbanizing faster than any other region. By 2050, its cities will be home to 3.4 billion people, up from 2.2 billion today...


Where Gaming Meets Sport: Inside Astana’s Phygital Games

ASTANA — What happens when a video game result carries over to a basketball court, football pitch or combat arena? That is the central idea behind phygital...


Kazakhstan Prioritizes Foreign Retails Chains as Higher-Value Exports Grow

ASTANA – Kazakhstan is preparing new support to place domestically produced goods in major foreign retail chains as the country seeks to build on rising nonresource exports...


Kazakhstan Expands Digital Water Management as Pressure on Resources Grows

ASTANA – Kazakhstan is expanding digital monitoring, flood forecasting and groundwater research as it seeks to move from reactive water management toward a system that can anticipate...


Kazakhstan Moves Up 17 Spots in Post-Shock Investment Risk Assessment

ASTANA — Kazakhstan rose 17 places to rank 53rd in the May 2026 update of the Global Investment Risk and Resilience Index, marking one of the country’s...


Kazakhstan Releases First Tiger Into Wild in More Than 70 Years

ASTANA — Kazakhstan has released a tiger into the wild for the first time in more than 70 years, marking a historic milestone in a decade-long effort...


Why is Hydropower Becoming Central to Kazakhstan’s Clean Energy Strategy?

ALMATY – Kazakhstan’s renewable energy strategy is entering a new phase. After a decade of rapidly expanding wind and solar generation, the government is shifting its focus...


Hosting Global AI Olympiad, Kazakhstan Looks Beyond Competition

ALMATY – As more than 500 high school students from 106 countries gathered in Astana for the International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence (IOAI), President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev used...


Can Central Asia Turn Political Trust Into Lasting Regional Cooperation?

ALMATY – Central Asia is moving beyond symbolic diplomacy toward a more durable system of regional coordination, according to Filippo Costa Buranelli, an associate professor of international...


Campaign Week in Review: Kazakhstan’s Kurultai Race from July 27 to Aug. 2

ASTANA – This week’s election campaign roundup covers developments from July 27 to Aug. 2, when Kazakhstan’s political parties intensified voter outreach following the first nationally televised...


Kazakhstan to Become One of Eurasia’s Leading Logistics Hubs, Tokayev Says

ALMATY – Kazakhstan has unveiled a new phase of its transport infrastructure strategy, launching construction of the Beineu–Saksaulsk highway and announcing the expansion of two additional road...


Kazakhstan Meets Renewable Energy Goal Ahead of Schedule. What Comes Next?

ALMATY – Kazakhstan exceeded its national target for renewable electricity generation in 2025, marking another milestone in the country’s green energy transition. But while record output underscores...


Wondering Where to Go in Mangystau This Summer? Start With These Ten Places

ASTANA – From canyons and chalk-white cliffs to underground mosques and windswept Caspian shores, Kazakhstan’s Mangystau Region offers some of the country’s most striking landscapes and a...


Kazakhstan Prepares for First Wild Tiger Release as Reintroduction Project Enters Defining Stage

ALMATY – After years of habitat restoration and careful adaptation, the success of Kazakhstan’s tiger restoration effort will soon depend on whether the animals can survive and...


Kazakhstan Rejects Reports of Complete CPC Shutdown

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s Energy Ministry said a complete shutdown of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) is not under consideration, dismissing media reports suggesting the pipeline’s operations could...


How Kazakh Youth Transforms Accessibility Through Technology

ASTANA – What began as a series of independent projects has grown into Kazakhstan’s first inclusive digital ecosystem, combining transportation, accessibility and communication services into a single...