Tokayev’s Wage, Digital Economy Reforms Must Protect Workers’ Rights, Expert Says
ASTANA — Kazakhstan’s plans to raise the minimum wage and expand digital employment should be accompanied by stronger labor protections, safeguards against algorithmic decision-making and fairer access to social assistance, said Dr. Muslim Khassenov, associate professor at Astana-based Maqsut Narikbayev University, in response to President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s Oct. 28 state-of-the-nation address. In the comment to…
Tokayev’s Ambitious Construction Push Draws Optimism, Questions Over Implementation
ASTANA — President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s announced plans for a sweeping infrastructure overhaul and long-term energy security have drawn reactions from Kazakh analysts, who see opportunities for economic growth alongside questions about how the government will turn ambitious proposals into lasting results. In his Oct. 28 state-of-the-nation address, Tokayev outlined plans to allocate approximately 6.5 trillion…
Women in Central Asia Have Rights on Paper, What Holds Them Back in Practice?
ASTANA – For women across Central Asia, equal rights enshrined in law do not necessarily translate into equal opportunities in everyday life, researchers said during a CAPS Unlock discussion examining barriers to women’s economic and professional advancement. Researchers and gender experts examined how deeply rooted expectations about marriage, motherhood and professional leadership continue to shape…
NVIDIA CEO Sees Kazakhstan as Emerging AI Hub During First Visit
ASTANA – Kazakhstan has the energy resources, technological talent and growing computing infrastructure needed to develop its own artificial intelligence industry, NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang said during his first visit to the country on Oct. 23, urging Kazakhstan to turn its natural resources into a competitive advantage in the global AI economy. “In…
NVIDIA Backs AI Startup Higgsfield as Huang Visits Kazakhstan
ASTANA – NVIDIA has invested in Higgsfield, an artificial intelligence video-generation startup with a major engineering presence in Kazakhstan, CEO Jensen Huang confirmed during a visit to Astana on Oct. 23. The investment is part of an extension to Higgsfield’s $400 million funding round in August, which also attracted investment from venture capital firm TCV.…
Kazakhstan Resolves Long-Running Dunga Oil Dispute, Paving Way for New Development Plan
ASTANA — Kazakhstan has reached an agreement to resolve a yearslong dispute over costs at the Dunga oil field in the Mangystau Region, clearing the way for a development plan targeting 67.4 million barrels of oil production through 2039, the Energy Ministry said in a written response to The Astana Times. The agreement was signed…
Hong Kong Electronics Fairs Showcase AI, Robotics and Industrial Innovation
HONG KONG – Hong Kong is seeking to strengthen its position in advanced manufacturing and emerging technologies as growing demand for artificial intelligence and electronic components drives exports, officials said on Oct. 13 at the opening of two major technology fairs bringing together more than 3,200 exhibitors from 15 countries and regions. The Hong Kong…
Belgian Royal Visit Signals Central Asia’s Growing Importance to Europe, Expert Says
ASTANA – The first state visit of King Philippe and Queen Mathilde to Kazakhstan reflects growing European interest in Central Asia, where expanding transport links, critical minerals and new economic opportunities are drawing greater diplomatic attention. Fabienne Bossuyt, an associate professor at Ghent University specializing in EU relations with Central Asia, said the visit carries…
Why Belgium’s Royal Visit to Kazakhstan Matters Beyond Diplomacy
ASTANA – Belgium’s King Philippe and Queen Mathilde will make their first state visit to Kazakhstan on Oct. 11-14, bringing a high-level government, business and academic delegation to talks on critical minerals, transport routes, health care and artificial intelligence as the two countries seek to expand economic ties. The visit, the first Belgian state visit…
Türkiye Opens EU-Backed Railway Link to Boost Europe-Central Asia Connectivity
ASTANA — Türkiye inaugurated a new railway section near its border with Bulgaria on Oct. 9, marking a step in the European Union’s efforts to strengthen transport links with Central Asia and reduce shipping times along the Middle Corridor. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos attended the opening of the…
Eleven Years in WTO: What Has Kazakhstan Gained
ASTANA – Eleven years after Kazakhstan joined the World Trade Organization, the country trades across a far wider global market under internationally agreed rules. However, one of the central challenges that preceded accession remains: reducing its dependence on commodity exports. Kazakhstan became the WTO’s 162nd member in 2015 after nearly two decades of negotiations. Its…
Middle Corridor Investments Could Triple Trade, Add 2 Million Jobs by 2040, Report Finds
ASTANA – Strategic investment in the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route could more than triple trade along the route, cut travel times in half and create two million additional jobs by 2040, according to a new report published by the World Bank on Sept. 28. The route, also known as the Middle Corridor and referred to…
Kazakhstan Warns of Global ‘Trust Deficit’ as Foreign Minister Addresses UN General Assembly
ASTANA – Kazakhstan called for renewed diplomacy to end the wars in the region while condemning attacks on infrastructure carrying its crude oil through the Black Sea as Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi addressed the UN General Assembly on Sept. 25, warning of a deepening breakdown in international cooperation. “We remain deeply concerned by the Ukrainian…
Kazakhstan’s Banks Dominate First Fintech Wave, But Infrastructure is Driving Next
ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s largest banks have come to dominate one of Central Asia’s most digital consumer finance markets, leaving less room for independent fintech startups and pushing the sector’s next phase of growth toward open banking, embedded finance and shared financial infrastructure, according to a new industry report. Fintech in Kazakhstan 2026 was presented at…
Asian Games Open in Nagoya as Kazakhstan Targets Bigger Medal Haul
ASTANA – The 20th Asian Games opened in Japan on Sept. 19, bringing together thousands of the continent’s top athletes. Kazakhstan is represented by 558 athletes competing in 35 of the 43 sports on the program, reported the Ministry of Tourism and Sports. The opening ceremony was held in Aichi Prefecture and Nagoya, and the…
Italy, Central Asia Launch B5+Italy Platform to Expand Regional Business Ties
ASTANA – Government and business representatives from Central Asia and Italy convened on Sept. 16 in Astana for the launch of the B5+Italy platform aimed at turning growing political engagement into investment, industrial cooperation and stronger trade links across the region. The forum in Astana brought together government officials and businesses from Italy, Kazakhstan, the…
South Korea, Central Asia Target Deeper Industrial Ties at First Summit in Seoul
ASTANA – South Korea and five Central Asian nations moved on Sept. 16 to deepen industrial and supply chain ties, seeking to combine Korean technology and manufacturing with the region’s critical minerals and push for more local processing and production. Seoul hosted the first Korea-Central Asia summit at the leaders’ level on Sept. 16, where…
Kazakhstan Plans $60 Million Tokenization Pilot for Alatau City Projects
ASTANA – Kazakhstan plans to tokenize up to $60 million in real estate and logistics projects by the end of 2026, launching its first major test of digital assets as a new source of financing for the economy, National Bank Governor Timur Suleimenov said at a Sept. 15 government meeting. The plans include up to…
Kazakhstan Seeks Digital Leverage in AI Race
ASTANA – Kazakhstan is seeking to translate its energy base and position between major markets into digital leverage as data centers, advanced chips and artificial intelligence infrastructure emerge as strategic assets in an intensifying global technology contest. At the center of the nation’s ambition is the Data Center Valley in Ekibastuz, an industrial city in…
South Korea Meets Central Asia: What is at Stake at Seoul Summit
ASTANA – South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and the leaders of all five Central Asian states will meet in Seoul on Sept. 16 for their first summit, seeking to turn nearly two decades of ministerial dialogue into a leader-level partnership focused on critical minerals, energy and resilient supply chains. Lee has described Central Asia…
S&P Sees Stronger Bank Oversight in Kazakhstan as Credit Growth Slows
ASTANA – S&P Global Ratings improved its assessment of Kazakhstan’s banking industry risk and upgraded or raised the outlooks on several financial institutions, citing stronger supervision as credit growth and banking-sector profits slowed in the first seven months of 2026. In its Sept. 4 release, S&P said stronger supervision, banks’ capital buffers and Kazakhstan’s sovereign…
Top Experts Argue Central Asia Needs Stronger Agency in Emerging Global Order
ASTANA – Central Asia’s best defense against challenging and fragmenting global order lies not in choosing a geopolitical camp but in deeper regional coordination, diversified partnerships and stronger international rules, top experts said during an Aug. 31 discussion in Astana. The five Central Asian states are unlikely to become a separate pole in the emerging…
EXCLUSIVE: First Korea–Central Asia Summit Marks New Phase in Seoul’s Eurasian Strategy
ASTANA — South Korea is moving to place its nearly two-decade engagement with Central Asia on a presidential footing, bringing the region’s five leaders to Seoul in September for an inaugural summit expected to focus on critical-mineral supply chains, energy infrastructure and artificial intelligence, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea Jung Ki-Hong said in an…
Key Appointments, New Government: What Comes After Kazakhstan’s Kurultai Vote
ASTANA – With Kazakhstan’s first Kurultai election concluded and the new unicameral Parliament set to convene for its inaugural session tomorrow, attention now turns to the institutional changes and key appointments that will shape the next phase of the country’s political transition. The Kurultai, named after gatherings when Turkic and Mongol tribes used to make…
Kurultai Vote Raises Stakes for Parties, Parliament and Foreign Policy, Experts Say
ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s first election to the new Kurultai is reshaping more than the country’s parliamentary architecture, said experts at an Aug. 24 meeting in Astana organized by the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies (KazISS). They pointed to voter turnout, a bigger role for political parties and growing geopolitical competition around Central Asia at a…
