Articles by Ayana Birbayeva 

ALMATY – A global shift in artificial intelligence (AI) from model training to real-world deployment is reshaping the semiconductor industry and accelerating demand for faster, more efficient computing – a trend that is also putting countries like Kazakhstan on the radar of international tech companies. “A few years ago, the focus was on training models.…

ALMATY – Kazakh investors will gain direct access to stock markets across six Middle Eastern countries following the opening of a new custody account by the Central Securities Depository (KCSD) with First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB), one of the region’s major financial institutions.  The move, announced on April 30, marks a significant step toward integrating…

ALMATY – Zhaksylyk Ushkempirov entered Kazakhstan’s history in 1980 as the first ethnic Kazakh to win an Olympic gold medal. Born in a small village in the Zhambyl Region, he went on to become a world champion in Greco-Roman wrestling and one of the country’s most admired sports figures, known not only for his achievements…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan and Austria outlined new areas of cooperation during talks in Astana, highlighting progress on visa facilitation and a decision by the Austrian side to supply 25 passport readers to Astana International Airport, as part of efforts to strengthen bilateral ties. It was revealed as Kazakh Foreign Minister Yermek Kosherbayev met with Austrian…

ALMATY – More than 5,300 visitors explored Kazakh traditions, music and cuisine as the Embassy of Kazakhstan took part in the annual Passport DC Festival on May 2 in Washington DC, the United States, presenting the country’s cultural heritage to the American public. The event brought together over 70 embassies in the U.S. capital, offering…

ALMATY – American traveler Connor, known to his followers as Connor Camperghini, has stopped in Kazakhstan as part of a nearly three-year global road journey, bringing his unconventional lifestyle to the country’s roads and landscapes. Driving and living in a $200,000 Lamborghini Urus, the Colorado native is documenting his route across continents, with Kazakhstan becoming…

ALMATY – The Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) presented new cross-border financing opportunities, including the expansion of yuan-denominated panda bonds, at a business forum in Shanghai on April 28 aimed at strengthening economic ties between Kazakhstan and China. The event, AIFC Connect: Shanghai 2026, held in partnership with the Shanghai Stock Exchange, brought together more…

ALMATY – Kazakhstan’s Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov met with leading global agricultural machinery manufacturers from Europe, Canada and the United States on April 27, resulting in new agreements to localize production in Kazakhstan, as the government steps up efforts to boost domestic manufacturing and reduce import dependence. The talks focused on expanding industrial cooperation, transferring…

ALMATY – Kazakhstan does not plan to change its format of participation in the OPEC+ alliance, the country’s Energy Ministry said on April 29, reaffirming its commitment to existing cooperation mechanisms. “At present, the question of changing the country’s participation format in the alliance is not on the agenda,” reads the ministry’s statement. The clarification…

ALMATY – Bank lending in Kazakhstan has more than doubled since 2022, surpassing 43.4 trillion tenge (US$92 billion) as of April 2026, according to data from the National Bank of Kazakhstan. The report shows that a sharp increase reflects strong growth in both business and consumer lending, with household loans expanding at the fastest pace.…

ALMATY— Trade between Kazakhstan and the Czech Republic reached $705 million in 2025, marking a 13% increase year-on-year, as the two countries moved to deepen economic and investment cooperation during high-level talks in Astana on April 28.  Kazakh Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov met with his Czech counterpart Andrej Babiš, who arrived in the capital on…

ALMATY – The United Arab Emirates (UAE) ranked among the top five largest investors in Kazakhstan in 2025, with investment reaching nearly $1.64 billion, Kazakh Foreign Minister Yermek Kosherbayev said during talks in Abu Dhabi on April 27. As part of his official visit to the UAE, Kosherbayev met with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign…

ALMATY – Countries participating in the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), also known as the Middle Corridor, plan to increase container traffic, including up to 600 container trains from China through Kazakhstan in 2026, following agreements reached at a meeting in Astana on April 24.  The decisions were adopted during sessions of the International Association…

ALMATY – A 76-year-old Kazakh traveler, Sarsenbai Kotyrashov, was officially welcomed at UNESCO’s headquarters in Paris on April 24, marking a milestone in his multi-year journey across Eurasia on foot.  Kotyrashov, a resident of the Ulytau Region, has spent the past three years traveling across Kazakhstan and beyond, covering countries including Mongolia, China, Russia, Georgia,…

ALMATY – TotalEnergies, a global integrated energy company, has taken a final investment decision on a $1.2 billion wind and battery energy storage project in Kazakhstan, marking one of the country’s largest renewable energy initiatives to date. The Mirny project, located in the Zhambyl Region, will combine 1 gigawatt (GW) of wind capacity with a…

ALMATY – Kazakhstan and Türkiye will allow the transit of military cargo and personnel through each other’s airspace following the ratification of a bilateral agreement by Kazakhstan’s Senate (Parliament’s upper chamber) on April 23.  The agreement establishes a legal framework for the mutual use of airspace to transport military personnel, equipment, and cargo and aims…

ALMATY – Long before written language became widespread, the nomadic world spoke through patterns. In Kazakh culture, ornaments were more than decoration: they carried identity, beliefs, and a way of seeing the world shaped by life in the steppe.  Ethnographer and craftswoman Bulbul Kapkyzy says traditional oyu-örnek (ornament) should be understood not as a single…

ALMATY – Almaty will host a Regional Capacity Development Center of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) serving the Caucasus, Central Asia, and Mongolia, as Kazakhstan’s Senate  (Parliament’s upper chamber) ratified the agreement on April 23.  The center will support countries in the region in strengthening public institutions and enhancing the skills of government officials, senate…

ALMATY – Transit volumes along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR) have tripled over the past five years, as Kazakhstan continues to invest in port infrastructure and logistics capacity, officials said during a working visit to the Mangystau Region. Nurzhan Kelbuganov, chairman of the railway and water transport committee under the Transport Ministry, reviewed progress…

ALMATY – Kazakhstan marks National Book Day and Librarians’ Day on April 23, highlighting the growing role of reading culture and the modernization of library services across the country. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev addressed the nation, emphasizing the importance of preserving a strong reading culture in the digital age, reported the Akorda.  “A culture of reading,…

ALMATY – Air Astana Group is accelerating its international expansion in 2026, boosting transit passenger traffic by 65% in the first quarter and launching new routes across Asia and Europe. The number of international transit passengers traveling via Kazakhstan rose sharply compared with the same period last year, driven by network expansion and capacity adjustments,…

ALMATY – Kazakhstan ranked 33rd in the World Happiness Report 2026, marking its highest position to date and climbing 10 places compared to last year. Kazakhstan’s average life satisfaction score reached 6.633 points, reflecting a notable increase from the previous year. The country not only improved its ranking but also outperformed several developed economies, including…

ALMATY – Kazakhstan and Afghanistan are continuing to strengthen cooperation in the railway sector, as freight volumes between the two countries showed significant growth in early 2026, reported the Kazakhstan Temir Zholy’s (KTZ) press service on April 21.  This was discussed during a meeting on the sidelines of the Organization for Cooperation Between Railways (OSJD)…

There is a certain expectation we carry when we think about technological progress. It is often imagined as a straight line that dispenses with all inaccuracies along its path. People may imagine a future where systems work seamlessly with automation, replacing friction. Someone may think that this future world might make life easier, faster, and…

ALMATY – Kazakhstan’s national oil and gas company KazMunayGas (KMG) is advancing exploration of a major hydrocarbon prospect on the Zhylyoi carbonate platform, with potential resources comparable to the giant Kashagan oil field. The project, still at an early stage, could hold up to 20 billion tons of oil equivalent, according to preliminary estimates, reported…