Air Astana Wins Pulkovo Airport Award
ASTANA – Kazakh airline Air Astana was named the most dynamically developing carrier of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) at the Pulkovo Saint Petersburg Airport in its LED Together competition. The sixth annual ceremony LED Together brought together representatives of airlines, tourism and cultural industries of Saint Petersburg and North-West Russia. Pulkovo is the…
eGov.kz Used More Than 40 Million Times in 2016
ASTANA – Kazakh citizens used electronic government services nearly 40 million times in 2016, with the total number of services rendered at 160 million, according to the National Information Technologies company. The most popular services provided by eGov.kz in 2016 included address references, a fact sheet of registrations, creation of charges on real estate and…
Air Astana Named Best Foreign Airline by Sheremetyevo Airport
ASTANA – Air Astana recently won the Sheremetyevo Airport Award for the first time in the category “Best Foreign Airlines – Passenger Choice.” The award was based on votes cast via the airport’s social media, according to the press service of the airline. Sheremetyevo Airport’s SVO Awards was established two years ago to encourage the…
More than 10,000 Vehicles Produced in Kazakhstan in 2016
ASTANA – More than 10,000 vehicles valued at 61.5 billion tenge (US$185 million) were produced in Kazakhstan during the first 11 months of 2016. The government aims to achieve 50-percent localisation in vehicle production and increase the export of Kazakh cars to 40 percent of total production volume by 2018. “Technically, Kazakhstan’s car industry is…
Twenty-Three Major Projects Launch on Industrialisation Day
ASTANA – The presentation of existing facilities and launch of the largest projects as part of the Industrialisation Map programme were held during a Dec. 6 teleconference with the participation of President Nursultan Nazarbayev. Twenty-three industrial projects have been launched, including modernised blast furnace number 4 at the ArcelorMittal Temirtau, the second route on the…
Kazakh National Bank Lowers Base Rate to 12 Percent
ASTANA – The National Bank of Kazakhstan has reduced the base interest rate to 12 percent with a corridor of plus or minus 1 percentage points, according to its Chairman Daniyar Akishev. The liquidity provision operations rate is now 13 percent with the liquidity withdrawal operations rate at 11 percent. The Bank lowered the rate…
Finnair to Add Direct Flights from Helsinki to Astana
ASTANA – Finnair, the national flag carrier and largest airline of Finland and member of the Oneworld international alliance, has announced it will offer direct flights from Helsinki to Astana in time for the opening of EXPO 2017. “Adding the Helsinki – Astana route will be a great asset to our growing network for summer…
$63 Million Invested into Almaty’s Leisure Infrastructure this Year
ASTANA – Twenty-two billion tenge (US$63.7 million) was invested in Almaty’s city leisure infrastructure in the first nine months of this year, according to Energy.kz. The biggest investment attractions for the southern capital were real estate operations and trade and transport infrastructure, which make up 51 percent of the city’s entire investment portfolio for nine…
UN Secretary-General Envoy Values Astana Regional Hub’s Work
ASTANA – Chairman of the Steering Committee of the Regional Hub of Civil Service in Astana Alikhan Baimenov recently met with Jorge Chediek, Envoy of the UN Secretary-General on South-South Cooperation to discuss cooperating in the field of public service, according to the press service of the Regional Hub of Civil Service in Astana. During…
Up to 800,000 Containers to Be Shipped from China to Europe through Kazakhstan by 2020
ASTANA – Kazakhstan is working to increase the volume of container shipments along the Western Europe – Western China route and through the country’s territory. Up to 800,000 containers are to pass through Kazakhstan in 2020, Kazakhstan’s Minister of Investment and Development Zhenis Kassymbek announced at a Nov. 1 government meeting. Kazakhstan’s Ministry of National…
EXPO 2017 Begins Transfer of Pavilions to Participants, Construction on Schedule
ASTANA – Individuals connected with EXPO 2017 unveiled the designs of the Kazakh, German and Chinese pavilions as the buildings were transferred to the participating countries on Oct. 31. Chairman of Astana EXPO 2017 national company Akhmetzhan Yessimov noted construction of the main pavilion, informally known as the “Ball” or “Sphere,” will be finished by…
Almaty Hosts Unique Horse Show
ASTANA – Chamberlain club hosted the first International Horse Exhibition KazEqui-2016 and a horse show Oct. 8-9 in Almaty. The show promotes the “soft method” of working with animals, which means training without violence and force. “Interest in the event is high, and it is not a coincidence, because Kazakhstan is a country with a…
Alcohol, Tobacco Excise Duties to be Increased until 2019
ASTANA – A phased increase of excise duties on alcoholic beverages and tobacco products to strengthen the fiscal functions of excise duties will be introduced. This was announced by Kazakh Minister of National Economy Kuandyk Bishimbayev at the recent presentation of the draft law “On amendments and additions to some legislative acts of Kazakhstan on…
Astana EXPO 2017 Invites Entrepreneurs to Provide Goods and Services
ASTANA – Astana EXPO 2017 organisers predict that the exhibition will receive approximately 5 million visits over three months. The organisers offer Kazakhstan’s entrepreneurs the opportunity to take part in the selection of commercial services for the event in Astana. It is planned to organise the following services and sell the following products: pharmacy, excursions…
Massive Tax Amendments Proposed to Stimulate Economic Activity
ASTANA – Proposals to introduce 234 amendments to the law “On amendments and additions to some legislative acts of Kazakhstan on issues of taxation and customs administration” include 207 amendments on tax administration and 27 on fiscal policy, said Minister of National Economy Kuandyk Bishimbayev at the recent governmental meeting. The changes aim to create…
Committee of State Revenues: Save Your Receipt and Win a Car
ASTANA – With the support of the Atameken National Chamber of Entrepreneurs (NCE), the Committee of State Revenues launched a campaign Oct. 1 called “Ask for a receipt – win a prize!” Like last year, the main prize is a Kazakh-produced car, announced committee spokesman Murat Zhumanbai. Receipts are accepted in electronic format via the…
Introducing Time-Restricted Deposits Will Help Stabilise Local Banks, says National Bank Head
The head of the National Bank of Kazakhstan Daniyar Akishev suggested introducing irrevocable deposits for Kazakh citizens during a recent session of the government with the participation of President Nursultan Nazarbayev. According to Akishev, the second half of the current year will showcase a gradual recovery of the lending process. “We can see some positive…
Kazakh President Directs Banks to Eliminate Bad Debts
ASTANA – Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev recently ordered the government and National Bank of Kazakhstan to get rid of so called “bad” debts. “We have learned from the bad experience we had in 2007-2009. We have to be strict with banks to make them responsible for all financial institutions they manage. We have to inform…
Kazakh Economy Experiences Inflow of Foreign Investments
ASTANA – National Bank of Kazakhstan Chairman Daniyar Akishev announced the total amount of foreign investments in the Kazakh economy during the current year so far was $5.7 billion. The statement was made at the Sept. 9 enlarged session of the government with the participation of President Nursultan Nazarbayev. In his report on the GDP…
KASE Adds Commercial Bonds
The Kazakhstan Stock Market (KASE) Board of Directors recently approved the inclusion of commercial bonds on the exchange. In accordance with the rules, starting Sept. 5, a new sector called Commercial Bonds will launch. The sector is meant for short-term bonds of companies that participate in KASE listings and whose security papers are included on…
Baikonur Prepares for EXPO 2017
Serik Kozhaniyazov, deputy akim of Kyzylorda region and the President’s special representative at the Baikonur launch site, spoke about the region’s preparations in light of the upcoming international exhibition at the third meeting of the Astana EXPO 2017 public council. “The Kyzylorda region is preparing to greet a lot of tourists who will come to…
National Bank Explains Base Rate Reduction by Improving Economic Conditions
The Chairman of the National Bank of Kazakhstan Daniyar Akishev commented on the recent decision made by the bank management concerning the base rate. It was decided to reduce it from 15 percent to 13 percent. He also stressed some positive trends related to a number of external macroeconomic indicators that, ultimately, influenced the base…
EAEU Exempts Kazakhstan from Customs Duties on Titanium Oxide Import
Kazakhstan will be exempted from customs duties on titanium oxide import starting Sept. 1 until Aug. 31, 2021. The decision was taken at a meeting of the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC), reported the press service of the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan. The EEC board members discussed custom and tariff regulation issues, related to the decrease…
Policeman Wounded in Almaty Attack Discharged from Hospital
ASTANA – Young policeman Murat Baltabek became a victim of the unlawful actions by Ruslan Kulekbaev and was shot through the shoulder in the July 18 Almaty attacks. The road patrol policeman was discharged from hospital on July 25. “The patient was delivered to us with a gunshot wound in the right shoulder having traumatic…
Customers Prefer to Buy Cars Made in Kazakhstan
ASTANA – One third of Kazakh buyers in June chose cars made in Kazakhstan, and official sales of new cars in the country increased by 9 percent in June when compared with May. The Association of Kazakhstan Automobile Businesses reported that 3,880 units were sold in June, while authorised dealers sold 3,573 units in May.…
