Kazakhstan’s S1lkPay Fintech Startup Receives US Patent
ASTANA – Kazakhstan-based fintech startup S1lkPay has secured a patent in the United States on Aug. 8 for its innovative method and system for distributed payment processing using a centralized payment-processing platform, reported the company’s press service. S1lkPay is a peer-to-peer prepaid card exchange platform where users provide instant access to their funds without the…
Kazakhstan, Pakistan Discuss Trade and Logistics Opportunities
ASTANA – Serik Zhumangarin, Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Trade and Integration, discussed the development of trade and logistics opportunities with Pakistan at an Aug. 21 meeting with Khalid Nawaz Awan, the founder and chairman of TCS Private Limited, the country’s largest logistics company, reported the Prime Minister’s press service. Zhumangarin highlighted Kazakhstan’s…
Kazakhstan Electricity Grid Operating Company’s Net Profit Increases to $49.7 Million
ASTANA – In the first half of 2023, net profit of the Kazakhstan Electricity Grid Operating Company (KEGOC) grew 64.3% to 23 billion tenge ($49.7 million), compared to the same period last year, the company’s press service reported on Aug. 17. KEGOC’s operating income made up 114.4 billion tenge ($247.5 million), growing 11.3% by 11.5…
Kazakhstan to Put Seized Assets in Building Schools
ASTANA – An education infrastructure support fund, established on the instruction of Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, has allocated money seized from corrupt dealings to build 62 schools, the government’s press service announced on Aug. 17. The schools, which will cost 96.5 billion tenge ($208.8 million), will be built for 76,000 pupils in several regions of…
Foreign Tourists Coming to Kazakhstan Bring Record $841.9 Million in 2022
ASTANA – Last year, around one million foreign tourists brought Kazakhstan 389 billion tenge ($841.9 million), a record result on taxes from tourism activities, the Culture and Sports Ministry’s press service reported on Aug. 16. Meanwhile, accommodation facilities in the country earned 183 billion tenge ($396 million). According to the National Bank, each tourist to…
Kazakhstan’s Inflation Slows Down to 14% in July
ASTANA – The inflation rate in Kazakhstan decreased in July to nearly 14% in annual terms, said Deputy Governor of the country’s National Bank Vitaliy Tutushkin at an Aug. 15 government meeting, reported Kazinform. “Food inflation in annual terms has nearly halved from 26.2% at its peak in February to 13.5%. Non-food and service inflation…
Airlines in Kazakhstan Hit Record $178.2 Million Profit
ASTANA – The profit of air companies in Kazakhstan reached a record 80.5 billion tenge ($178.2 million) in July, according to the Bureau of National Statistics, Data Hub analytical source reported on Aug. 15. The previous record of 73.6 billion tenge ($162.9 million) was set in August last year. Over the seven months, airlines’ total…
Seven Regions of Kazakhstan Elect 17 Rural Mayors
ASTANA – Seventeen rural akims (mayors) were elected in seven regions of Kazakhstan on Aug. 13, State Counselor Erlan Karin wrote on his Telegram channel. Over the period of two years, Kazakh citizens have elected 1,668 akims of villages, settlements, rural districts, and towns of district significance as part of the presidential political reforms. Of…
Kazakhstan to Build More Electric Charging Stations by 2029
ASTANA – Kazakhstan plans to build more electric charging stations as part of the electric vehicle infrastructure roadmap by 2029, reported the Ministry of Industry and Infrastructure Development on Aug. 9. The roadmap, approved by the Kazakh government last month, provides for regulatory and technical requirements regarding the design and arrangement of the necessary infrastructure,…
Tim Draper Reality Show Invites Kazakh Startups to Win $1 Million
ASTANA – The Astana Hub, an international technopark of IT startups, invites Kazakh startups founders to submit their project ideas to the Meet the Drapers reality show about startups, Astana Hub CEO Magzhan Madiyev said in his Telegram channel on Aug. 11. The show is set to film an episode for its seventh season on…
Almaty to Host Eurasian Film Market This September
ASTANA – Almaty is set to host the first edition of the Eurasian Film Market (EFM) on Sept. 11-14, reported the Travel Tomorrow on Aug. 7. “Due to its rich natural environment and varied scenic landscapes, most films are shot in or around Almaty, making it the center of the Kazakh film industry. The main…
Kazakh President Receives Adviser on Economic Development
ASTANA – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev positively assessed the contribution of Suma Chakrabarti, adviser on economic development, in improving the country’s investment policy at an Aug. 11 meeting, reported the Akorda press service. Tokayev thanked Chakrabarti for his work, noting that the proposals he made at the Supreme Council for Reforms meetings found support in several…
Qazaq Air to Launch Direct Flights Between Almaty and Bishkek in September
ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s airline Qazaq Air will launch direct flights from Almaty to Bishkek, the Kyrgyz Republic, on Sep. 11, the airline’s press service reported on Aug. 10. The flights will operate three times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays on modern and comfortable De-Havilland Dash 8-Q400 aircraft. The cost of a one-way ticket…
Kazakhstan’s Population Approaches 20 Million People
ASTANA – As of July 1, Kazakhstan’s population reached 19,899,377, with 48.8% of men and 51.2% women, according to an Aug. 10 statement by the Bureau of National Statistics. Some 12,317,671 people live in the cities, whereas 7,581,706 are rural residents. In the first half of the year, 189,500 children were born in Kazakhstan, of…
Kazakh Chess Players Win Silver and Bronze Medals at World Schools Team Championship
ASTANA – A Kazakh team from Astana took bronze medals in a category under 12. The chess players from Almaty claimed silver in a category under 18 at the World Schools Team Championship held from Aug. 4 to 8 in Aktau, reported Kazakhstan Chess Federation. The Velammal MHS Mogappair team from India won gold in…
Kazakhstan and Lithuania Bolster Partnership in Development Assistance
ASTANA – Kazakhstan Agency of International Development (KazAID) and Lithuania’s Central Project Management Agency (CPVA) signed a memorandum of understanding and cooperation to implement joint projects and strengthen regional interaction in the field of official development assistance (ODA) on Aug. 8 in Vilnius, reported KazAID’s press service. The sides underscored the great potential for cooperation…
Kazakh Ministry Announces Number of Days Tourists Spend in Kazakhstan
ASTANA – Tourists from Germany, India, South Korea, and the United States spent an average of four days in Kazakhstan, according to the eQonaq information system for registering international visitors, the Ministry of Culture and Sports announced on Aug. 9. Tourists from Uzbekistan are leading in terms of average length of stay, spending up to…
Kazakh Folk Ensemble Performs Abai’s Songs at Austria’s Oldest Festival
ASTANA – The Alatau folklore ensemble representing the Kenen Azerbayev Philharmonic of the Zhambyl Region performed works of Abai on the eve of the famous Kazakh poet’s birthday, celebrated on Aug. 10, at the largest traditional festival Villacher Kirchtag in Austria, Kazakh Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported on Aug. 7. Sophisticated audience members from Austria,…
Kazakhstan Plans to Send 100,000 Tons of Oil to Germany This Month
ASTANA – Kazakhstan plans to send 100,000 tons of oil to Germany via the Druzhba oil pipeline in August, despite the shutdown of one of its strings due to a leak in Poland, reported the Kazakh Energy Ministry on Aug. 7. The Bolshoi Chagan oil pumping station received 11,600 tons from Aug. 3 to 5,…
Saudi Company Installs Central Asia’s Largest Wind Turbine in Uzbekistan
ASTANA — ACWA Power, a Saudi-listed company, installed the first wind turbine at the Bash wind farm project in the Bukhara region of Uzbekistan, the company’s press service reported on Aug. 8. The wind turbine generator (WTG) is the largest in Central Asia, with a capacity of 6.5 MW. According to ACWA Power’s Chief Portfolio…
Astana Football Team Wins Home Match of Europa League
ASTANA — Astana football team won (2:1) a home match against Ludogorets team (Bulgaria) in the third qualifying round of the Europa League on Aug. 8, Sports.kz reported. Grigory Babayan, the head coach of Astana, changed the starting lineup, putting Marin Tomasov on the bench and Abat Aimbetov and Dembo Darbo on the field. The…
Kazakh Capital to Host International Circus Festival “Echo of Asia” This Week
ASTANA — The Kazakh capital will host the 14th international festival of circus art, “Echo of Asia,” on Aug. 9, to commemorate Astana’s 25th anniversary, reported the capital’s administration on Aug. 7. After 14 years, the festival has become a staple of Kazakhstan’s vibrant circus scene. The festival’s highlight is the best performances by young…
Economic Growth in Central Asia Gains Momentum Amidst Increasing International Partnerships
ASTANA – Central Asian countries demonstrate economic growth despite ongoing global geopolitical turbulence, increasing the attention to the region and enhancing partnerships with other countries. This development is expected to bring significant benefits to the Central Asian countries as a whole, particularly Kazakhstan, reported Kazinform news agency. For Central Asia, 2022 was packed with high-level…
Kazakhstan Prolongs Oil Output Cuts Until 2024
ASTANA – Kazakhstan has reaffirmed its commitment to the agreement on oil output cuts by 78,000 barrels per day till the end of 2024 following the latest agreement reached by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). This was announced at the 49th meeting of the Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee (JMMC) on Aug. 4, reported…
Kazakh PM Instructs Astana Administration to Secure Funding of Key Projects
ASTANA – Kazakh Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov called on the capital’s administration to address the financing of Astana’s priority projects during the budget preparation at a government meeting on Aug. 7, reported the Prime Minister’s press service. Smailov set a task to develop and submit to the government the Comprehensive Development Plan of the city’s…
