President Visits Major Enterprises in Astana
President Nursultan Nazarbayev visited socially and economically important enterprises in Astana on June 30. The head of state inspected Astana Transport and Logistics Centre, where he toured the simplified customs clearance area and became acquainted with its work. He also talked with employees, emphasising the key role of transport and logistics services for the country’s…
Zero to One to Bring 1,000 Mobile Apps to Market
Zero to One, a Kazakh mobile app company, has announced plans to train no fewer than 1,000 professional developers and create at least 1,000 iOS and Android mobile apps. The ambitious goal is expected to be reached with the help of several start-up projects which have already launched this year. Summer Start Up School (www.thesummerstartupschool.com)…
National Bank Chairman: 400 Billion Tenge in Pension Fund Savings to Be Invested in Quasi-Governmental Institutions
ASTANA – National Bank Chairman Daniyar Akishev recently spoke at a government meeting about using pension assets to stimulate economic growth and employment in 2016 and 2017. “The National Bank is the co-executive in two directions related to the allocation of funds from the Single Accumulative Pension Fund (SAPF). In 2016, there are plans to…
Kazakhstan Expects Restart of Oil Production at Kashagan by End of Year
ASTANA – Thirty-five-thousand tonnes of oil will be produced at the Kashagan field in December, announced Kazakh Minister of Energy Kanat Bozumbayev during a recent public briefing. “The launch of the Kashagan field is expected by the end of 2016, as we planned it. We expect the initial volume of production at Kashagan at the…
National Bank Reduces Basic Interest Rates
Chairman of the National Bank of Kazakhstan Daniyar Akishev recently announced the bank has introduced a new basic interest rate, which is an important tool for monetary policy and an indicator for market conditions. “The reduction of the basic rate from 17 percent to 15 percent means the reduced volatility of market rates. This measure…
Astana Public Transport Introduces Smart Card Payment System
Astana Cards, which will be used to pay for public transportation in Astana, became available May 4. These cards are part of the new Astra Plat payment system for public transport, which is going to be introduced on May 31 for express and suburban routes and by the end of the summer for all city…
Number of Organ Transplant Operations Grows in Kazakhstan
ASTANA – Kazakhstan has taken comprehensive measures to develop domestic transplantation surgeries, which increase the number of organ transplants. For comparison, in 2009-2010 there were nine transplantations and in 2015 – 204. “Only two technologies were introduced in 2011,four in 2010, seven in 2012, and 10 in 2015. These include operations for heart transplant, liver,…
Switzerland to Demonstrate Solar Panels at EXPO 2017
Switzerland is going to demonstrate its innovative solar panels for the first time at EXPO 2017 in Astana, announced representative of the Swiss national pavilion Philippe Roesle. “We will start working and equipping our pavilion in November this year. Kazakhstan gives us more than enough time to realise all our ideas. As for content, it…
Kazakhstan, Russia Use New Method for Uranium Exploration
The Rosatom press service recently announced that two joint ventures Karatau and Akbastau together with Kazatomprom and Uranium One are working on a unique technique to extract uranium by in-situ recovery method (ISR) in alkaline soil. This method is going to help extract more uranium, which was technologically unreachable. “For the first time in world…
World Bank Marks Progress on Salamatty Kazakhstan Programme, Kazakh Official Says
ASTANA – All eight target indicators have been achieved during the implementation of the Salamatty Kazakhstan initiative. Vice Minister of Health and Social Development Alexei Tsoi announced that the World Bank gave a positive assessment of the implementation of all areas of the state programme on health for 2011-2015. According to the vice minister, measures…
Kazakhstan Temir Zholy Expects to Increase International Shipments
ASTANA – Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ), the county’s national railroad and logistics company, is planning a decline in domestic freight traffic by 16 percent in 2016 compared to 2012. Timely selection of a strategy aimed at gaining positions in the transcontinental transit traffic market, however, has simultaneously enabled the company to increase container traffic volume…
Kazakh-Hungarian Fund Marks New Stage in Economic Relations
The initial capitalisation of the Kazakh-Hungarian Direct Investment Fund totalled $40 million, according to an official announcement during the fund’s recent advisory board meeting in Astana, reported kazpravda.kz. The corresponding communique was signed by KazAgro Chairman of the Board Nurlybek Malelov and Hungarian Eximbank Deputy General Director Andras Puskas. “The initial capitalisation of the Kazakh-Hungarian…
National Bank to Offer Options for Stock Market Development
Chairman of the National Bank of Kazakhstan Daniyar Akishev, speaking at a recent forum on corporate governance and new perspectives for the investment attractiveness of the state, stressed that the bank plans to offer a series of options for stock market development. He also questioned the reason for the existence of the stock market and…
New Kostanay Sci-Fi Park Shares Wonders of Physics with Children
Eureka, a new interactive sci-fi park for children with more than 60 exhibits showcasing the laws of physics, has opened in Kostanay, Kazpravda.kz reported. All items are available to touch and use for experiments and tests. According to Director of the sci-fi park Vyacheslav Timakov, the interactive area was created with the help of professors…
Kazpochta Introduces Online Money Transfers
ASTANA – Kazpochta has introduced online money transfers allowing Kazakh holders of Visa payment cards to carry out money transfers through the Salem, Tenge! system to get cash in any branch of Kazpochta, the company recently announced. “Now clients of the company can carry out money transfers from a payment card to any department of…
British Telegraph Names 10,000 Tenge Note One of World’s Most Beautiful Bank Notes
ASTANA – The Telegraph has named the 10,000 tenge banknote (2003 series) one of the most beautiful currencies of the world. “The 10,000 tenge banknote issued in Kazakhstan in 2003 features a snow leopard against a background of mountains,” according to the Telegraph. The tenge has repeatedly been honoured with professional awards. In 1994, the…
Domestic Enterprises Ready to Supply Textiles to Restaurants, Hotels, Medical Organisations
Secretary of State of Kazakhstan Gulshara Abdykalikova paid a visit to the KazTexExpo automated trade-industrial complex to assess its work in meeting domestic demand for textiles and the role it plays in Kazakhstan’s growing system of vocational orientation and education. Member of the Council of Business Women of the Astana Chamber of Entrepreneurs Saule Shauenova,…
Women Run About 700,000 Kazakh Enterprises
ASTANA – Atameken Council of Business Women of Kazakhstan Chairperson Lyazzat Ramazanova recently spoke about women’s entrepreneurship in the nation, as well as the possible financing of women’s business projects through various financial institutions, during a Central Communication Service press conference. “There are several financial channels for development of female entrepreneurship, including the EBRD (European…
Experts Want More Kazakh Products Exported to China
ASTANA – Chairman of the KAZNEX INVEST National Agency for Export and Investment Borisbiy Zhangurazov called on enterprises to develop promising export destinations during a recent press conference at the Central Communications Service. “Today, we have more than 20 different commodity items demanded on the Chinese market, including pastry, rice, soft drinks, turkey meat as…
Where and How to Holiday in Kazakhstan
How do economic difficulties impact the choices of Kazakhs regarding travel destinations? What are the prospects for stronger domestic tourism development? What are attractive elements of visiting Kazakhstan for foreigners? Which destinations are expected to increase in popularity with Kazakh vacationers this year? First Vice-Minister of Investments and Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan Zhenis…
Experts Comment on Sports and Show Business Star Nominations for Mazhilis
ASTANA – Experts commented on the promotion of sports and show business stars to the Nur Otan party list for the upcoming election during a Jan. 29 Central Communications Service press conference. “One of the important issues discussed during the 17th congress of the Nur Otan Party was the approval of the list of candidates…
Kyrgyzstan Pays off Debt to Kazakhstan for Natural Gas Supply
The press service of the national company KazTransGas recently announced that Kyrgyzstan has paid off its debt to Kazakhstan for natural gas consumed after 2004. The total amount of $41.6 million includes the gas supply prices, as well as unauthorised gas pickup between 2004 and 2014. KazTransGas was facing the problem of delayed payments coming…
Government Approves New Privatisation Plan for 2016-2020
ASTANA – Kazakhstan has approved a new list of privatisations in the public and quasi-public sectors, including shares of the 65 largest national companies that are part of holdings such as Samruk Kazyna Sovereign Wealth Fund, Baiterek and KazAgro. The decision was announced during the so called government hour, a report by the cabinet to…
State Pensions Are Secure, Says President
Talking with journalists for an interview televised Dec. 13, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev explained the reason for the transition of the United Accumulated Pension Fund to the private sector, saying that Kazakhstan has joined international best practice by introducing three categories of pension payers: taxpayers, employers and the state. Before that the only payer was…
Government to Sell Agricultural Lands for 600 Billion Tenge
ASTANA – Vice Minister of National Economy Kairbek Uskenbayev announced at a recent Central Communications Service (CCS) briefing amendments made to the Land Code of Kazakhstan and a government plan to sell agricultural lands for 600 billion tenge (US$1.9 billion). “We can say that 97.4 million hectares (98.8 percent) of lands are leased. According to…
