Kazakhstan’s Wildlife Recovery Expands From Protection to Reintroduction
ALMATY – Kazakhstan is reporting continued growth in several rare ungulate populations while expanding programs to return animals that disappeared from parts of the country to their natural habitats. From Przewalski’s horses and kulans to the recent release of a tiger into the wild, conservation policy is moving beyond protecting surviving wildlife toward rebuilding populations…
Air Astana Extends Dubai Flight Cancellations Through Sept. 30
ALMATY – Air Astana has extended the cancellation of flights to Dubai from Almaty and Astana through Sept. 30 due to the continuing unstable situation in the Persian Gulf region. The airline said its flight schedule for October has also been adjusted, with the frequency of flights on these routes reduced. Passengers affected by the…
Astana Finance Days 2026 to Bring Global Investors and Financial Leaders to Kazakhstan
ALMATY – More than 5,500 participants from over 80 countries are expected to gather in Kazakhstan’s capital on Sept. 9-10 for the ninth Astana Finance Days (AFD) 2026 forum, hosted by the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC). The forum will bring together investors, representatives of the financial and technology sectors, regulators, government and quasi-state institutions,…
How Kazakhstan’s First Released Tiger Adapts to Life in Wild
ALMATY – Umit, the female Amur tiger released into the wild in Kazakhstan’s Ile-Balkhash State Nature Reserve on July 31, is continuing to explore the region’s forests and habitats near water as specialists monitor her adaptation to life in the wild. According to the Forestry and Wildlife Committee of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural…
Data Center Valley Is More Than AI: It’s Kazakhstan’s Economic Diversification Bet
ALMATY – Kazakhstan is advancing construction of the Data Center Valley in the Pavlodar Region, a large-scale computing infrastructure project intended to support artificial intelligence development, attract international technology companies and create a new export-oriented segment of the digital economy, as Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov reviewed progress on Aug. 13. The first facility, with a…
From Grain to Value Chains: Kazakhstan Seeks to Transform Its Agricultural Export Model
ALMATY – Kazakhstan has nearly doubled its agricultural exports over the past five years, reaching $7 billion in 2025 from $3.8 billion, according to an analysis published by the World Financial Review. The growth has strengthened Kazakhstan’s role as a food supplier to Central Asia and beyond. Still, it raises a broader question about the…
Experts: As Inflation Falls, Kazakhstan Faces New Monetary Policy Trade-Off
ALMATY – Kazakhstan’s annual inflation slowed to 10.2% in July, extending its decline for a tenth consecutive month, while lending is increasingly shifting from consumer borrowing toward business financing, according to National Bank (NBK) Governor Timur Suleimenov’s report to President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on Aug. 13. The figures point to a changing balance in Kazakhstan’s economy.…
Kazakhstan Powers Central Asia’s Economy, But Can Its Weight Drive Regional Growth?
ALMATY – Central Asia’s combined economy has surpassed half a trillion US dollars, reaching an estimated $543 billion, with Kazakhstan accounting for more than half of the region’s gross domestic product, according to figures compiled by The Times of Central Asia. Kazakhstan’s economy is estimated at $306 billion, representing nearly 56% of the combined GDP…
One Sea, Five Countries, Two Futures: Caspian Sea’s Next Test
ALMATY – Caspian Sea Day is being marked on Aug. 12, the 20th anniversary of the entry into force of the Tehran Convention, the main regional agreement on protecting the Caspian Sea’s marine environment, as environmental concerns over declining water levels and the future of the world’s largest enclosed body of water continue to grow.…
Can Science Replace Commodities? Kazakhstan Wants Universities to Drive Innovation
ALMATY – Kazakhstan has more than doubled its research and development spending since 2023, expanded international university partnerships and increased support for young scientists as it seeks to build an economy driven increasingly by knowledge and technology. Science and higher education have become strategic priorities under a broader modernization agenda. The government’s approach increasingly links…
Kazakhstan Household Deposits Near $54 Billion as Savings Rise 20.9%
ALMATY – Household deposits in Kazakhstan’s banks approached nearly 25 trillion tenge (US$53.5 billion) by the end of June 2026, increasing by 20.9% over the year, reported the Finprom financial and analytical agency. While the overall volume of savings continues to grow, deposits remain concentrated in several major cities and regions, revealing significant differences in…
Abai’s Legacy Endures as Nearly 19,000 Kazakh Citizens Carry His Name
ALMATY – Nearly 19,000 people in Kazakhstan bear the name Abai, according to the Bureau of National Statistics, as the country marks Abai Day on Aug. 10, commemorating the 181st anniversary of the birth of Abai Kunanbayev, who was born in 1845. The figures highlight how the name of the country’s renowned poet, philosopher and…
Kazakhstan Emerges as Firebird AI Market With Data Center Valley Project in Ekibastuz
ALMATY – Kazakhstan has emerged as the second market for US-based AI infrastructure company Firebird, which is developing a 125-megawatt computing facility in Ekibastuz as part of the country’s broader effort to build domestic artificial intelligence infrastructure and attract a larger share of the global AI economy. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Artificial Intelligence…
Kazakhstan Eyes Sustainable Aviation Fuel Industry With Alatau Pilot Project
ALMATY – Kazakhstan took a step toward entering the emerging market for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) after signing a memorandum with Hong Kong-based Full Vision Capital to explore building an integrated production ecosystem in Alatau, a project that could position the country within the global aviation industry’s decarbonization efforts. The memorandum, signed on Aug.4 following…
Dimash Qudaibergen Launches New World Tour
ALMATY – Kazakh singer Dimash Qudaibergen has announced a new world tour titled DiMENSIONS, presenting the project as his most personal stage production to date and the latest step in an international career that has steadily expanded beyond music. According to the artist’s official website, the new program is designed not as a journey through…
Kazakhstan Completes Key Stage of Trans-Caspian Fiber Optic Cable Project
ALMATY – Kazakhstan has completed the most technically challenging stage of the Trans-Caspian Fiber Optic Cable project after an undersea cable reached the country’s Caspian coast on Aug. 5, marking a milestone in efforts to establish a new high-speed digital corridor linking Asia and Europe. The submarine cable, laid along the Caspian Sea floor between…
Kazakhstan Moves to Build Nationwide Flood and Drought Early Warning System
ALMATY – Kazakhstan signed an agreement on Aug. 4 to develop a nationwide flood and drought early warning system, signaling a broader shift from responding to water emergencies toward anticipating them. The project, developed jointly by the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation’s Information and Analytical Center and Agip Karachaganak, will integrate data on the…
Kazakhstan Leads Central Asia in 2026 Legatum Prosperity Index
ALMATY – Kazakhstan ranked first among Central Asian countries in the 2026 Legatum Prosperity Index, placing 66th out of 161 economies worldwide, according to the latest report published by the Prosperity Institute. The annual index assesses countries across more than 130 indicators grouped into three broad pillars: prosperity, freedom and society. The 2026 edition introduced…
Will Kazakhstan Turn Migration Into Economic Advantage?
ALMATY – Kazakhstan is reshaping its migration policy around attracting the people its economy needs while strengthening digital oversight of migration flows. As the government advances its Migration Policy Concept through 2030 and proposes an electronic entry permit for foreign nationals that is expected to be implemented gradually between August and December 2026, officials say…
Why is Hydropower Becoming Central to Kazakhstan’s Clean Energy Strategy?
ALMATY – Kazakhstan’s renewable energy strategy is entering a new phase. After a decade of rapidly expanding wind and solar generation, the government is shifting its focus to hydropower as the missing link needed to stabilize an increasingly renewable electricity system. The shift became clearer on July 31, when the government approved a Hydropower Development…
Hosting Global AI Olympiad, Kazakhstan Looks Beyond Competition
ALMATY – As more than 500 high school students from 106 countries gathered in Astana for the International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence (IOAI), President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev used the event to showcase Kazakhstan’s broader ambition to become one of Eurasia’s leading AI economies. But while hosting global competitions highlights the country’s growing digital profile, experts say…
Can Central Asia Turn Political Trust Into Lasting Regional Cooperation?
ALMATY – Central Asia is moving beyond symbolic diplomacy toward a more durable system of regional coordination, according to Filippo Costa Buranelli, an associate professor of international relations at the University of St. Andrews in the United Kingdom. Following last week’s informal summit of Central Asian leaders and Azerbaijan in Cholpon-Ata, Buranelli said in an…
Kazakhstan to Become One of Eurasia’s Leading Logistics Hubs, Tokayev Says
ALMATY – Kazakhstan has unveiled a new phase of its transport infrastructure strategy, launching construction of the Beineu–Saksaulsk highway and announcing the expansion of two additional road corridors as part of a broader effort to reposition the country as a key logistics hub linking Europe and Asia. Speaking at an Aug. 3 ceremony, President Kassym-Jomart…
Kazakhstan Meets Renewable Energy Goal Ahead of Schedule. What Comes Next?
ALMATY – Kazakhstan exceeded its national target for renewable electricity generation in 2025, marking another milestone in the country’s green energy transition. But while record output underscores the success of years of investment in wind and solar power, the figures also point to the next phase of the transition: integrating a rapidly growing share of…
Kazakhstan Prepares for First Wild Tiger Release as Reintroduction Project Enters Defining Stage
ALMATY – After years of habitat restoration and careful adaptation, the success of Kazakhstan’s tiger restoration effort will soon depend on whether the animals can survive and coexist with people in the wild. For nearly a decade, Kazakhstan’s effort to restore tigers to the Ili-Balkhash ecosystem has been approaching what conservationists consider its most consequential…
