Astana International Financial Centre Attracts $3.1 Billion in Investments in 2024
ASTANA—The Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) has announced its operational results for 2024. This year, the total volume of investments attracted through the AIFC platform reached $3.1 billion, including $2.1 billion in portfolio investments on the Astana International Exchange (AIX) and $1 billion from AIFC participants. Since its inception, the AIFC has facilitated $14 billion…
Kazakhstan, EU Plan to Intensify Cooperation in 2025
ASTANA – Kazakh Deputy Foreign Minister Roman Vassilenko and European Union Ambassador to Kazakhstan Aleška Simkić agreed to deepen cooperation in promising areas such as transport and logistics, critical raw materials, climate and green energy next year during a Dec. 23 meeting. During the talks, the officials noted the high dynamics of bilateral cooperation in…
Trade Volume Between Kazakhstan, US Reaches Record $3.3 bln
ASTANA – The trade volume between Kazakhstan and the United States reached $3.3 billion in January-September, a record figure for the last four years. This was stated at the round table held in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce with the participation of heads of U.S. companies and U.S.-Kazakhstan Business Council (USKZBC) members on the results…
Euronews: Kazakhstan to Grow Reputation as Astro-Tourism Destination
ASTANA – Kazakhstan has become one of the trending destinations for astro-tourism in the latest Euronews Travel Trend Report 2025 edition. “Famous for its sweeping steppes and jaw dropping lakes, Kazakhstan is also setting its sights on becoming a top choice for stargazing, amid the growing appetite for celestial experiences amongst travelers,” reads the report.…
Kazakhstan to Support Railway Construction in Afghanistan
ASTANA – Kazakh companies plan to supply rails and other materials for future railways in Afghanistan, Vice Minister of Transport Maksat Kaliakparov announced at the Transport and Logistics Market international conference and Global Avia Day forum on Dec. 18 in Astana, reported Kazinform. “This is a continuation of the North-South international transport corridor. We consider…
Kazakhstan Takes Third Place at World Weightlifting Championships, Secures Two Golds
ASTANA — Kazakhstan placed third overall at the 2024 International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Weightlifting Championships, held from Dec. 6 to 15 in Manama, Bahrain trailing behind North Korea (DPRK) and China. Kazakh athletes won one silver (Alexey Churkin) and two gold medals (Nurgissa Adiletuly, Artyom Antropov). The National Olympic Committee stated that Artyom Antropov…
British Think Tank Presents Research Report on Kazakhstan’s Strategic Importance
ASTANA – The British think tank the Henry Jackson Society presented a research report titled Understanding Kazakhstan’s Strategic Importance: A Middle Power Partner for the UK in Central Asia, in the United Kingdom Parliament on Dec. 10 in London. Presenting the report, the Henry Jackson Society’s associate research fellow and author of the report, Darren…
Astana Hub Drives Growth in Kazakhstan’s IT Sector, With Revenues Surging to $2.3 Billion
ASTANA – The Astana Hub, Kazakhstan’s international technology park, has become a cornerstone of the country’s IT growth. Housing over 1,500 participants, including 1,102 Kazakh and 437 foreign companies, the park has seen its total revenue soar to 1.2 trillion tenge (US$2.3 billion), a 31-fold increase over the past five years. This year, overall export…
Dimash Qudaibergen’s Fans from Poland Release Polish-Kazakh Phrasebook
ASTANA – After two years of dedicated work, Dimash Qudaibergen’s Polish fan club published the country’s first Polish-Kazakh phrasebook to strengthen cultural ties and promote the Kazakh language and culture. The idea for the phrasebook originated from Kazakh language courses conducted on Radio Dimash. Listeners learned essential words and phrases useful for trips to Kazakhstan.…
Kazakhstan and China Cooperate to Build $114 Million Wind Turbine Component Plant
ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s Samruk Kazyna Sovereign Wealth Fund and China’s SANY Renewable Energy (RE) laid the foundation for the construction of a $114 million plant to produce wind turbine components on Nov. 29 in the Zhambyl Region, reported SANY’s press service. Scheduled for completion by the end of 2025, the plant will produce gondolas, hubs,…
President Tokayev Meets with Russia’s President Ahead of High-Level Talks
ASTANA – Relations between Kazakhstan and Russia are based on a very solid foundation of strategic partnership and alliance, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said during a narrow-format meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who arrived in Kazakhstan on a state visit on Nov. 27, reported Kazinform. Tokayev remarked that he had thoroughly read Putin’s article published…
Kazakhstan Establishes Visa-Free Regime with Saint Kitts and Nevis
ASTANA – Kazakhstan has approved an agreement on exemption from short-term visa requirements with Saint Kitts and Nevis, following a government resolution on Nov. 20, reported Online.zakon.kz. The resolution comes into effect from the day of its signing. Under the agreement, holders of valid travel documents are exempt from visa requirements for single or multiple…
Kazakhstan Allocates Recovered Funds to Build School in Atyrau Region
ASTANA – The Kazakh government will allocate two billion tenge (US$3.9 million) from returned illegally acquired assets to build a school for 150 students in the village of Zhamansor in the Atyrau Region, the Prime Minister’s press service reported on Nov. 25. This village has only a primary school housed in an adapted building for…
Kazakhstan Sets Strategic Course for Reviving and Preserving National Horse Breeds
ASTANA — Deputy Prime Minister Serik Zhumangarin held a Nov. 25 meeting to outline the strategic objectives and development plans for the Institute of Horse Breeding and Forage Production, reported the Prime Minister’s press service. The primary goals of the institute include preserving and enhancing Kazakh horse breeds’ genetic heritage and ensuring effective coordination of…
Turkistan Region Hosts Competition to Crown Fastest Tazy Dog
ASTANA — A competition showcasing the finest Tazy dogs, Kazakhstan’s iconic hunting greyhounds, concluded in the Turkistan Region on Nov. 25 with the crowning of Taimas as the most beautiful and fastest representative of the breed, reported Khabar TV channel. Over 100 purebred Tazys from across the country participated, drawing attention to these dogs’ cultural…
Kazakh Film Wins Best Cinematography Nomination at Asia World Film Festival
ASTANA – Zhanarbek Yeleubek received the Best Cinematography nomination for his work on the film “Bauyryna salu” (Adoption) at the Asia World Film Festival (AWFF), held on Nov. 13-21 in Los Angeles, reported the Kazakh Ministry of Culture and Information. Directed by Askhat Kuchinchirekov, “Bauyryna salu” premiered last year at the San Sebastian Film Festival,…
Kazakhstan’s Trade with CICA Countries Grows to $82 billion
ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s trade with the member states of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) reached nearly $82 billion in 2023, which is 5% more than in the previous year, as was reported at the seventh plenary session of the CICA Business Council and the ninth CICA Business Forum on Nov.…
Kazakhstan Set to Boost Cargo Transit to Europe with New Terminal
ASTANA – Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ) national railway company is expanding its terminal network in Europe through a new memorandum of cooperation in transport and logistics signed on Nov. 21 in Budapest, reported KTZ’s press service. KTZ, Hungary’s L.A.C. Holding, and China’s Xi’an Free Trade Port Construction and Operation agreed to establish a joint intermodal…
Aktau Named Cultural Capital of Turkic World for 2025
ASTANA – Aktau received the status of the cultural capital of the Turkic world in 2025 at the 41st meeting of the member states of the International Turkic Culture Organization (TURKSOY) in Ashgabat, the Kazakh Culture and Information Ministry’s press service reported on Nov. 18. The symbolic passing of the baton occurred during the closing…
Kazakhstan to Host 17th Eurasia International Film Festival This Month
ASTANA — The 17th Eurasia International Film Festival: Cinema Without Borders will be held in Kazakhstan from Nov. 24 to 30, according to the festival’s press service. It will feature an international competition among 12 iconic and experimental films by directors from Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. The films will represent a vibrant mosaic…
President Tokayev Pays Official Visit to Serbia
ASTANA – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev arrived in Serbia on an official visit on Nov. 18, reported Akorda. He met with President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić to discuss the prospects for cooperation in the political, trade and economic, transport and logistics, and cultural and humanitarian spheres during high-level talks. Before that, they had dinner in a…
Kazakhstan’s Halyk Bank Wins Finacle Banking Innovations Awards 2024
ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s Halyk Bank won bronze in the Operational Excellence category at the 2024 Qorus-Infosys Finacle Banking Innovation Awards, the bank’s press service reported on Nov. 12. Halyk Bank’s innovation Face Pay, developed in partnership with Visa, a global leader in digital payments, received over 64,000 votes from bank employees worldwide and was praised…
Kazakhstan Highlights NPT Treaty as Fundamental Mechanism for Nuclear Disarmament
ASTANA – Despite the existing challenges, the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) remains the fundamental and universal mechanism for nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, Kazakh First Deputy Foreign Minister Akan Rakhmetullin said at the European Union Conference on Disarmament and Non-Proliferation, held on Nov. 12-13 in Brussels. According to the ministry’s press service,…
Kazakhstan to Launch First Railway Tour with Uzbekistan
ASTANA – Kazakhstan will launch the Silk Road railway tour with the first Almaty – Turkistan – Tashkent – Almaty trip on Nov. 16, reported the Tourism and Sports Ministry’s press service. This unique railway tour that connects Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan will make trips more comfortable and accessible not only for citizens but also for…
Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, China to Establish Intermodal Cargo Terminal in Port of Baku
ASTANA – Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and China signed an agreement on the establishment of an intermodal cargo terminal in the Port of Baku in Alat on the sidelines of the 29th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) on Nov. 12. According to the Kazakhstan Temir Zholy national railway company’s…
