Tokayev Says Vice President Appointment Expected Within 10 Days
ASTANA – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said the new Vice President is expected to be appointed within the next week or 10 days, speaking to media representatives after casting his ballot in the country’s first elections to the Kurultai on Aug. 23.

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev spoke to media representatives after casting his ballot in the…
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#Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev spoke by phone with European Council President António Costa to discuss deepening ties between Kazakhstan and the European Union.

The leaders focused on steps to advance agreements reached during Tokayev’s June visit to Brussels as the two sides seek to build on their strategic partnership.

Observers See Unicameral Parliament as Boost for Stability and Investment
ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s transition to a unicameral parliament and the implementation of its new constitutional framework were among the key issues raised by foreign observers during the parliamentary vote taking place on Aug. 23. The country’s prospects for attracting international investment were also a major focus of their discussions.

From L to R: Glenn…
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Kazakhstan’s First Kurultai Election Concludes With Preliminary Voter Turnout at 74.19%
ASTANA – Voting in Kazakhstan’s first elections to the Kurultai concluded at all polling stations across the country at 8 p.m. on Aug. 23, with 9,352,151 voters, or 74.19% of those registered, having received ballots, according to preliminary voter turnout data from the Central Election Commission (CEC).

Photo credit: gov.kz

Polling stations have now…
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Exit Polls Put Adilet Party Near 72% in Kazakhstan’s First Kurultai Election
ASTANA – The Adilet party was projected to receive around 72% of the vote in Kazakhstan’s inaugural election to the Kurultai on Aug. 23, according to three exit polls released at midnight on Aug. 24. Exit polls, which were announced during a live election night broadcast, also showed four other parties narrowly clearing the…
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IFC and Bank CenterCredit Partner to Boost Trade Finance in Kazakhstan
IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, and Bank CenterCredit today announced a partnership to help Kazakh importers and exporters, particularly small and medium enterprises (SMEs), gain greater access to the cross-border financing they need to trade internationally.

Photo credit: Archive of BCC

Under the agreement, Bank CenterCredit joins IFC’s Global Trade…
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Experts Say Tokayev’s G20 Invitation Will Test Kazakhstan’s Balancing Act
ASTANA — President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s participation in the G20 summit in Miami this December is set to put Kazakhstan’s carefully balanced foreign policy to a new test, as growing United States (US) interest in the country creates opportunities for deeper economic and strategic cooperation while intensifying competition among the major powers with which Astana…
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Adilet Party Leads Preliminary Results in Kazakhstan’s First Kurultai Election With 71.17%
ASTANA – The Adilet party secured 71.17% of the vote in Kazakhstan’s first elections to the Kurultai, according to preliminary results announced by the Central Election Commission (CEC) on Aug. 24.

Photo credit: Akorda

A total of 9,351,539 citizens participated in the election out of 12,623,289 registered voters, bringing preliminary voter turnout to 74.08%.…
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Kazakhstan Judo Team Wins Historic Mixed Team Gold at World Championships
ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s national judo team secured its first-ever gold medal in the mixed team event at the World Judo Championships among cadets in Guayaquil, Ecuador, marking a historic achievement for the country’s judo programme.

Kazakhstan’s national judo team secured its first-ever gold medal in the mixed team event at the World Judo Championships…
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Kazakhstan Gains U.S. Recognition as Safe Tourism Destination
ASTANA — Kazakhstan has received the least restrictive travel advisory level from the United States, adding to a series of developments leading to strengthening the country’s position as an international tourism destination.

Astana. Photo credit: The Astana Times.

On Aug. 18, the U.S. Department of State placed Kazakhstan at Level 1, the lowest (safest)…
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Tokayev Makes Senior Appointments Amid Kazakhstan’s Constitutional Transition
ALMATY – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has made a number of senior state appointments, reappointing the heads of the National Bank, National Security Committee and Supreme Judicial Council, as well as the Commissioner for Human Rights on Aug. 24.

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Photo credit: Akorda.

Timur Suleimenov was reappointed the Governor of National Bank of…
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Why Kazakhstan Is Creating Domestic Credit Rating Agency and What Will Determine Its Success
ALMATY – Kazakhstan is preparing to establish a national credit rating agency as part of a broader effort to develop its domestic capital market, but the institution’s success will ultimately depend on more than the creation of a new regulator-approved rating system. Its ratings will have to earn the confidence of investors and become…
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Central Asia Sees FinTech As Next Frontier of Regional Integration
TASHKENT – Digital and financial connectivity could become the next frontier of regional integration in Central Asia, as Uzbekistan seeks to accelerate its fintech development and advance greater connectivity within the region’s markets.

Central Bank of Uzbekistan Governor Timur Ishmetov (M) during the media briefing as part of the forum in Tashkent on Aug.…
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ASEAN Summer Festival Brings Southeast Asia Closer to Kazakhstan
ASTANA – The ASEAN Summer Festival brought Southeast Asia closer to Kazakhstan on Aug. 22, turning the Kazakh capital into a showcase of the region’s cultures, traditions, food and tourism while underscoring growing people-to-people ties.

The ASEAN Summer Festival brought Southeast Asia’s cultures, traditions, food and tourism to Astana on Aug. 22, highlighting growing…
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Kurultai Vote Raises Stakes for Parties, Parliament and Foreign Policy, Experts Say
ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s first election to the new Kurultai is reshaping more than the country’s parliamentary architecture, said experts at an Aug. 24 meeting in Astana organized by the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies (KazISS). They pointed to voter turnout, a bigger role for political parties and growing geopolitical competition around Central Asia at…
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Experts See Kazakhstan Emerging as Pivotal ‘Connector State’ in Eurasia
ASTANA — As competition between the world’s major powers increasingly reshapes trade routes, energy flows and diplomatic alignments, Kazakhstan’s strategic value may lie not in choosing sides, but in remaining able to connect several sides at once, experts said at a policy discussion in Astana.

The discussion on Aug. 21, organized by the CFive…
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Observers Call for Improvements After Kazakhstan’s First Kurultai Vote
ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s first election to the new unicameral Kurultai marked a significant stage in the country’s constitutional reform, according to international assessments released after the Aug. 23 vote. An OSCE-led mission found the process technically well prepared but said political competition remained limited.

International election observers at an Aug. 24 press conference in…
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Kazakhstan Introduces AI Analytics in Transport Sector
ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s AI platform Echelon Alpha presented the government with its artificial intelligence capabilities for real-time analysis of markets, transport routes and cross-sector economic links.

Photo: Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov (R) and Rahman Asambayev, CEO of Echelon Alpha, (L) during the presentation of the platform’s AI-powered solutions at the Situational Center of the…
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Nigeria, Sierra Leone See Sharp Rise in Business Registrations in Kazakhstan
ASTANA – The number of companies with founders from Nigeria and Sierra Leone registered in Kazakhstan increased sharply in July.

Photo credit: Shutterstock

The number of Nigerian-founded companies rose by 68, while companies with founders from Sierra Leone rose by 45, the Data Hub analytical Telegram channel reported on Aug. 14.

The figures come…
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Adilet Wins Kurultai Elections with 71.17% of Vote
ASTANA – The Adilet party secured a landslide victory in Kazakhstan’s Kurultai elections, winning 71.17% of the vote and 110 seats, according to the final results announced by the Central Election Commission (CEC) on Aug. 25.

Photo credit: newscord.org

The electoral rolls included 12,623,289 voters, and 9,351,539 cast ballots. Voter turnout stood at 74.08%.…
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